Luiz Felipe Scolari

Scolari was born in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. A defender regarded as more uncompromising than skillful, he was known among his contemporaries as "Perna-de-Pau" (literally translated as "wooden leg" in Portuguese, a Brazilian slang for a bad player), Scolari followed in the footsteps of his father, Benjamin Scolari, who was also a professional footballer. His playing career encompassed spells with Caxias, Juventude, Novo Hamburgo, and CSA; he often captained his sides. It was with CSA that he won his only major title as a player – the 1981 Campeonato Alagoano.

A central defender, Scolari described himself as a player who was tough, physically strong, and who had a good positional sense and leadership qualities, despite not being a particularly skilful player, which made him a useful player for his teams. Throughout his career he was nicknamed "Perna-de-Pau," or "Wooden Leg," in Portuguese, due to his perceived lack of class on the ball.

Early career

Upon retiring as a player in 1982, he was appointed manager of CSA, his former club, and would go on to win the Alagoas state championship in his first season. After spells with Juventude (twice), Brasil de Pelotas and Pelotas and Saudi Arabian side Al Shabab, he moved to Grêmio, where he won the 1987 Gaúcho state championship. After managing Goiás, Scolari had a two-year stint in charge of Kuwaiti side Qadsia, with whom he won the prestigious Kuwait Emir Cup in 1989. This was followed by a brief period as manager of the Kuwait national team, winning the 10th Gulf Cup in Kuwait. Scolari returned to Brazil to coach Coritiba. He stayed for just three matches, losing all of them. After the last loss, he abandoned the club by boarding the winning team's bus back to his hometown; and did not return even to collect his wages. Scolari coached Criciúma to their first major national title, in the 1991 Copa do Brasil. He returned to club management in the Middle East, managing Al-Ahli and a second spell at Qadsia.

Return to Grêmio

In 1993, Scolari returned to Grêmio, where, albeit leading the team to historic victories, he was criticized by the Brazilian media for playing a pragmatic style of football regarded as "un-Brazilian". He claimed six titles in only three years, including the 1995 Copa Libertadores, which qualified Grêmio for the Intercontinental Cup, which they lost to Dutch side Ajax on penalties. The following year, they won the Brazilian…

Scolari also holds Italian citizenship, since his family emigrated from Veneto. He is a fan of Grêmio, and was reported to be a fan of Nottingham Forest, having watched their successes under Brian Clough in the 1970s. Scolari is a Roman Catholic. During his career, the media has been fond of pointing out Scolari's facial resemblance to actor Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando's portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in the film The Godfather. In Brazil, Scolari is also known as "Felipão", and during his stint with Chelsea, he was sometimes referred by the English translation, Big Phil.