Cristián Leiva

Cristian Rodrigo Leiva Godoy (born 3 March 1976) is a Chilean football manager and former footballer who played as a defender. He is the current assistant manager of Víctor Rivero in Deportes Limache.

Club career Leiva began his professional career with Universidad de Chile, staying only two years at the club. Along with La U, he played the last minutes in a 1996 Copa Libertadores match against Barcelona de Guayaquil at the quarter-finals.

Managerial career On 2011, Leiva began his managerial career at the Universidad de Chile youth ranks and Jorge Sampaoli, manager of the first team, gave him in charge of the "sparring team".

From 2012 to 2019 - with the managers Jorge Sampaoli, Juan Antonio Pizzi and Reinaldo Rueda - he worked in the technical staff of Chile national team as a video and report assistant and Chile U15's manager (from 2017 to 2019). After Hernán Caputto left Chile U17, on 9 July 2019 he was confirmed as the new manager for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Chile U17 reached the second stage. At the same time, he also worked as assistant coach of Bernardo Redín in Chile U23 in both 2019 Maurice Revello Tournament and 2020 Pre-Olympic Tournament.

In 2020, he took his first challenge at the Chilean Primera División by assuming the management of Deportes Iquique.

On 11 December 2024, Leiva joined the technical staff of Ariel Pereyra in Colón as an assistant coach.

After Colón, Leiva made training of coaches in Honduras alongside Reinaldo Rueda. He also has a sports complex in the Valparaíso Region, Chile. In March of the same year, he switched to Deportes Limache.

Personal life Leiva is nicknamed Flaco (Skinny).