Leonel de Jesús Álvarez Zuleta (born 29 July 1965) is a Colombian football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.

[2] Álvarez played 101 times for the Colombia national team between 1985 and 1997, making him the third most capped player in Colombian international football.

[6] Late in his career, he returned to Colombian football, where he played for Deportes Quindío and for Deportivo Pereira.

[citation needed] Álvarez appeared in a total of 101 games for the Colombia, making his debut on 14 February 1985 against Poland.

[7] He got off to a good start by beating Bolivia, but was sacked on 14 December that year after the Colombian squad recorded a 1–1 draw with Venezuela and a 2–1 loss with Argentina in the World Cup qualifying campaign.