After a period in charge of Marcílio Dias,[4] Culpi took Internacional de Limeira to their second national title, a Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in 1988.

In the following years Culpi rarely settled into a club, being in charge of Al-Ittifaq, Paraná Clube, Guarani, Atlético Mineiro, Portuguesa and Cruzeiro before moving abroad to manage Cerezo Osaka in 1997.

After spells at Sport and Atlético Mineiro in 2001, he replaced Flávio Murtosa at the helm of Palmeiras on 3 September 2002,[5] but could not avoid the club's first-ever relegation from the top tier.

In December 2002 Culpi was appointed head coach of Botafogo,[6] taking the club back to the main category after finishing second.

League Division 2 side Cerezo Osaka sacked Satoshi Tsunami and appointed Culpi as head coach.

With such players as Kagawa, Inui, Akihiro Ienaga, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Adriano, and Martinez, the team finished 3rd in 2010 and qualified for the AFC Champions League.

Coritiba Santa Cruz Inter de Limeira Criciúma Paraná Cruzeiro São Paulo Atlético Mineiro Fluminense