Manuel Pellegrini
Encyclopedia
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (born 16 September 1953 in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

) is a Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

 and former footballer. His current club is La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 side Málaga CF
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...

.

Club career

Born in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

 to Italian ancestors, Pellegrini attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile is one of the six Catholic Universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two Pontifical Universities in the country, along with the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso. It is also one of Chile's oldest universities and...

 in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

, where he graduated as a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...

 in 1979.

As a footballer, he played his entire career for Club Universidad de Chile, making a total of 451 appearances, scoring 1 goal.

Managerial career

As a coach, he has managed teams mostly in Spain, Argentina and Chile. San Lorenzo de Almagro obtained their first international title while Pellegrini was manager.

Chile

He started coaching Universidad de Chile during the 1988 season, in which the team was relegated
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 to Second Division.

In 1990 Arturo Salah
Arturo Salah
Arturo Salah Cassani is a Chilean former football player, who currently is an unemployed manager. He is of Palestinian background. Lastly he managed the Universidad de Chile. As a player, Salah played for Audax, Universidad Católica, Universidad de Chile and Palestino.-Manager career:He began his...

 was appointed as the manager of the Chilean national football team
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...

, and he hired Pellegrini as his technical assistant, and manager of the sub-20 team.

He then coached to C.D. Palestino (1990–1992) and C.D. O'Higgins (1992–1993). In 1993 he became coach of Universidad Catolica, one of the most popular football clubs from Chile, where he had an amazing team with players such as Alberto Acosta
Alberto Acosta
Alberto Federico 'Beto' Acosta is a retired Argentine footballer who played as a striker.In a professional career which spanned 18 years , he played for San Lorenzo in four different spells...

 and Nestor Gorosito
Néstor Gorosito
Néstor Raúl Gorosito is a retired Argentine footballer.-Playing career:Néstor Pipo Gorosito began his playing career at River Plate, he had 3 spells at San Lorenzo where he scored 72 goals in 241 appearances...

, but he could only finish as runner-up during 1994 and 1995 seasons.

LDU Quito

Pellegrini coached Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

ian club LDU Quito to a national title in 1999, starting a tradition of coaches that followed him to the Ecuadorian team. He had a good presentation in Copa Libertadores with the team that put him in the eye of GMs of other South American teams.

San Lorenzo

The years with Universidad Catolica were fundamental in his career as Nestor Gorosito, an Icon of San Lorenzo of Argentina, would later on recommend Pellegrini to the team and his recommendation would reap rewards when the Chilean coach led Los Cuervos to the 2001 Clausura title and the Copa Mercosur, South America's UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 equivalent.

River Plate

Pellegrini secured the Clausura championships at Los Milionarios (2003) in which he utilised the talents of Andres D'Alessandro
Andrés D'Alessandro
Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro is a left-footed Argentine footballer who currently plays for Sport Club Internacional in Brazil. He is best known for his dribbling and his short passing ability.-Early career:...

, one of many Argentine playmakers to have been likened to Diego Maradona. However his sale to Vfl Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...

 proved a tough hurdle for Pellegrini to overcome and his side struggled to defend their status as Argentine champions in the 2003 Torneo Apertura. He quit his post at the end of the campaign.

Villarreal

Pellegrini took over the managerial duties of Villarreal CF
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...

 on 1 July 2004. In his first season in charge of the club, Villarreal qualified for the Champions League after finishing third in the league and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. The following season Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2005-06
UEFA Champions League 2005-06
The 2005–06 UEFA Champions League was the 51st staging of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, and the 14th since it was rebranded from the European Cup in 1992. 74 teams from 50 football associations took part, starting with the first qualifying round played...

, losing to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

. Villarreal eventually finished seventh in La Liga that year. The following two seasons featured Villarreal finishing in both 5th and 2nd place in the league, the latter being historic for the club. Pellegrini led "The Yellow Submarines" to the Champions league knockout stages, where they drew Arsenal once again in the quarter-finals, losing out 4–1 on aggregate.

According to percentage of points gained, Pellegrini is the second most successful South American club manager in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 within the last 25 years, coming after Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Vanderlei Luxemburgo da Silva , better known as Vanderlei Luxemburgo, is a Brazilian football manager and former football player. He holds the distinction of being the most successful manager in the history of Brazil's Série A, with 5 league titles...

.

At the end of 2007, Villarreal offered him an extended contract until 2011. On 31 May 2009, after the last La Liga match for Villareal, Pellegrini said "nobody from Real Madrid has spoken with me. I have a contract with Villarreal, we finished the league today, and tomorrow we go on holiday", after being inquired by the press.
On 1 June 2009, Villareal executive announced that Pellegrini would no longer continue at the club. The Valencian
Valencia (province)
Valencia or València is a province of Spain, in the central part of the Valencian Community.It is bordered by the provinces of Alicante, Albacete, Cuenca, Teruel, Castellón, and the Mediterranean Sea...

 club executive specified that if Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 wanted to sign the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an coach, they would have to pay Pellegrini's 4 million euros termination clause.

Real Madrid

On 2 June 2009, Pellegrini was officially appointed as manager of Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

, signing a two–year contract. On being presented at the presidential balcony of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....

 he said: "Hard to say in a few words the excitement and pride that one feels for having been chosen to direct perhaps the most important club in the world." He joined Real Madrid as the first manager in Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and current president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, as well as ACS...

's second stint as Real Madrid president. After a few days, Pellegrini scouted Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...

 from AC Milan saying "If we want to win the Champions League and be the best team in the world, we need the best players in the world". They later bought Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...

 for £80million from Manchester United later that transfer window, and Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is a French international footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He primarily plays as a striker whose influence can extend out to the wings and is known for his technical ability, powerful style of play, and vast goal-scoring ability...

 from Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...

 for £30million and Xabi alonso for £30 million. It was the most money Real Madrid had spent in the transfer market all four players cost around £200 million combined.

On 20 July 2009, Pellegrini directed his first match for the club against Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 side Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

 in a friendly match. Real Madrid won the game by a low 1-0 score, with a solitary goal by Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is a French international footballer who currently plays for Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga. He primarily plays as a striker whose influence can extend out to the wings and is known for his technical ability, powerful style of play, and vast goal-scoring ability...

 in the 87th minute. The club's president Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez
Florentino Pérez Rodríguez is a Spanish businessman, civil engineer, former politician, and current president of Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, as well as ACS...

 criticized the team's style of play in this match and the physical exhaustion of the players. During July, Pellegrini disputed his first cup for the club as manager, the Peace Cup 2009. The club finished as semifinalist in the tournament, being eliminated by Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

 in a 2–1 loss. On 29 August, Real Madrid won 3–2 at Deportivo La Coruña in Pellegrini's first La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 game as manager.

On 27 October 2009, the club was eliminated from the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....

 during the Round of 16 by the modest Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...

 club AD Alcorcón
AD Alcorcón
Agrupación Deportiva Alcorcón is a Spanish football team based in Alcorcón, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1971, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home matches at Municipal de Santo Domingo, with a 5,430 seat capacity....

 with a 4–1 aggregate loss. The newspaper Diario Marca named this match Alcorconazo. Shortly after, this newspaper made many teasing references to Pellegrini and also he endangered his continuity at the club. On 10 March 2010 he suffered a second hit, being eliminated from the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 by Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...

 in the Round of 16 with a 2–1 aggregate loss. Florentino Pérez issued an ultimatum to Pellegrini after this defeat, warning him that he would be fired if he did not win the league.

Pellegrini's Real Madrid side achieved a record 96 points in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

, being the highest points total that Real Madrid has achieved in a La Liga season, but still came in runner-up, finishing behind their arch rival Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....

 who had 99 points. There were many rumors of the coach's departure during the summer of 2010, but the club's directors did not confirm anything at the time. On 26 May 2010, Real Madrid's directors announced that Pellegrini was being sacked by the club, to be replaced by José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

. But that they would have kept him, if the opportunity to hire Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....

 had not risen.

Málaga

After being released by Real Madrid, on 22 July 2010, he received an offer from the Mexico national football team
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...

, their coach Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre
Javier Aguirre Onaindía , popularly nicknamed El Vasco , is a Mexican football manager and former midfielder. He was also a member of the Mexico national team and later became manager in two different occasions, but resigned after the 2010 FIFA World Cup...

 having resigned following the FIFA World Cup 2010 quarter-finals in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. He declined this offer, but shortly after Premier League side Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 said they would be interested in hiring Pellegrini to manage the club in the next season. However, Pellegrini eventually signed for La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...

 side Málaga
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...

 in a three-year deal, their coach Jesualdo Ferreira
Jesualdo Ferreira
Manuel Jesualdo Ferreira is a Portuguese football manager who currently manages Greek club Panathinaikos.-Early career:In Ferreira's early career, he managed Rio Maior and Torreense...

 having been fired. On 5 November, he was officially presented as the new coach of Málaga during a press conference together with the club's owner Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani
Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani
Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Thani , is a Qatari businessman and billionaire. As of 2010, he is a member of Board of Directors of Doha Bank...

. On 14 November 2010, he made his Málaga debut as coach against Levante
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...

 in a 1−0 home victory at La Rosaleda Stadium.

Manager

Universidad Católica
  • Copa Interamericana
    Copa Interamericana
    Copa Interamericana was a football trophy contested between the champions of CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores de América and the winners of CONCACAF's Champions' Cup...

    : 1994
  • Copa Chile
    Copa Chile
    The Copa Chile is an annual cup competition for Chilean football teams. Due to time constraints and club pressure, the trophy was cancelled in 2000, but returned in 2008...

    : 1995


LDU Quito
  • Serie A: 1999


San Lorenzo
  • Primera División: 2001 Clausura
  • Copa Mercosur
    Copa Mercosur
    The Copa Mercosur was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV money to the participating teams, but it went beyond and ended up as a natural replacement...

    : 2001


River Plate
  • Primera División: 2003 Clausura


Villarreal
  • UEFA Intertoto Cup
    UEFA Intertoto Cup
    The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...

    : 2004


Individual
  • Miguel Muñoz Trophy
    Miguel Muñoz Trophy
    The Miguel Muñoz Trophy is a football award established by Spanish newspaper MARCA for the 2005-06 season, in memory of the legendary Real Madrid manager Miguel Muñoz....

     for the Best Coach of the Year: 2008

Manager

Team Nat From To Record
PWDLWin %
San Lorenzo   2001 2002
River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....

  2002 2003
Villarreal
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. , usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or just Villarreal, is a Spanish Primera División football club based in Vila-real, a city in the province of Castellón within the Valencian Community...

  1 July 2004 31 May 2009
Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

  2 June 2009 26 May 2010
Málaga
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...

  5 November 2010 Present
Total

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK