Manuel Pellegrini The first Chilean who managed to lead the most titled club in the world - Real Madrid Date of Birth: 16.09.1953 Country: Spain

Manuel Pellegrini Biography

Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti, the first Chilean to lead the most successful club in the world, Real Madrid, began his professional football career at the Catholic University of Chile. He played for the local team, Universidad de Chile, from 1973 to 1986. Despite having a degree in architecture and construction, Pellegrini chose to pursue a career in football after graduating in 1973.

Pellegrini played as a central defender for his club for 13 years, winning the Chilean Cup with them in 1979. However, in 1986, he decided to retire from his career after a disappointing incident. During a match against Cobresal in the Chilean Cup, Pellegrini attempted to prevent a goal but was outjumped by a 17-year-old player who scored a header. This incident led Pellegrini to retire from football.

Pellegrini credits Fernando Riera, the coach of Universidad de Chile at the time, for discovering his potential as a coach. Pellegrini jokingly mentioned that if he had known that the 17-year-old youth would become a future star, he would have continued playing for a couple more years. That young player was Ivan Zamorano, who went on to become a renowned footballer in Chile and the world.

Pellegrini's first coaching experience proved to be unsuccessful when he led Universidad de Chile in 1988, resulting in the team's relegation from the top division for the first time in their history. He then briefly coached Palestino in 1990 before being appointed as the coach of the Chilean youth national team. However, his tenure did not bring significant success, and Pellegrini returned to Palestino.

In 1992, Pellegrini took charge of O'Higgins, and a season later, he became the coach of Universidad Catolica, Universidad de Chile's arch-rivals. Under his guidance, the team won two trophies: the Copa Interamericana in 1994 and the Chilean Cup in 1995. These achievements marked Pellegrini's first coaching successes.

In 1999, Pellegrini gained recognition throughout Latin America after leading Ecuadorian club Liga Deportiva Universitaria to victory in both the national championship and the prestigious Copa Libertadores. Following this success, the top clubs in Latin America showed interest in the promising coach.

In 2001, Pellegrini took charge of Argentine club San Lorenzo and won the Argentine championship and the Mercosur Cup with the team. In 2003, he moved on to coach River Plate, one of the best clubs in Latin America. After winning another Argentine championship, Pellegrini ventured into Spanish football for the first time, accepting an offer to coach Villarreal.

With Villarreal, Pellegrini achieved unprecedented success by leading the team to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup and securing a third-place finish in the Spanish league, granting them a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Pellegrini's remarkable achievement continued as he guided Villarreal to the semi-finals of the prestigious European tournament. Although the team finished seventh in the Spanish league that season, Pellegrini had made a lasting impression.

According to statistics, Manuel Pellegrini became the second most successful South American coach in Europe in the last 25 years, only surpassed by Vanderlei Luxemburgo. In the 2007-2008 season, Pellegrini guided Villarreal to a second-place finish in the Spanish league and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

After such impressive accomplishments, it was no surprise that Real Madrid saw Pellegrini as their new head coach. On June 1, 2009, Manuel Pellegrini took charge of the most successful club in the world. He expressed his emotions and feelings, stating that when he started his coaching career 23 years ago, he knew he would end up at Real Madrid.