Demichelis began his coaching career as an assistant at Málaga and in the under-19 and reserve teams of Bayern Munich. He won theArgentine Primera División in2023, his first season in charge of River Plate.
Born in Justiniano Posse,Córdoba, Demichelis started playing professionally in 2001, withBuenos Aires-basedRiver Plate, having arrived at the club's youth system three years earlier.
Demichelis signed forBayern Munich in the 2003 summer, for€4.5 million.[6]His first season in theBundesliga was not very positive as he suffered a number of minor injuries, appearing in only 14 league games (21 in total) as theBavarians finished in second position; in early 2004 he appeared in his only game withthe reserves, againstStuttgarter Kickers.[7]
Under new coachFelix Magath, Demichelis became a regular starter for Bayern, appearing in 75 official matches in two seasons combined as the team won back-to-backdoubles, achieving a total of four during his spell.
Returning Bayern bossOttmar Hitzfeld successfully reconverted Demichelis from adefensive midfielder into acentral defender. In2008–09 he netted a career-best four goals in 29 games, but the title was lost toVfL Wolfsburg. However, the player often clashed with the new managerLouis van Gaal,[8] starting immediately after the first matchday after being dropped from the starting XI for the2010–11 opener against Wolfsburg, with Demichelis requesting that van Gaal omit him from the squad altogether, which the coach did; the player thereafter voiced to the press that it would be probable that he and the club went separate ways.[9]
On 29 October 2010, benefitting from a run of injuries in the squad, Demichelis made one of his last appearances for Bayern, heading a goal in a 4–2 home win againstSC Freiburg.[10]
In late December 2010, Demichelis agreed to a deal with Spanish clubMálaga, initially until the end of the2010–11 season, with the latter retaining the option to extend the contract for a further two seasons.[11][12] He rejoined former River Plate managerManuel Pellegrini, and made hisLa Liga debut on 8 January 2011, scoring in a 1–1 home draw againstAthletic Bilbao.[13]
During his first four months with Málaga, Demichelis wassent off twice, but also started in all the matches he was available, being essential – as another January 2011 signee,Júlio Baptista – as the club eventually avoided relegation. On 22 August 2012, he scored the club's first-everUEFA Champions League goal, netting the opener in the2–0 playoff home win againstPanathinaikos (also the aggregate score).[14]
On 11 July 2013, Demichelis signed forAtlético Madrid on a one-year contract, after his deal with Málaga expired.[15] In December, he started legal action against the latter over "non-payments", relating to "€400,000 of unpaid wages as well as bonuses".[16]
On 1 September 2013, Demichelis joined former Málaga boss Pellegrini and signed withManchester City, penning a two-year contract for a reported £4.2 million. He had been with Atlético for less than two months, and had yet to make an appearance.[17]
Demichelis made his first appearance for his new club on 27 October 2013, starting in a 1–2Premier League loss atChelsea after recovering from a knee injury.[18] On 18 February of the following year, he was sent off againstBarcelona in the club'sChampions League round-of-16 0–2 home defeat, after foulingLionel Messi and giving away apenalty.[19]
Despite Demichelis's rocky start at City, Pellegrini kept faith in him. On 15 March 2014, after club captainVincent Kompany was sent off, he was instrumental in a 2–0 victory overHull City.[20] The following weekend he scored his first goal, contributing to a 5–0 home win overFulham;[21] his good run of form in the last two months of the season helped his teamwin the league title, and also helped him rejoin the national side.[20]
On 12 March 2015, Demichelis renewed his expiring contract until June of the following year.[22] A year later, he was charged byThe Football Association for 12 breaches of their rules against gambling on matches,[23] and accepted the charge;[24] he was fined £22,058 for the breach.[25]
On 10 August 2016, at nearly 36, Demichelis signed a one-year contractEspanyol in Spain's top flight.[27] On 10 January 2017, however, after only two appearances, he was released.[28]
A week after his exit from Espanyol, Demichelis returned to Málaga'sLa Rosaleda Stadium, on a five-month deal.[29] On 15 May 2017, he announced his retirement.[30][31]
On 11 September 2007, Demichelis scored his first international goal, heading the only goal of a friendly againstAustralia at theMelbourne Cricket Ground.[36] He suffered a facial injury during an exhibition game withGermany on 3 March 2010, being sidelined for three weeks,[37] and later being selected for theyear's World Cup inSouth Africa. UnderDiego Maradona, he played in all of Argentina's games at the tournament, partneringNicolás Burdisso in central defence in an eventual quarter-final exit; on 22 June, he scored the first goal in the 2–0 group stage win againstGreece.[38]
Demichelis lost his place in the national side in November 2011, after aWorld Cup qualifier againstBolivia. A two-and-a-half-year absence followed, until he was included inAlejandro Sabella's provisional 30-man squad for the2014 World Cup.[39] He ended up making the final list.[40] On the bench for the team's first four games, Demichelis made his debut in the tournament in the 1–0 quarter-final win overBelgium in which he played the full 90 minutes, taking the place ofFederico Fernandez.[41] He went on to start in the semi-finals where his team eliminated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw, and again in the final against Germany and picked up the runners-up medal as Argentina lost 1–0 after extra time.[42][43][44]
In May 2017, immediately after retiring, Demichelis remained at Málaga as assistant manager toMíchel, replacingWeligton who had returned to Brazil due to injury.[48] He remained in employment after the head coach was dismissed in January, but was not as involved under his successorJosé González.[49]
In October 2022, Demichelis obtained aUEFA Pro coaching license after passing the yearly course organised by theItalian Football Federation.[53] On 16 November, River Plate appointed Demichelis as their new head coach, on a 3-year contract.[54]
On 28 January 2023, Demichelis made his debut with a 3-0 win againstCentral Córdoba.[55] On 15 July, River Plate secured the league title with three games left to play, giving Demichelis his first title as manager.[56] On 27 July 2024, Demichelis was dismissed from his position.[57][58]
Demichelis also holds an Italian passport.[61] He and his wife, model Evangelina Anderson, have a son and two daughters.[62] On 19 February 2019, a group of burglars broke into his house in Spain, stealing cash and jewellery before he chased them out.[63]
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