Jorge Sampaoli as head coach ofArgentina at the2018 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1960-03-13)13 March 1960 (age 65) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Casilda,Santa Fe, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Atlético Mineiro (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Newell's Old Boys | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1979–1991 | Aprendices Casildenses | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Alumni de Casilda | ||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Alumni de Casilda (interim) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Alumni de Casilda (youth) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Alumni de Casilda | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Belgrano de Arequito | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Argentino de Rosario | ||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Alumni de Casilda | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Belgrano de Arequito | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Aprendices Casildenses | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Argentino de Rosario | ||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Alumni de Casilda | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Juan Aurich | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Sport Boys | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Coronel Bolognesi | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Coronel Bolognesi | ||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Sporting Cristal | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | O'Higgins | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Emelec | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Universidad de Chile | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Chile | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Sevilla | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Argentina | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Santos | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Atlético Mineiro | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Marseille | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sevilla | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Flamengo | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Rennes | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Atlético Mineiro | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈxoɾxesampaˈoli]; born 13 March 1960) is an Argentinefootball coach who is the head coach ofCampeonato Brasileiro Série A clubAtlético Mineiro. Sampaoli started out as a youth player and eventually switched to management after a severe injury.[1]
Sampaoli started with an impressive coaching run atCoronel Bolognesi of Peru in 2004, and continued with brief but successful terms atO'Higgins of Chile andEmelec of Ecuador.
Sampaoli earned praise as the head coach ofUniversidad de Chile, winning three league titles and theCopa Sudamericana championship. This success led him to coach theChilean men's national team in 2012, replacingClaudio Borghi. He led the Chile national football team to their firstCopa América title, after defeatingArgentina in thefinal in the2015 tournament in Chile. He is well known for his attacking tactics which are similar to those ofMarcelo Bielsa, according to the press and fans alike.[2]
On 28 June 2016, Sampaoli signed a two-year contract withSevilla.[3] After spending only one year in Spain and leading Sevilla to fourth spot in La Liga, and ensuringChampions League footballthe following season, Sampaoli left the club to coach theArgentina national team,[4] where he left by mutual consent, after a disappointing run in the2018 FIFA World Cup. He eventually agreed to coach Brazilian clubSantos in 2019, staying one year and leading the club to the second position in the league. In March 2021, he returned to manage in European football when he was appointed at French sideMarseille. In October 2022, he returned to manageSevilla. On 21 March 2023, he was sacked bySevilla and replaced byJosé Luis Mendilibar. He returned to French football and was appointed manager of Rennes in November 2024 but was sacked in January 2025.
Jorge Sampaoli was born inCasilda, in theCaseros Department ofSanta Fe Province, Argentina. In his youth he played for amateur sides in his local league before joining theNewell's Old Boys youth setup, where he later said he suffered from stage fright that prevented him from progressing.[5] While at the club he suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula in 1979, forcing him to retire from playing at age 19.[1] During his final playing years and early coaching career he worked part-time at a bank.[6]
In October 1991, aged just 31, Sampaoli acted as an interim coach for hometown side Club Atlético Alumni, as manager Mario Bonavera was out on a personal trip. During that season, he was already working as a fitness coach aside from being adefensive midfielder.[6] He was given the role of manager of the club's youth setup in the following year, but only retired in 1993.[6] In 1994 he was named manager of the first team, taking the club to the finals of the Liga Casildense de Fútbol, but lost it to CA 9 de Julio de Arequito.[6] In the following season, he again reached the finals, but suffered defeat to the very same club.[7]
For the 1996 season, Sampaoli was appointed at 9 Julio's rivals CA Belgrano de Arequito, and coached to win the year's league title with the side.[8] In May of that year,[6] he was hired byPrimera B Metropolitana sideArgentino de Rosario,[9] and ended the season in the 13th position. He subsequently returned to Alumni and Belgrano,[8] before taking over CA Aprendices Casildenses in 1999; with the latter side, he won two consecutive Liga Casildense titles.[6]
Sampaoli returned to a third stint with Alumni in 2001,[6] after a short stint back at Argentino de Rosario in the previous year.[10] Despite reaching the finals of the Liga Casildense, he lost it to former side Aprendices.[6]
On 9 January 2002, Sampaoli was appointed coach ofPeruvian Primera División sideJuan Aurich; it was the first professional club in his career.[11][12] On 24 February, he directed his first professional game againstUniversitario, where they lost 2–1 after leading the whole game due to apenalty scored byCarlos Flores (66th minute).[13]
Sampaoli had a poor spell in Juan Aurich, directing only eight games, five of which the team lost and two where the team tied withCoopsol Trujillo andAlianza Lima. The team only won againstCienciano 2–0 with goals from César Sánchez and Flores. He left the club in April, when Aurich was sitting at the bottom of the table.[14]
Months later, in June, Sampaoli was hired bySport Boys to direct the team in theTorneo Descentralizado, debuting with a 3–1 loss to Coopsol.[15] His side finished sixth in the tournament, achieving important triumphs over Alianza (1–0 with a goal ofAlfredo Carmona) and Universitario (2–0 with goals byPaolo de la Haza and Carmona again atEstadio Monumental). He left the club during the2003 Torneo Descentralizado, after a player's strike.[16]
In 2004, Sampaoli was named coach of fellow top-tier sideCoronel Bolognesi,[16] replacingRoberto Mosquera.[17] There, he had an irregular start, but soon coached to settle the team during the Peruvian 2005'sDescentralizado, finishing fifth in the Apertura, and then coached to finish third in that same year's Clausura, taking the club to their first international competition.
Sampaoli opted to leave the club in December 2005, but returned on 27 June 2006, replacing compatriot Raúl Donsanti.[18] Competing in the 2006'sClausura as well as in the Sudamericana tournament, his side finished third in the national league.[16]
In 2007, Sampaoli was hired as the head coach ofSporting Cristal. However, his time at Cristal turned out to be disappointing after 18 matches and only five wins. He was dismissed from the "Celestes" in May of that year, ending his Peruvian coaching career.[16]
On 12 December 2007, Sampaoli arrived inChile to take over atO'Higgins, in the place ofJorge Garcés.[19] In 2008, the team proved to be tough to crack for bigger Chilean teams, finishing third in that year'sApertura. They were eliminated by powerhouseUniversidad de Chile in the playoff quarterfinals.[citation needed]
The next year turned out to be a tough year for Sampaoli, as "La Celeste" had an irregular campaign, where they finished in 8th place, and, despite qualifying to the2009's Apertura Playoffs, ended up being thrashed 6–1 in the second leg of the quarterfinals byUnión Española. He resigned in August 2009, being replaced by Geraldo Silva.[20]
On 18 December 2009, Sampaoli was namedEmelec coach for the upcoming season.[21] Under his guidance, the team competed in the2010 Copa Libertadores, being eliminated in the group stage, but had an impressive run in the local competition, finishing first in the2010 tournament first stage, earning them a spot in the2010 Copa Sudamericana and2011 Copa Libertadores preliminary stage.[22]
That year, Emelec facedLiga de Quito, who finished in first place in that year'ssecond half,[23] but ended up losing.[24]
On 15 December 2010, Sampaoli was presented as coach ofUniversidad de Chile.[25] With the side he achieved impressive results, winning the2011 Apertura, the2011 Clausura, the2012 Apertura and the2011 Copa Sudamericana.[26] He left the club after accepting an offer from the national team, with 80 wins in 135 matches.[27]

On 3 December 2012, Chile'sAsociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional announced that Sampaoli would take over as coach of thenational team after a successful run withLa U.[28][29] His arrival brought about a turnaround in performances and results, with Chile winning three of their first four World Cup qualifiers after his appointment. Under Sampaoli, Chile returned to the energetic, high-pressing game ofMarcelo Bielsa,[30] the Argentinian coach who inspired Sampaoli's coaching philosophy.
In 2015, Sampaoli led Chile to victory in the2015 Copa America, the country's first major trophy.[31] On 30 November of that year, he was named on the final three-man shortlist for the 2015FIFA World Coach of the Year award, joined by SpaniardsPep Guardiola (Bayern Munich) andLuis Enrique (Barcelona).[32][33]
On 19 January 2016, Sampaoli resigned as coach of Chile, after allegedly having disputes withArturo Salah, recently elected president of ANFP.[34]
On 27 June 2016,La Liga clubSevilla announced that Sampaoli would take over Sevilla on a two-year deal.[3] On 15 January 2017, his side beatZinedine Zidane'sReal Madrid 2–1, ending their 40-match unbeaten run.[35]

On 20 May 2017, theArgentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli would take over as the new coach ofthe national team. He was officially presented on 1 June 2017. Sampaoli's first game in charge was a friendly match againstBrazil on 9 June in Australia, with Argentina winning 1–0.[36]
However, Argentina greatly struggled during the qualifiers, and it took aLionel Messi hat trick at Ecuador to confirm qualification for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[37] On 14 May 2018, Sampaoli announced a 35-man preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup.[38] He announced the final squad on 21 May 2018.[39]
At the World Cup, Argentina had drawn 1–1 withIceland during their opening World Cup group match, an underwhelming performance that drew criticism from former Argentine captain and coachDiego Maradona.[40] In the next group match, Argentina suffered a heavy 0–3 loss byCroatia due to "a defence left exposed, a midfield that was overrun and an attack that was blunted", which put them on the brink of elimination and led to unconfirmed reports that Sampaoli would be sacked.[41] Senior members of the team including Messi andJavier Mascherano confronted Sampaoli and his assistants in the dressing room, while also approaching members of the Argentine FA to discuss their concerns, and there were also various rumors that Messi was involved in team selection which dismissed Sampaoli's leadership, evoking a formation based on the decisions of Argentine players.[42] The match against Croatia was his 13th game in charge, where he had used 13 lineups[43] and a total of 59 players,[44] and despite a myriad of attacking choices the defence was poor.[45][46][47][48]
Sampaoli remained in his position,[49] as Argentina defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the third group match to advance to theknockout stage.[50] In the round of 16, Argentina lost toFrance 4–3 and were eliminated from the tournament.[51]
On 15 July 2018, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli had left his position as national coach by mutual consent.[52][53]
On 13 December 2018, Brazilian clubSantos announced that Sampaoli had reached an "agreement in principle" to become the club's coach for the 2019 season.[54] He signed a two-year contract on 17 December,[55] being presented the following day.
Sampaoli was highly praised by the media during his time at the club, specifically due to the offensive football displayed. Despite being knocked out of the year'sCampeonato Paulista andCopa Sudamericana, he took the club to the second position in theSérie A.[56]
On 9 December 2019, Sampaoli resigned; Santos announced the departure of the coach in the following day.[57]
On 1 March 2020, Sampaoli took charge ofAtlético Mineiro.[58] On 22 February 2021, Sampaoli requested the termination of his contract at the end of the current season. On the same day, Atlético Mineiro announced that they had accepted the termination of Sampaoli contract.[59]
On 26 February 2021,Ligue 1 clubMarseille announced Sampaoli as their coach until June 2023. He succeededAndre Villas-Boas.[60]
On 6 October 2022,Sevilla announced the return of Sampaoli to be their coach.[61] On 21 March 2023, Sampaoli was sacked after a 2–0 loss toGetafe left Sevilla only two ponts above the relegation places; later that day, he was replaced byJosé Luis Mendilibar.[62]
On 14 April 2023, Sampaoli returned to theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A andCopa Libertadores afterFlamengo announced that he signed a contract as their coach until 31 December 2024.[63] On 28 September, he was dismissed from his position.[64]
On 11 November 2024, he returned toLigue 1 and was appointed manager ofRennes on a contract until 2026.[65] On 30 January 2025, Sampaoli was sacked after a series of bad results.[66]
On 2 September 2025, it was announced the return of Sampaoli toAtlético Mineiro on a contract running until December 2027.[67]
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Argentino de Rosario | 29 June 1996 | 19 April 1997 | 30 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 39 | 30 | +9 | 036.67 | [68] | |
| Argentino de Rosario | 30 September 2000 | 28 October 2000 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 033.33 | [68] | |
| Juan Aurich | 9 January 2002 | 14 April 2002 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 012.50 | [68] | |
| Sport Boys | 6 June 2002 | 31 December 2003 | 62 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 94 | 75 | +19 | 038.71 | [68] | |
| Coronel Bolognesi | 1 April 2004 | 31 December 2005 | 95 | 39 | 22 | 34 | 144 | 127 | +17 | 041.05 | [68] | |
| Coronel Bolognesi | 27 June 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 057.14 | [68] | |
| Sporting Cristal | 1 January 2007 | 5 May 2007 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 027.78 | [68] | |
| O'Higgins | 12 December 2007 | 1 August 2009 | 66 | 27 | 16 | 23 | 107 | 103 | +4 | 040.91 | [68] | |
| Emelec | 18 December 2009 | 14 December 2010 | 58 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 053.45 | [69] | |
| Universidad de Chile | 15 December 2010 | 3 December 2012 | 135 | 80 | 35 | 20 | 268 | 132 | +136 | 059.26 | [27] | |
| Chile | 3 December 2012 | 19 January 2016 | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 89 | 44 | +45 | 061.36 | [70] | |
| Sevilla | 27 June 2016 | 26 May 2017 | 53 | 27 | 12 | 14 | 97 | 71 | +26 | 050.94 | [71] | |
| Argentina | 1 June 2017 | 15 July 2018 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 21 | +6 | 046.67 | [72] | |
| Santos | 13 December 2018 | 9 December 2019 | 64 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 102 | 55 | +47 | 054.69 | [citation needed] | |
| Atlético Mineiro | 1 March 2020 | 25 February 2021 | 45 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 057.78 | [citation needed] | |
| Marseille | 8 March 2021 | 1 July 2022 | 67 | 36 | 17 | 14 | 113 | 73 | +40 | 053.73 | ||
| Sevilla | 6 October 2022 | 21 March 2023 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 43 | 32 | +11 | 041.94 | [73] | |
| Flamengo | 14 April 2023 | 28 September 2023 | 39 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 051.28 | [citation needed] | |
| Rennes | 11 November 2024 | 30 January 2025 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 030.00 | ||
| Atlético Mineiro | 2 September 2025 | Present | 20 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 035.00 | ||
| Career total | 894 | 437 | 219 | 238 | 1,467 | 1,037 | +430 | 048.88 | — | |||
Belgrano de Arequito
Aprendices Casildenses
Universidad de Chile
Atlético Mineiro
Chile
Individual