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.jpg) Pellegrini as manager ofReal Betis in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1953-09-16)16 September 1953 (age 72) | ||
| Place of birth | Santiago, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Real Betis (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Audax Italiano | |||
| Universidad de Chile | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1986 | Universidad de Chile[3] | 315 | (7) |
| Total | 315 | (7) | |
| International career | |||
| 1986 | Chile[3] | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1988–1989 | Universidad de Chile | ||
| 1990–1991 | Palestino | ||
| 1991–1992 | Chile (assistant) | ||
| 1991 | Chile U20 | ||
| 1992–1993 | O'Higgins | ||
| 1994–1996 | Universidad Católica | ||
| 1998 | Palestino | ||
| 1999–2000 | LDU Quito | ||
| 2001–2002 | San Lorenzo | ||
| 2002–2003 | River Plate | ||
| 2004–2009 | Villarreal | ||
| 2009–2010 | Real Madrid | ||
| 2010–2013 | Málaga | ||
| 2013–2016 | Manchester City | ||
| 2016–2018 | Hebei China Fortune | ||
| 2018–2019 | West Ham United | ||
| 2020– | Real Betis | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (Spanish pronunciation:[maˈnwelpeleˈɣɾini];Italian:[pelleˈɡriːni];[4] born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professionalfootball manager and formerplayer who is the head coach ofReal Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in Spain, England, Argentina, Chile, China, and Ecuador. Pellegrini has won national leagues in four countries.
Pellegrini moved to Europe in 2004 to take the manager's post at Spanish sideVillarreal. Under Pellegrini, Villarreal achieved a third-place finish inLa Liga in2004–05, aChampions Leaguesemi-final in2005–06, and broke the big two in2008 with a second-place finish in La Liga in2007–08.
Pellegrini's consistent record atVillarreal attracted the attention ofReal Madrid and he was appointed manager there in 2009. He amassed a total of 96 points, a club record until it was surpassed byJosé Mourinho in the2011–12 season, but lost the title toBarcelona by three points. He was dismissed after one season and later lamented theGalácticos policy employed at Real, which prevented him from building a balanced team.
Pellegrini took up the manager's role atMálaga in November 2010. He led Málaga to a fourth-place finish in his first full season and to qualification for theUEFA Champions League. He made it to thequarter-finals of the2012–13 Champions League, becoming the only coach to take two teams to the Champions League quarter-finals in their debut seasons in the competition. On 22 May 2013, Pellegrini confirmed he would leave Málaga at the end of the2012–13 La Liga season. On 14 June 2013, he was appointed manager of Manchester City,[5] and won theFootball League Cup andPremier League in his first season as manager, in the process becoming the first manager from outside Europe to manage a team to the English Premier League title. The title winning season was also noted for goal scoring prowess, with Manchester City scoring 151 goals in all competitions – an English football record.[6] Pellegrini also managed to take Manchester City to their first ever semi-final in Champions League in 2015–16, which was his last season, after finishing in fourth-place with 66 points.[7] He managedHebei China Fortune from 2016 to 2018 before leaving the position in May. He was appointed as manager ofWest Ham United in May 2018 and lasted 18 months in charge, before he was sacked in December 2019 after a poor run of results.[8] On 9 July 2020, Spanish clubReal Betis announced that he would manage the side for the 2020–21 season.[9]
Born inSantiago,[1] to Italian parents, Pellegrini attended thePontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago,[10] where he graduated in civil engineering in 1979. He started his formative years as a footballer in the youth divisions ofAudax Italiano. Then he went toClub Universidad de Chile where he would play professionally for them as a defender. He spent his entire playing career with the club, making a total of 451 appearances and scoring seven goals in theChilean Division 1, including one goal againstColo-Colo, Universidad de Chile's biggest rival.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, Club Universidad de Chile was going through one of the most unsuccessful periods in its history, having not won the nationalCopa Chile championship since 1969. That changed in 1979, when the club managed to win the championship and secure a spot for the1980 Copa Libertadores, defeating its arch-rival Colo-Colo in both tournaments.[citation needed]
Pellegrini was capped once by theChile national team,[11] starting in a 1–1 friendly draw away toBrazil on 7 May 1986.[12] He retired as a player a year later, in February 1987, after a match againstTrasandino, with his reason for retiring being the following: "We were playing in theCopa Chile against Trasandino. Our goalkeeper parried the shot of a rival player, I jumped to clear the ball, and behind me came a 17-year-old boy who jumped half a metre above me, and scored. That day I decided I couldn't keep going".[13] That boy wasIván Zamorano, on loan fromCobresal, who would eventually becomePichichi of La Liga in1995 with Real Madrid. Pellegrini confessed: "If I had known where that boy would get, I would not have retired. I would have kept playing two more years."[14]
Pellegrini wanted to help reconstruction projects in theChilean central zone after the1985 Algarrobo earthquake knowing that his experience as a qualified civil engineer would be ideal.[15][16]
As a coach, Pellegrini has primarily managed teams in Spain, Argentina and Chile.[17] As in his career as a professional player, he also started off coaching Universidad de Chile during the 1988 season, but left the team at the middle of the season to take football coaching courses in Europe.[18]
The team's poor performance that year led to arelegation to theDivision 2 for the first time in its history,[18] though in 1989 they won the Division 2 championship, bringing them back to Division 1, where they have remained ever since.
In 1990,Arturo Salah was appointed as the manager of theChile national team, and he hired Pellegrini as his assistant coach and manager of theunder-20 team.[19][20][21] In 1990, Pellegrini was appointed manager ofPalestino, where he stayed until 1992. Then, in 1992, he took on managership ofO'Higgins for a year, before moving in 1993 to become coach ofUniversidad Católica, one of the most popular clubs in Chile. There he managed well-known players such asAlberto Acosta andNestor Gorosito and took the team to victory in the prestigiousCopa Interamericana in 1994 and the1995 Copa Chile, though he could only finish as runner-up in 1994 and 1995 of the local Campeonato Nacional championship, a competition organized by theChilean Football Federation in parallel to the Primera Division.[citation needed]
In 1998, Pellegrini had a brief spell back at Palestino before he was bought by Ecuadorian clubLDU Quito. He managed the club to anational title in1999, starting a tradition of coaches that followed him to the Ecuadorian team. Pellegrini also gave the club a good run in the Copa Libertadores, catching the eye of other South American managers.[citation needed]
Pellegrini joined Argentine clubSan Lorenzo in 2001 and led them to their first international title in theCopa Mercosur. He was recommended to the club by San Lorenzo iconNestor Gorosito, who had worked with Pellegrini atUniversidad Católica. The recommendation paid dividends, as Pellegrini led San Lorenzo to victory in the ArgentineClausura and the Copa Mercosur, South America'sUEFA Cup equivalent.[citation needed]
Pellegrini managed Argentine clubRiver Plate from 2002 to 2003 and secured theClausura championships in 2003. He resigned his post at the end of the campaign.[citation needed]
Pellegrini took over the managerial duties ofVillarreal on 1 July 2004. In his first season in charge of the club, Villarreal qualified for theUEFA 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 the2005–06 UEFA Champions League, losing toArsenal. Villarreal eventually finished seventh inLa Liga that year. The following two seasons featured Villarreal finishing in both fifth and second place in the league, the latter being historic for the club. Pellegrini ledEl Submarino Amarillo to theChampions League knockout stages, where they drew Arsenal once again in the quarter-finals, losing 4–1 on aggregate.[14]
At the end of 2007, Villarreal offered Pellegrini an extended contract until 2011. On 31 May 2009, after the last La Liga match for Villarreal, Pellegrini said: "Nobody fromReal Madrid has spoken with me. I have a contract with Villarreal, we finished the league today, and tomorrow we go on holiday", after being questioned by the press on rumours that he was in talks with Madrid.[22]On 1 June 2009, a Villarreal executive announced that Pellegrini would no longer continue at the club. TheValencian club executive specified that if Real Madrid wanted to sign the Chilean coach, they would have to pay Pellegrini's €4 million termination clause.[23]
On 1 June 2009, Pellegrini was appointed as manager of Real Madrid, signing a two-year contract.[24] On being presented at the presidential balcony of theSantiago Bernabéu, 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."[25] He joined Real Madrid as the first manager inFlorentino Pérez's second stint as Real Madrid president. After a few days, Pellegrini boughtKaká fromMilan, 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."[24] They later boughtCristiano Ronaldo for £80 million fromManchester United,Karim Benzema fromLyon for £30 million andXabi Alonso for £30 million fromLiverpool.[citation needed]
In July 2009, Pellegrini competed in his first cup for the club as manager, thePeace Cup 2009. The club finished as semi-finalist in the tournament, being eliminated byJuventus in a 2–1 loss. On 29 August, Real Madrid won 3–2 atDeportivo La Coruña in Pellegrini's firstLa Liga game as manager.[citation needed]
On 27 October 2009 the club was eliminated from theCopa del Rey during the Round of 16 by the modestSegunda División B clubAlcorcón with a 4–1 aggregate loss. The Spanish dailyMarca named this match "Alcorconazo" and went on to make many teasing references to Pellegrini. On 10 March 2010, Madrid were eliminated from theChampions League byLyon 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 dismissed if he did not win theLa Liga title.[26]
Pellegrini's Real Madrid team achieved 96 points inLa Liga, the highest points total that Real Madrid had ever achieved in a La Liga season up to that point (since surpassed by the2011–12 team underJosé Mourinho), but still came in runner-up, finishing behind their arch rivalBarcelona, who had 99 points. On 26 May 2010, Real Madrid's directors announced that Pellegrini was being dismissed, to be replaced by Mourinho, but that they would have kept him if the opportunity to hire Mourinho had not arisen.[27]
Pellegrini later reflected on his frustration at not being able to build a team at Real Madrid due to the club's controversialGalácticos policy: "I didn't have a voice or a vote at Madrid. They sign the best players, but not the best players needed in a certain position. It's no good having an orchestra with the 10 best guitarists if I don't have a pianist. Real Madrid have the best guitarists, but if I ask them to play the piano they won't be able to do it so well. He [Pérez] sold players that I considered important. We didn't win the Champions League because we didn't have a squad properly structured to be able to win it."[28][29]
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After being released by Real Madrid, on 22 July 2010, Pellegrini received an offer from theMexico national team;Javier Aguirre resigned following the2010 World Cup loss in round 16 in South Africa.[30] Pellegrini, however, eventually signed for La Liga clubMálaga on a three-year contract, their coachJesualdo Ferreira having been dismissed. On 5 November, he was officially presented as the new coach of Málaga during a press conference with the club's ownerAbdullah bin Nasser Al Thani,[31] and watched from the stands as they lost 1–0 toEspanyol the following day.[32] On 11 November 2010, he made his Málaga debut as coach againstHércules in a 3–2 victory in theCopa del Rey at theLa Rosaleda, which led them to the round of 16 after the teams had drawn 0–0 in the first leg at theEstadio José Rico Pérez two weeks previously,[33] and continued his winning start as new coach of Malaga by beatingLevante 1–0 in his league debut four days later.[34] That season Malaga only managed to finish 11th.
After his first full season with the team, he led them to fourth in the league with a club record-breaking 58 points. With his guidance, Málaga entered theChampions Leaguequalifiers for the first time in the club's history. On 10 August 2012, Pellegrini publicly stated his desire to stay at the club, despite its ongoing financial problems and the loss of key players such asSanti Cazorla andSalomón Rondón.[35]
Málaga progressed tolatter stages of the Champions League, where they were drawn against Milan,Zenit Saint Petersburg andAnderlecht. The club progressed to theknockout stage unbeaten, winning three and drawing three in the group stage. Málaga then beatPorto 2–1 on aggregate in the round-of-16. They were eliminated byBorussia Dortmund after conceding two stoppage time goals which cost them a semi-final place.[36]
On 22 May 2013, at Málaga's end-of-season award ceremony, Pellegrini announced he would leave the club at the end of the season, with Málaga finishing sixth and excluded from Europe due toFinancial Fair Play.[37][38] In October 2018, aroundabout in Malaga was named in his honour.[39]
On 30 May 2013, Pellegrini stated he had a verbal agreement to become the new manager ofPremier League clubManchester City.[40] On 14 June 2013, Manchester City confirmed Pellegrini's appointment as their new first-team manager on a three-year contract.[41] Pellegrini was quoted saying he was "delighted to accept this hugely exciting opportunity."[42] Upon joining Manchester City, Pellegrini became only the fifth coach from outside of Europe tomanage in the Premier League, and the first Chilean.[43]
Pellegrini initially made a shaky start, with four league losses by the end of November, but big wins againstNewcastle United,Manchester United andNorwich City showed the team's potential. After their fourth league loss against Sunderland on 10 November 2013, City went on a 20-match unbeaten streak (in all competitions), which included a 6–0 win overTottenham Hotspur, a 3–2 away win at European championsBayern Munich, and a 6–3 win over league leadersArsenal.
After a hectic Christmas period, City's form showed no signs of abating. A 9–0 aggregate win overWest Ham United in theFootball League Cup semi-final (a competition record) and a 5–1 humbling of Tottenham Hotspur atWhite Hart Lane maintained City's average of more than three goals a game. Of the 20 matches, only two were draws, againstSouthampton andBlackburn Rovers, in theFA Cup – both of which ended 1–1. Some opponents openly described City as the best team in the world, and talk about an unprecedentedquadruple soon arose in the media.[44][45]
Pellegrini won the Premier League Manager of the Month award for December 2013 and on 18 January 2014, City surpassed 100 goals for the season, in all competitions, in just 34 games – the quickest century in the Premier League era, beating Chelsea's2012–13 record by eight matches. By the end of January 2014, they had scored 115 goals in all competitions – the most goals scored by any club in Europe. Maintaining such a scoring rate would see them surpass the 143 scored by Manchester United'sBusby Babes in the1957–58 season.[46]
On 2 March 2014, Pellegrini's Manchester City defeatedSunderland 3–1 atWembley in the2014 Football League Cup Final, giving him his first major trophy in European football. On 11 May, Manchester City becamePremier League champions, after beating West Ham United 2–0, with goals fromSamir Nasri andVincent Kompany at theCity of Manchester Stadium, making Pellegrini the first coach from outside of Europe to win the English league title.[47]
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On 29 October 2014, City were defeated 2–0 by Newcastle United in theLeague Cup, thus failing to defend their title.[48] On 24 January 2015, Pellegrini's men were knocked out of theFA Cup, after a 2–0 loss toChampionship teamMiddlesbrough.[49]
Despite sharing the top spot in thePremier League on New Year's Day, Manchester City suffered a dip in form in the second half of the season and claimed just 18 points from a possible 36.[50][51] City were also knocked out of theChampions League in the round of the last 16 for a successive season, following a 3–1 aggregate defeat toBarcelona.[52]
On 7 August 2015, Manchester City announced that Pellegrini had signed a one-year contract extension, which would keep him with the club until June 2016. Pellegrini commented: "I am proud to manage Manchester City and am therefore very pleased to have agreed to this contract.[53]
On 1 February 2016, Manchester City confirmed Pellegrini would be leaving in June, at the end of his contract, and thatPep Guardiola would be taking over for the 2016–17 season.[54] Pellegrini left Manchester City with the fifth-highest win percentage in Premier League history.[55]
On 27 August 2016, Pellegrini was named manager ofChinese Super League clubHebei China Fortune, replacingLi Tie.[56] He took charge of his first match on 10 September 2016 in a home game againstGuangzhou Evergrande, which Hebei lost 3–0.[57]
On 19 May 2018, Hebei China Fortune confirmed Pellegrini had left the club.[58] Pellegrini's last match in charge of Hebei was a 2–1 win overChongqing Dangdai Lifan.[59]
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On 22 May 2018, Premier League clubWest Ham United appointed Pellegrini as their new manager on a three-year contract.[60] In his first game as West Ham manager, on 12 August, the team lost 4–0 away toLiverpool.[61] His first win with the club came in anEFL Cup match againstAFC Wimbledon on 28 August.[62] In the Premier League, having presided over four defeats at the start of the2018–19 season, Pellegrini oversaw his first win on 16 September with a 3–1 win overEverton.[63] In January 2019, West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round by Wimbledon, losing 4–2. At the time Wimbledon were five points adrift at the bottom ofLeague One and playing in the fourth round for the first time in the club’s history.[64] West Ham finished in 10th position in the Premier League in Pellegrini's first season in charge; their first top-ten finish since 2016.[65]
West Ham broke their transfer record twice under Pellegrini, paying £36 million forFelipe Anderson in 2018 and £45 million for strikerSebastien Haller in 2019. They spent £155 million in transfer fees while he was in charge, including £71 million in the summer before the2019-20 season. However, in the first Premier League game ofthe season, Pellegrini suffered a heavy 5–0 defeat against his former club,Manchester City.[66] In September 2019, they were knocked out from theEFL Cup, losing 4–0 toOxford United of League One.[67] He was sacked by the club on 28 December 2019 after a 2–1 home loss toLeicester City, their fourth-straight home defeat, with the club in 17th place and having won only five league games all season.[68][69] His time at West Ham saw a win rate of 38.98% of all games played.[68]
On 9 July 2020, it was announced that Pellegrini would become the manager ofReal Betis in La Liga ahead of the 2020–21 season, replacingAlexis Trujillo who had served as an interim coach following the dismissal ofRubi the previous month.[9]
Under Pellegrini, Real Betis has achieved historic records for the club. They have qualified for European competition five seasons in a row, four for theUEFA Europa League and one for theUEFA Conference League, in which they reached a European final for the first time in Betis history in2025.[70][71] Betis secured their first trophy in 17 years after beatingValencia on penalties in the2022 Copa del Rey final, this was also Pellegrini's first major trophy in Spain after 13 years of managing in the country.[72]
Pellegrini has been roundly praised throughout his career for his attacking managerial style, calm demeanor and excellent man management. Such was Manchester City's ruthlessness in front of goal from all angles – intricate passing moves, crosses, solo-runs and set pieces –The Daily Telegraph likened City's style to "death by beautiful geometry".[73]
His son, Manuel Pellegrini Pucci, is atraumatologist who works in the medical staff ofAudax Italiano since 2022.[74] As of 26 September 2022, he was under investigation by HMRC for tax evasion. The amount claimed by HMRC is £816,579.80.[75]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Universidad de Chile | 1 January 1988 | 31 January 1989 | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 028.95 | |
| Palestino | 1 January 1990 | 31 December 1991 | 90 | 31 | 31 | 28 | 034.44 | |
| O'Higgins | 1 January 1992 | 31 December 1993 | 76 | 30 | 22 | 24 | 039.47 | |
| Universidad Católica | 1 January 1994 | 30 June 1996 | 124 | 72 | 29 | 23 | 058.06 | |
| Palestino | 1 January 1998 | 31 December 1998 | 21 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 019.05 | |
| L.D.U. Quito | 1 January 1999 | 30 June 2000 | 76 | 35 | 16 | 25 | 046.05 | |
| San Lorenzo | 15 February 2001 | 30 June 2002 | 78 | 38 | 20 | 20 | 048.72 | |
| River Plate | 1 July 2002 | 31 December 2003 | 77 | 42 | 14 | 21 | 054.55 | |
| Villarreal | 1 July 2004 | 1 June 2009 | 259 | 123 | 72 | 64 | 047.49 | [24][76][77] |
| Real Madrid | 1 June 2009 | 26 May 2010 | 48 | 36 | 5 | 7 | 075.00 | [24][27][78] |
| Málaga | 5 November 2010 | 14 June 2013 | 129 | 53 | 30 | 46 | 041.09 | [76][79] |
| Manchester City | 14 June 2013 | 30 June 2016 | 167 | 100 | 28 | 39 | 059.88 | [76] |
| Hebei China Fortune | 27 August 2016 | 19 May 2018 | 52 | 21 | 12 | 19 | 040.38 | [56][58][80] |
| West Ham United | 22 May 2018 | 28 December 2019 | 64 | 24 | 11 | 29 | 037.50 | [76] |
| Real Betis | 9 July 2020 | Present | 274 | 128 | 76 | 70 | 046.72 | |
| Total | 1,573 | 749 | 386 | 438 | 047.62 | |||
Universidad de Chile
Universidad Católica
LDU Quito
San Lorenzo
River Plate
Villarreal
Manchester City
Real Betis
Individual
cuando Arturo Salah y Manuel Pellegrini, como ayudante, tomaron la selección chilena de cara a la Copa América de 1991.
el Sudamericano jugado en Venezuela en 1991. Ese equipo era dirigido por Manuel Pellegrini
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
