- The Argentine returns to coaching in CONMEBOL Copa América™ after 20 years.
- He has been the coach of Uruguay since 2023, achieving very good results in the South American World Cup Qualifiers.
Marcelo Alberto Bielsa is one of the most respected and admired coaches in the world of football. From Menotti to Guardiola, to Klopp and Thierry Henry, many have expressed their enthusiasm for watching teams led by the "Loco" (Crazy One).
Born in Rosario on July 21, 1955, Bielsa was a professional footballer, though his career was short: Newell's Old Boys, Instituto, and Argentino de Rosario (all in Argentina) were the clubs he played for. He also played for the Argentine national team.
The richness of his story begins off the field. He started in the 1980s, leading his beloved Newell's, with which he won three local titles and reached the final of the 1992 CONMEBOL Libertadores, losing in penalties to the legendary São Paulo team of Telê Santana.
This was followed by a stint in Mexico, where he coached Atlas and América. His offensive style, being expansive and progressive on every field, began to be displayed, regardless of the club he was at.
The "Loco" returned to Argentina and led Vélez Sarsfield to a championship in the only season (1997/98) he coached the Liniers team. He was then hired by Espanyol (Spain) where he stayed for only a few months before receiving the call from the AFA to coach Argentina, his first challenge with a national team.
Bielsa coached in two editions of the CONMEBOL Copa América™: in 1999 he reached the quarter-finals, and in 2004 he made it to the final; both times he was defeated by Brazil.
In the South American Qualifiers for the 2002 World Cup, the team exhibited high-flying football and finished in first place. The 2002 World Cup didn't go as well, and Argentina was sent home in the group stage.
Bielsa's last tournament with his national team was the 2004 Athens Olympics: that Under-23 team won the first gold medal for Argentina in football, ending a 52-year drought for Argentina in the Olympics. Tévez, D'Alessandro, Mascherano, Ayala, and Heinze were some of the standout players on that team.
Bielsa's coaching journey continued in Chile, where he took over the national team in 2007 and stayed until 2011.
Not only did he lead Chile to a World Cup (after missing out in 2002 and 2006), but La Roja also reached the Round of 16 in South Africa 2010.
In 2011 he returned to club coaching: Athletic Club de Bilbao (Spain), Marseille, Lille (both in France), and Leeds United (England) saw him on the bench. He promoted the English team to the Premier League and reached two finals - the Copa del Rey and the Europa League - with Bilbao.
In 2023, Bielsa's path returned to the South American national teams when Uruguay hired him as coach. His good football has been evident in the South American Qualifiers, where they are currently in second place.
The CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024™ will feature him as a coach, returning to the oldest national team tournament in the world after 20 years.
