Marcelo Gallardo

At 48 years old, Marcelo Gallardo has this physical status:

Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (American Spanish: [maɾˈselo ɣaˈʝaɾðo]; born 18 January 1976) is an Argentine football coach and former professional player who is currently managing River Plate. Gallardo began his career in the club's youth divisions, and made his debut in the Argentine Primera División at age 17 in 1993. After a six-year period in which he won five local league championships, the 1996 Copa Libertadores and the 1997 Supercopa Libertadores, he transferred to France's Ligue 1 AS Monaco FC and was named French League Footballer of the Year in 2000. Gallardo represented Argentina in two FIFA World Cups, although his performance was affected by injuries in both.

During his playing career, Gallardo was an attacking midfielder and playmaker. He was regarded for his vision, technique, class, dribbling, and especially his defence-splitting passing.

After topping the 2010–11 Uruguayan Primera División season with Nacional de Montevideo, Gallardo retired as a player to coach the team. He helped Nacional de Montevideo defend their championship the following season before transferring to River Plate. River Plate won local championships under Gallardo and returned to the international scene, where they had not won a tournament from 1997 to 2014. With the most international tournament championships in team history, he is considered River Plate's most successful coach to date.

Personal life

Gallardo has four sons from his marriage to his high-school sweetheart, Geraldine La Rosa; one is River Plate footballer Nahuel Gallardo. He had little interest in football during his early years, and preferred flying kites. Gallardo said that he was a San Lorenzo de Almagro fan before turning to River Plate, influenced by his mother's family.

During his playing and early coaching years, Gallardo was nicknamed el Muñeco ("the doll"). His teammates started calling him that during the early 1990s, when he was one of the squad's youngest members. Gallardo's successful tenure coaching River Plate earned him the nickname Napoleon from fans and the press.

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Club career

Ana Mara (née Maidana) Gallardo, a born in Parque San Martn, Argentina's greater Buenos Aires region, and construction worker Máximo Gallardo began playing football in youth teams until age ten in the local Once Colegiales and Nahuel clubs. He was accepted by several First Division clubs to play in their junior squads and joined River Plate as a midfielder in 1988. Gallardo made his professional debut for the club against Newell's Old Boys on Sunday in 1992-93.

The team later won the 1993–94 Torneo de Apertura competition. Gallardo won a string of national tournaments with the team over the next two seasons (including the 1994, 1996, and 1997 Torneo de Clausura), and 1997, where he became a starting midfielder. River Plate defeated América de Cali 2–1 in the final series, earning his first international trophy (the Copa Libertadores) this year. Gallardo, who was on the bench for both matches, took the field in the second half. River Plate lost the Intercontinental Cup by 0–1 to Juventus F.C. Many months later, at Tokyo's National Stadium.

Gallardo was scouted by European teams in the late 1990s and affects France's Ligue 1 AS Monaco FC, bringing his first stint with River Plate to an end with the 1998-99 season. He had appeared in 109 league games with the club and scored 17 goals.

Gallardo signed a five-year deal with AS Monaco FC in 1999 (equivalent to US$15,225,425 in 2021). In a 1–2 loss to Stade Rennais F.C. on the first day of the 1999–2000 season, he made his European debut in a 2–2 draw with AS Saint-Étienne. Despite an ankle injury early in the season, Gallardo quickly adapted to French football and joined Ludovic Giuly in midfield and attackers Marco Simone and David Trezeguet. AS Monaco dominated the Première Division, and Gallardo was named French League Footballer of the Year with eight goals in 28 games.

Coach Didier Deschamps left him midway through the 2000–01 season, and the club's relationship remained tense until Gallardo left the club at the end of the 2003–04 season with Christian Panucci and Marco Simone. He scored 23 goals in 126 matches with AS Monaco in four years, including winning the Coupe de la Ligue during his final season.

Gallardo was born in 2004 and was named squad captain on River Plate. The team captured the Torneo de Clausura, his last championship victory as a River Plater, shortly after his return. Gallardo was a central scoring player in the 1–1 home tie against Atlético de Rafaela, which clinched the championship over Boca Juniors, who had long-running opponents.

In the semifinals of the 2004 Copa Libertadores, the team lost to Boca Juniors. The competition was tied 2–2; Boca Juniors won in the penalty shootout, excluding River Plate from the tournament. Both players were issued the red card after a physical match with Ral Cascini in the first leg match, but they were unable to participate in the second leg match. More participants were involved in the battle, in which Gallardo scratched Roberto Abbondanzieri's face; it was one of his professional career's worst times.

Gallardo began considering returning to the French league amid institutional and performance losses in River Plate and a bad start since his return to the club (including ten red cards in 256 matches). Saint-Germain F.C., a Parisian club, is a member of the French National Football Association. He and Olympique de Marseille were involved in him, and he selected the former.

PSG had a disappointing season, being almost relegated to the second division and barred from the UEFA Cup. Gallardo ended his two-year deal with the club, scoring two goals in 13 games, before heading to Major League Soccer in the United States.

Gallardo was unveiled as the youngest member of D.C. United on January 29, 2008. Gallardo, the highest-paid player in Washington, D.C. United's history and its first Designated Player, earning $1.87 million (equivalent to $2,353,541) in 2021). He made the third highest salary in MLS this year, behind England midfielder David Beckham of the LA Galaxy ($6.5 million) and Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire ($2.67 million). Gallardo scored his first league goal against Toronto FC on May 5th, 2008. On 17 and 19 July, he underwent surgery for a sports hernia, which sidelined him for the bulk of the 2008 season. Gallardo's deal was one of the worst in MLS history, scoring four goals in 15 games. For the third time, he left D.C. United and returned to River Plate in February 2009.

Gallardo signed with Nacional de Montevideo in the Uruguayan league in 2010, following a brief stint in River Plate as a player. Despite the fact that he was limited to 13 matches due to injuries, he was still adored for his personality and dedication to the sport. Gallardo defeated Defensor Sporting 1–0 in the second half of the 2011–12 Uruguayan championship in his last match on June 12th. He came as a player but was recruited a few days later to head Nacional, his first managerial position.

International career

Gallardo had been accepted for Argentina's national under-20 football team but he was unable to participate in the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship in Qatar because Argentine national team coach Daniel Passarella wanted to include him in his squad (where he started at age 18 in 1994). He made his debut against Chile in Santiago last year, winning 3–0 friendly matches against Chile, this year, he was on the sidelines for Marcelo Espina.

The midfielder claimed his first international championship in the following year, as well as a gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. In the final penalty shootout against Mexico, Guillermo Barros Schelotto considered a key player. Argentina then finished second in the 1995 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics. Despite losing the Confederations Cup final to Nigeria, Gallardo said in 2018 that he adored the silver medal. He was a member of Argentina's 1995 and 1997 Copa América, winning both times (considered a failure by the local press).

Despite Gallardo's illness (including a hamstring strain from a lack of sleep between matches) prior to the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, he competed against Jamaica and Croatia in the eighth round of the tournament, losing to Holland in the quarter-finals. Argentina qualified as one of the favorites after a near-perfect appearance in the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualification; however, the team was disqualified in the group stage for the first time in history. Despite Gallardo's inclusion in the squad, the tournament was decided on the bench. Reflecting on his injury-plagued World Cup participation, he said he was disappointed not to compete at the same level as the other players "the worst thing that can happen to a footballer." Gallardo made 44 appearances and scored 13 goals during his international career.

Managing career

Gallardo obtained his coaching license from José Faras de Vicente López Technical School 62 in Vicente López, Argentina, in 2010, before retiring as a student. Days after he announced his departure from the Nacional de Montevideo team, which captured the 2010–11 Uruguayan Primera División season championship, he accepted the team's offer as coach. Nacional defended their championship in the 2011–2012 championships for Gallardo. Matas Biscay, Pablo Rodrez, and Marcelo Tulbovitz were among his assistants. Gallardo later referred to Nacional as a "accelerated course," in the case of coaching players with whom he had participated.

Gallardo was appointed by technical secretary and former teammate Enzo Francescoli as the new boss of River Plate on June 6th, following Ramón D'az's tumultuous resignation on May 27. He brought some of his Nacional de Montevideo helpers, such as Matas Biscay and Marcelo Tulbovitz. Carlos Carbonero, Manuel Lanzini, and Cristian Ledesma, the team's key players, all departed, and players he had relegated (such as Carlos Sánchez and Rodrigo Mora) returned to the club. River Plate's only two players were sold: attacking midfielder Leonardo Pisculichi, who had been promoted to the second division with Argentinos Juniors, and goalkeeper Julio Chiarini from Instituto de Córdoba.

Gallardo's coaching style was lauded by the Argentina press, with the team tying its all-time unbeaten record on October 9th with 32 undefeated games before losing to Estudiantes de La Plata three days later. Ramón Daz played eight games out of 32 games. River Plate was the Torneo de Transición's lead until the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals, where the Rival will meet Boca Juniors. Gallardo played a replacement squad against second-place Racing Club in the semi-finals and lost on an own goal by Ramiro Funes Mori. Racing captured its first championship since 2001 by two points over River Plate.

River defeated Boca Juniors with a lone goal from Leonardo Pisculichi in the second leg, which was played at the Monumental Stadium. Pisculichi scored again against Atlético Nacional in the away leg of the Estadio Girardot in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana Finals. Gabriel Mercado and Germán Pezzella scored in the second leg at the Monumental, giving the unbeaten River Plate a 2–0 victory and its first international title since 1997. Gallardo was the first River Plate player to win an international tournament as both a player and a mentor. He owed the victory to his mother, who died shortly before the second game against Boca Juniors.

Gallardo's River Plate was the 2014 Copa Sudamericana champions over 2014 Copa Sudamericana champions San Lorenzo de Almagro in early 2015. River won 1–0 at home and 1–0 in the second, as both goals were scored by Carlos Sánchez.

River Plate was seeded in the 2015 Copa Libertadores Round of 16 as the lowest team in the group to face Boca Juniors after a poor group stage that nearly banned them from the tournament. River defeated the first leg 1–0 with a penalty kick from Carlos Sánchez. The teams had drawn 0–0 at the half in the second leg, which was played at La Bombonera stadium. Boca Juniors fans smacked River Plate's players when returning to the field for the second half. The match was called off by a CONMEBOL official after a one-hour delay. Boca Juniors and River were disqualified by the organization days later, advancing to the tournament's quarterfinals. The team advanced to the Libertadores final and competed against Mexico's Tigres UANL. The game was scoreless in the first leg at the Estadio Universitario. River won 3–0 in the second leg of the Monumental, Carlos Sánchez's and Ramiro Funes Mori's first Libertadores championship in nine years. Gallardo's crew travelled to Osaka for the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship, beating the 2014 J.League Cup champions Gamba Osaka. River Plate secured their fourth international title under Gallardo after the match ended 3–0.

Despite poor results in the 2015 Argentina Primera División, River later advanced to the semi-finals of the 2015 Copa Sudamericana to compete against fellow Argentine club Atlético Huracán. River's first leg at home was a 1–0 loss in the first leg, followed by a 2–2 draw in the second leg. Gallardo's first defeat as a coach on an international knockout stage was disappointing.

River lost to 2015 J1 League champion Sanfrecchie Hiroshima 1–0 in the first half thanks to Lucas Alario's goal and three saves in the first half. They failed 3–0 to European champions FC Barcelona, losing 3–0 to European champions FC Barcelona with goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez. Gallardo was named by the IFFHS as the country's fifth best football coach in 2015.

In the 2016 Copa Libertadores round of 16, River Plate was defeated by runners-up Independiente del Valle. River Plate defeated 2015 Copa Sudamericana champions Independiente Santa Fe 21-0 at home in the second leg after a scoreless first leg for another international title.

Gallardo led River to the 2015-16 Copa Argentina, his first domestic cup as manager in December of that year. River Plate then won the right to compete in the 2017 Copa Libertadores and the 2016 Supercopa Argentina against 2016 Primera División champion Club Atlético Lans, where it lost 3–0.

River Plate has progressed to the semi-finals of the 2017 Copa Libertadores against Club Atlético Lans. They lost the second leg at Estadio Ciudad de Lan's 4–2 after winning the first leg 1–0 at Monumental Stadium. River Plate was defeated in aggregate by 4–3 on aggregate. They won the 2016-20 Copa Argentina final in Mendoza, beating Atlético Tucumán just days later. River Plate won the right to play in the 2017 Supercopa Argentina against 2016-17 Argentine Primera División champions Boca Juniors, who defeated Boca 2–0 on March 14, 2018.

River Plate started 2018 with a losing streak in the Primera División, except for their triumph in the Supercopa Argentina. They did well in the 2018 Copa Libertadores, but they lost in the finals against Boca Juniors. It was the first time two Argentine teams met each other in a Libertadores final, but the last round was played at Monumental Stadium in Santiago, Argentina. At La Bombonera, River Plate and Boca Juniors tied for their first match 2–2 with goals by Lucas Pratto and Carlos Izquierdoz (own goal). Pratto scored for River again in the second match at the Bernabéu; and brought the match to a different conclusion. River defeated 3-1, with goals by Juan Fernando Quintero and Pity Martnez. Despite losing the semifinals due to a suspension for breaking a previous term in the semi-finals against Grêmio of Porto Alegre, Gallardo's coaching played a vital role in the victory (considered one of the most important in Argentine football history). His teaching was lauded by the media, and he was named one of the top River Plate managers of all time.

Gallardo made history by winning the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana Championships, becoming the most influential River Plate coach in the country with ten titles. He is the most successful coach at the international level in club history to date, with seven Copa Libertadores (2015, 2016, and 2019), as well as the 2015 Suruga Bank Championship. He is known as the best coach in River Plate history. Gallardo was voted the best 2019 football coach in the Americas by the Uruguayan newspaper El Pas, and second in the world by the football website Club World Ranking.

Brazilian teams had a greater success in the CONMEBOL international tournaments in the early 2020s than their counterparts, owing to a higher level of competition in their local league and a more stable domestic economy. Despite Gallardo's ability to form competitive squads over the years despite others such as key players leaving the roster, Argentina's growing economic inequity against Brazil's has taken its toll in River Plate's performance against its teams. After a tough fall in the 2021 Copa Libertadores quarter-finals against Atlético Mineiro, he confessed defeating their opponents, playing "much better," and said he settled on the Argentine league this year. Gallardo equaled ngel Labruna's record of 22 titles as both a player and a coach for the team. He decided to sign for at least one year more than a season in the midst of rumors about his longevity, he will not return to the team for a short time.

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