Marcelo Bielsa

Life and work

The story behind the role.

Influential coach known for pressing, tactical detail and developing attacking teams.

Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera ([maɾˈselo alˈβeɾto ˈβjelsa], nicknamed El Loco Bielsa [ˈloko ˈβjelsa], meaning 'The Madman Bielsa'; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who most recently managed the Uruguay national team. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential coaches of all time. Bielsa played as a defender for Newell's Old Boys, Instituto, and Argentino de Rosario. Bielsa played as a defender in Newell's Old Boys' First Division team and was a member of Argentina U23 in the 1976 Pre-Olympic Tournament, but retired when he was 25 to focus on coaching. Bielsa has managed several football clubs and also the national teams of Argentina and Chile. He developed his career as coach of Newell's Old Boys where he won several titles in the early 1990s, before moving to Mexico in 1992, briefly coaching Club Atlas and Club América. Bielsa returned to Argentina in 1997 to manage Vélez Sarsfield, leading them to the 1998 league title (Clausura). His personality and gestures during his stint in Chile captured the attention of media and unleashed a series of minor controversies both in sports and politics. He had a two year-spell in Spain at Athletic Bilbao between 2011 and 2013, leading them to domestic and continental cup finals in the first season, though they lost both. In May 2014, Bielsa was appointed coach of Marseille, starting with good results but finishing outside the expected first three places in Ligue 1, resigning after just over a year at the French club. He remains highly regarded by Marseille fans for his offensive playing style and personality. In June 2018, Bielsa was appointed manager of Championship club Leeds United, leading the club to promotion back to the Premier League in 2020 after a 16-year abs…

Encyclopaedic excerpts from Marcelo Bielsa; shortened for length and available under CC BY-SA 4.0.