Marcelo Bielsa
Bielsa at a press conference in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1977–1978 | Newell's Old Boys | 25 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | Instituto | 10 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | Argentino (R) | 30 | (1) |
| Total | 65 | (1) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1990–1992 | Newell's Old Boys | ||
| 1992–1994 | Atlas | ||
| 1995–1996 | América | ||
| 1997–1998 | Vélez Sársfield | ||
| 1998 | Espanyol | ||
| 1998–2004 | Argentina | ||
| 2007–2011 | Chile | ||
| 2011–2013 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| 2014–2015 | Marseille | ||
| 2016 | Lazio | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (locally: [marˈselo alˈβerto ˈβjelsa ˈkaldeɾa], nicknamed Loco Bielsa [ˈloko ˈβjelsa], English: Madman Bielsa; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine football manager. Bielsa has managed football clubs and also the national teams of Argentina and Chile. In Chile, he achieved cult status due to the improved results of the national team under his leadership. 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. On 8 August 2015, Bielsa resigned as Marseille's coach.
In 1980, after retiring from playing in football, Bielsa decided to start a career as a football manager. His first job was coaching the youth divisions of Argentine club Newell's Old Boys. In 1990, he was given the task of managing Newell's first team, where he would later go on to win the 1990 Torneo Apertura and the 1990–91 Torneo Integración, defeating Boca Juniors on penalties. "El Loco" managed the squad that competed in the final of the 1992 Copa Libertadores, losing to São Paulo on penalties. Weeks later, after enduring defeat in the Copa Libertadores final, Bielsa and Newell's won the 1992 Torneo Clausura.
As a child, Bielsa opted to support Newell's Old Boys instead of neighbors and eternal rivals Rosario Central, the team his father passionately followed. Coming from a family steeped in politics and law, Bielsa decided to break with tradition by dedicating his life to football. His vocation was in stark contrast to that of his older brother Rafael, who as of 2007 is a politician, the national deputy from the Capital District of Buenos Aires; while his sister María Eugenia is a former vice-governor of the province of Santa Fe. Marcelo Bielsa played as a defender in Newell's Old Boys' First Division Team, but retired early at the age of 25. Bielsa went on to develop his career as coach in that team after qualifying as a physical education teacher. He led Newell's to several wins in the early 1990s, then moved to Mexico in 1992, briefly coaching Club Atlas and Club América. Bielsa returned to Argentina in 1997 to manage Vélez Sársfield.
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