Gustavo "Gus" Poyet Domínguez (born November 15, 1967) is a football manager and former player from Uruguay. He is currently the manager of K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Poyet played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both attack and defense. He started his career with short times at Grenoble and River Plate. He then spent seven years playing for Real Zaragoza in Spain. With Zaragoza, he won the Copa del Rey (a Spanish cup) and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (a European competition).

In 1997, Poyet joined Chelsea in England. He helped Chelsea win the FA Cup and another UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Later, in 2001, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, where he finished his playing career. He also played for the Uruguay national team and helped them win the 1995 Copa América, a big tournament for South American teams.

After he stopped playing, Poyet became a coach. He worked as an assistant manager at clubs like Swindon Town, Leeds United, and Tottenham Hotspur. In 2009, he became the manager of Brighton & Hove Albion. He led Brighton to win the League One title and get promoted to a higher league. He was even named League One Manager of the Year.

Later, he managed Premier League team Sunderland and guided them to the League Cup final. He has also managed teams in Greece, Spain, China, France, and Chile. From 2022 to 2024, he was the manager of the Greece national team.

Playing Career Highlights
- Playing for Clubs
- Playing for Uruguay
Managerial Career
Personal Life
Honours
- Player
- Manager
See also

Playing Career Highlights

Playing for Clubs

Gus Poyet was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was known as a midfielder who could score many goals. He started his career playing for clubs like Grenoble in France and River Plate in Uruguay.

In 1990, Poyet moved to Real Zaragoza in Spain. He had a very successful time there. He helped Zaragoza win the Copa del Rey in 1994. The next year, they won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, beating Arsenal in the final. He played 240 games for Zaragoza and scored 60 goals, becoming one of their longest-serving foreign players.

Poyet joined Chelsea in England in 1997. In his first season, he got injured but recovered to play in the team's winning Cup Winners' Cup Final. The next year, he scored 14 goals, helping Chelsea finish third in the Premier League. He also scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the 1998 UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid. In the 1999–2000 season, he scored 18 goals, helping Chelsea win the FA Cup and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. He scored some amazing goals, including a bicycle kick against Sunderland.

After a new manager arrived at Chelsea, Poyet decided to move on. He played 145 games for Chelsea and scored 49 goals.

In 2001, Poyet joined Tottenham Hotspur. He scored 14 goals in his first season and helped his team reach the League Cup final. However, they lost the final to Blackburn Rovers. Injuries affected his time at Tottenham, but he still managed to score 23 goals in 98 games.

Playing for Uruguay

Poyet also played for the Uruguay national team. He made his first international appearance in 1993.

He helped his country win the Copa América in 1995. This is a very important football tournament for South American countries. Because of his great performance, he was chosen as the best player in his position during the tournament.

Overall, he played 26 games for Uruguay and scored three goals.

Managerial Career

Starting as a Coach

In 2006, Gus Poyet started his coaching career. He became a player and assistant manager at Swindon Town, working with his former Chelsea teammate, Dennis Wise. They later moved together to Leeds United as assistant manager and manager.

In 2007, Poyet returned to his old club, Tottenham Hotspur, as a first-team coach. He worked with the new head coach, Juande Ramos. In his first season as assistant manager at Tottenham, they won the League Cup in 2008, beating Chelsea in the final. Poyet left Tottenham in 2008 along with the manager.

Leading Brighton to Success

Poyet as Brighton manager in 2011

On November 10, 2009, Poyet became the new manager of Brighton & Hove Albion, a team in Football League One. He quickly helped the club improve. In his first full season, 2010–11, he led Brighton to win the League One title. This meant they were promoted to the Championship, a higher league. For this great achievement, Poyet was named League One Manager of the Year.

He continued to build the team, signing new players. Brighton had a strong start in the Championship. Poyet signed a new contract to stay with the club until 2016. He also won an award for Outstanding Managerial Achievement in 2012. However, in June 2013, Brighton ended his contract.

Managing Sunderland

Poyet on the touchline as Sunderland manager away to Chelsea in April 2014

On October 8, 2013, Poyet was appointed head coach of Sunderland, a team in the Premier League. He was the first Uruguayan to manage a Premier League team. In his first home game, Sunderland won 2–1 against their local rivals, Newcastle United.

In his first season, he led Sunderland to the League Cup Final after beating Manchester United in the semi-finals. He also helped Sunderland avoid relegation from the Premier League, which was seen as a "miracle" by many. They earned many points in their final games to stay safe. Poyet signed a new two-year contract with Sunderland in May 2014. However, he was sacked in March 2015 when the team was close to the relegation zone.

Other Coaching Roles

After Sunderland, Poyet managed several other clubs around the world. He coached AEK Athens in Greece, Real Betis in Spain, and Shanghai Shenhua in China. He also managed Bordeaux in France and Universidad Católica in Chile.

From 2022 to 2024, Poyet was the manager of the Greece national team. He helped Greece get promoted in the 2022 UEFA Nations League. However, Greece did not qualify for UEFA Euro 2024, and his contract was not renewed.

In December 2024, Poyet became the manager of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, a club in South Korea.

Personal Life

Gus Poyet is married to Madelon González. They have two sons, Diego and Matias. Diego Poyet is also a professional football player and a midfielder, just like his father. He has played for clubs like Charlton Athletic and West Ham United.

Gus Poyet's father, Washington Poyet, was an Olympic basketball player. His brother, Marcelo, also played basketball professionally. Gus Poyet even used basketball in Sunderland's training sessions, believing it helped players with skills useful in football.

Honours

Player

Real Zaragoza

Copa del Rey: 1993–94
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1994–95

Chelsea

FA Cup: 1999–2000
FA Charity Shield: 2000
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98
UEFA Super Cup: 1998

Tottenham Hotspur

Football League Cup runner-up: 2001–02

Uruguay

Copa América: 1995

Manager

Brighton & Hove Albion

Football League One: 2010–11

Sunderland

Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14

Universidad Católica

Supercopa de Chile: 2020

Individual

League One Manager of the Year: 2010–11
League One Manager of the Month: September 2010, March 2011
Football League Award for Outstanding Managerial Achievement: 2011

Gus Poyet facts for kids

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