Jorge Sampaoli facts for kids
Jorge Sampaoli as head coach of Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 13 March 1960 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Casilda, Santa Fe, Argentina | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.67 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Rennes (head coach) | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Newell's Old Boys | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1991 | Aprendices Casildenses | |||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Alumni de Casilda | |||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Alumni de Casilda (interim) | |||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Alumni de Casilda (youth) | |||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Alumni de Casilda | |||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Belgrano de Arequito | |||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Argentino de Rosario | |||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Alumni de Casilda | |||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Belgrano de Arequito | |||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Aprendices Casildenses | |||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Argentino de Rosario | |||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Alumni de Casilda | |||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Juan Aurich | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Sport Boys | |||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Coronel Bolognesi | |||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Coronel Bolognesi | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Sporting Cristal | |||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | O'Higgins | |||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Emelec | |||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Universidad de Chile | |||||||||||||||
| 2012–2016 | Chile | |||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Sevilla | |||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Argentina | |||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Santos | |||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Atlético Mineiro | |||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Marseille | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Sevilla | |||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Flamengo | |||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Rennes | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (born March 13, 1960) is a famous Argentine football coach. He is currently the head coach of the French club Rennes. Sampaoli started his career as a young player. However, a serious injury made him switch to coaching instead.
Sampaoli began his coaching journey in Peru with Coronel Bolognesi in 2004. He then had successful times with O'Higgins in Chile and Emelec in Ecuador. He became very well-known as the head coach of Universidad de Chile. There, he won three league titles and the Copa Sudamericana championship.
Because of this success, he was chosen to coach the Chilean men's national team in 2012. He led the Chile team to win their first-ever Copa América title in 2015. They beat Argentina in the final of the tournament held in Chile. Sampaoli is known for his exciting attacking style of play. Many people compare his tactics to those of another famous coach, Marcelo Bielsa.
In 2016, Sampaoli moved to Spain to coach Sevilla. After one year, he left Sevilla to coach the Argentina national team. His time with Argentina ended after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He then coached the Brazilian club Santos in 2019, leading them to second place in the league. In 2021, he returned to Europe to manage Marseille in France. He later returned to Sevilla in 2022, but his time there ended in March 2023. In April 2023, he coached Flamengo in Brazil. In November 2024, he became the manager of Rennes.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Career
Jorge Sampaoli was born in Casilda, a small town in Argentina. When he was young, he loved football and played for local amateur teams. He later joined the youth team of Newell's Old Boys. However, he felt very nervous playing there and did not do well.
In 1979, at just 19 years old, he suffered a serious leg injury. This injury forced him to stop playing football professionally. During his last years as a player and his first years as a coach, he also worked part-time at a bank.
Coaching Journey Begins
First Steps in Coaching
In October 1991, when Sampaoli was 31, he became a temporary coach for his hometown team, Club Atlético Alumni. He was already working as a fitness coach for the team. The next year, he became the manager of the club's youth teams. He officially retired from playing in 1993.
In 1994, he became the manager of Alumni's main team. He led them to the finals of the Liga Casildense de Fútbol twice, but they lost both times. In 1996, Sampaoli joined a rival team, CA Belgrano de Arequito. He led them to win the league title that year. Later in 1996, he was hired by Argentino de Rosario. He also coached CA Aprendices Casildenses, winning two league titles with them.
Sampaoli returned to Alumni for a third time in 2001. He reached the finals of the Liga Casildense again but lost to his former team, Aprendices.
Coaching in Peru
In January 2002, Sampaoli got his first job coaching a professional club. He became the coach of Peruvian Primera División team Juan Aurich. His first game was a 2–1 loss. Sampaoli's time at Juan Aurich was short and difficult. He coached only eight games, winning just one. He left the club in April when they were at the bottom of the league.
A few months later, in June, Sampaoli was hired by Sport Boys. He helped the team finish sixth in the tournament. They had important wins against strong teams like Alianza and Universitario. He left the club in 2003 because of a player strike.
In 2004, Sampaoli became the coach of Coronel Bolognesi. After a tricky start, he helped the team improve a lot. In 2005, they finished fifth in one part of the league and third in another. This success led the club to play in an international competition for the first time. Sampaoli left the club in December 2005 but returned in June 2006. His team finished third in the national league that year.
In 2007, Sampaoli coached Sporting Cristal. However, this time was not as successful. After 18 matches and only five wins, he left the team in May. This marked the end of his coaching career in Peru.
Success in Chile and Ecuador
In December 2007, Sampaoli moved to Chile to coach O'Higgins. In 2008, his team became very tough to beat for bigger Chilean teams. They finished third in the Apertura tournament. The next year was harder, and he resigned in August 2009.
In December 2009, Sampaoli became the coach of Emelec in Ecuador. His team played in the 2010 Copa Libertadores. They also had a great run in their local league, finishing first in the first half of the 2010 tournament. This earned them spots in future international competitions.
Leading Universidad de Chile to Glory
On December 15, 2010, Sampaoli became the coach of Universidad de Chile. He achieved amazing results with this team. He won the 2011 Apertura, the 2011 Clausura, and the 2012 Apertura. He also led them to win the 2011 Copa Sudamericana. He left the club after winning 80 out of 135 matches.
National Team Coaching
Chile National Team
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On December 3, 2012, Sampaoli was chosen to coach the national team. His arrival brought a big change. Chile started playing much better and won three of their first four World Cup qualifying games under him. Sampaoli brought back an energetic, high-pressing style of play, similar to what Marcelo Bielsa used.
In 2015, Sampaoli led Chile to win the Copa América. This was the country's first major football trophy! In November 2015, he was one of the top three coaches nominated for the 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year award. On January 19, 2016, Sampaoli resigned as Chile's coach.
Argentina National Team
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On May 20, 2017, the Argentine Football Association announced that Sampaoli would be the new coach of the national team. His first game was a friendly match against Brazil, which Argentina won 1–0.
Argentina had a tough time during the World Cup qualifiers. They only secured their spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup thanks to a hat-trick by Lionel Messi in their final game against Ecuador. At the World Cup, Argentina tied 1–1 with Iceland in their first match. They then lost 0–3 to Croatia. This put them close to being eliminated. Despite these challenges, Sampaoli remained in his position. Argentina beat Nigeria 2–1 in their third group match to move to the knockout stage. In the next round, Argentina lost to France 4–3 and were out of the tournament.
On July 15, 2018, Sampaoli left his role as Argentina's national coach.
Club Coaching After National Teams
Santos
On December 13, 2018, the Brazilian club Santos announced that Sampaoli would be their coach for the 2019 season. He signed a two-year contract. Sampaoli was praised for the exciting attacking football his team played. He led Santos to finish second in the Série A league. On December 9, 2019, Sampaoli resigned from Santos.
Atlético Mineiro
On March 1, 2020, Sampaoli took charge of Atlético Mineiro in Brazil. He coached them to win the Campeonato Mineiro in 2020. On February 22, 2021, Sampaoli asked to end his contract, and Atlético Mineiro agreed.
Marseille
On February 26, 2021, French club Marseille announced Sampaoli as their new coach. He stayed with the team until July 2022.
Return to Sevilla
On October 6, 2022, Sampaoli returned to coach Sevilla in Spain. However, his second time at Sevilla ended on March 21, 2023.
Flamengo
On April 14, 2023, Sampaoli returned to Brazil to coach Flamengo. He signed a contract until the end of 2024. However, he left the club on September 28, 2023.
Rennes
On November 11, 2024, Sampaoli returned to French football. He was appointed manager of Rennes with a contract until 2026.
Coaching Style
Sampaoli is known for his unique coaching ideas and tactics. Many people say his style is similar to that of fellow Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa. Sampaoli's teams often use high pressing, where they try to win the ball back quickly. They also use "triangles of passes" and attack down the sides of the field. He studies opposing teams very carefully, using special software to understand their plays and help his team press them better.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Argentino de Rosario |  |
29 June 1996 | 19 April 1997 | 30 | 11 | 13 | 6 | 39 | 30 | +9 | 36.67 | |
| Argentino de Rosario | |
30 September 2000 | 28 October 2000 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 33.33 | |
| Juan Aurich |  |
9 January 2002 | 14 April 2002 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 12.50 | |
| Sport Boys | |
6 June 2002 | 31 December 2003 | 62 | 24 | 18 | 20 | 94 | 75 | +19 | 38.71 | |
| Coronel Bolognesi | |
1 April 2004 | 31 December 2005 | 95 | 39 | 22 | 34 | 144 | 127 | +17 | 41.05 | |
| Coronel Bolognesi | |
27 June 2006 | 31 December 2006 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 57.14 | |
| Sporting Cristal | |
1 January 2007 | 5 May 2007 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 27.78 | |
| O'Higgins |  |
12 December 2007 | 1 August 2009 | 66 | 27 | 16 | 23 | 107 | 103 | +4 | 40.91 | |
| Emelec |  |
18 December 2009 | 14 December 2010 | 58 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 53.45 | |
| Universidad de Chile | |
15 December 2010 | 3 December 2012 | 135 | 80 | 35 | 20 | 268 | 132 | +136 | 59.26 | |
| Chile | |
3 December 2012 | 19 January 2016 | 44 | 27 | 9 | 8 | 89 | 44 | +45 | 61.36 | |
| Sevilla |  |
27 June 2016 | 26 May 2017 | 53 | 27 | 12 | 14 | 97 | 71 | +26 | 50.94 | |
| Argentina | |
1 June 2017 | 15 July 2018 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 21 | +6 | 46.67 | |
| Santos |  |
13 December 2018 | 9 December 2019 | 64 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 102 | 55 | +47 | 54.69 | |
| Atlético Mineiro | |
1 March 2020 | 25 February 2021 | 45 | 26 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 57.78 | |
| Marseille |  |
8 March 2021 | 1 July 2022 | 67 | 36 | 17 | 14 | 113 | 73 | +40 | 53.73 | |
| Sevilla | |
6 October 2022 | 21 March 2023 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 43 | 32 | +11 | 41.94 | |
| Flamengo | |
14 April 2023 | 28 September 2023 | 39 | 20 | 11 | 8 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 51.28 | |
| Rennes | |
11 November 2024 | present | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 33.33 | |
| Career total | 874 | 431 | 211 | 232 | 1,440 | 1,006 | +434 | 49.31 | — | |||
Honours and Awards
Sampaoli has won several titles and received individual awards throughout his coaching career:
Team Honours
- Belgrano de Arequito
- Liga Casildense de Fútbol (Division 5): 1996
- Aprendices Casildenses
- Liga Casildense de Fútbol (Division 5): 1999, 2000
- Universidad de Chile
- Torneo Apertura: 2011, 2012
- Torneo Clausura: 2011
- Copa Sudamericana: 2011
- Atlético Mineiro
- Campeonato Mineiro: 2020
- Chile National Team
Individual Awards
- Copa América Team of the Tournament (Manager): 2015
- South American Coach of the Year: 2015
- IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 2015
- La Liga Manager of the Month: October 2016
See also
In Spanish: Jorge Sampaoli para niños
