José Pékerman facts for kids
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Pékerman as Colombia manager in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Néstor Pékerman Krimen | ||
| Date of birth | 3 September 1949 | ||
| Place of birth | Villa Domínguez, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Argentinos Juniors | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1974 | Argentinos Juniors | 134 | (12) |
| 1974–1977 | Independiente Medellín | 101 | (15) |
| Total | 235 | (27) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Chacarita Juniors (youth) | ||
| 1982–1992 | Argentinos Juniors (youth) | ||
| 1992–1994 | Colo-Colo (youth) | ||
| 1994–2001 | Argentina U20 | ||
| 2004–2006 | Argentina | ||
| 2007–2008 | Toluca | ||
| 2009 | Tigres UANL | ||
| 2012–2018 | Colombia | ||
| 2021–2023 | Venezuela | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
José Néstor Pékerman Krimen (born 3 September 1949) is a famous football coach from Argentina. He is known for leading many national teams. His last team was the Venezuela national team.
Pékerman is especially famous for coaching youth teams. He helped Argentina's Under-20 team win the FIFA World Youth Championship three times. He also coached the Argentina national football team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Later, he led the Colombia national team in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. In 2014, he guided Colombia to the quarter-finals, which was their best result ever!
Contents
Playing Football
José Pékerman started his career as a football player. He was a midfielder. From 1970 to 1974, he played for Argentinos Juniors. He scored 12 goals in 134 games.
After that, he moved to Colombia. He played for Independiente Medellín. There, he scored 15 goals in 101 matches. His playing career ended when he was 28 years old. He got a serious knee injury. After his playing days, Pékerman worked different jobs, including being a taxi driver.
Coaching Football Teams
Coaching Young Players
When Pékerman returned to Argentina, he started coaching young players. He worked for Chacarita Juniors and then Argentinos Juniors. Later, he moved to Chile to coach the youth teams for Colo-Colo.
In 1994, the Argentine Football Association asked him to coach Argentina's Under-20 and Under-17 teams. This was a surprise because he hadn't coached big teams before. But Pékerman proved everyone wrong!
His Under-20 team became very successful. They won the FIFA World Youth Championship three times:
- 1995 in Qatar
- 1997 in Malaysia
- 2001 in Argentina
He even named his three pet dogs after these winning locations: Qatar, Malaysia, and Argentina! His team also won the South American Youth Football Championship twice, in 1997 and 1999.
After the 1998 World Cup, Pékerman was offered the job to coach the main Argentina national team. He said no. Instead, he became the general manager for all national teams. He suggested that Marcelo Bielsa should be the coach, and Bielsa led the team for several years.
Coaching Argentina's Main Team
On 15 September 2004, José Pékerman became the coach of the Argentina senior team. His first big tournament was the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. Argentina reached the final but lost to Brazil 4–1.
Pékerman then led Argentina to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Argentina played very well in the group stage. They won their first two matches and drew with the Netherlands. They finished first in their group.
In the next round, they beat Mexico 2–1 in extra time. In the quarter-finals, Argentina played against the host team, Germany. Argentina was leading 1–0, but Germany scored a goal late in the game. The match went to penalties, and Germany won. Argentina was out of the tournament. After this loss, Pékerman announced he would leave his job.
Coaching in Mexico
In 2007, Pékerman started coaching again. He became the head coach for Club Toluca in Mexico. He stayed there until May 2008.
In 2009, he coached UANL Tigres for a short time. He left the team in May 2009.
Coaching Colombia
In January 2012, Pékerman became the new coach of the Colombia national team. He was the third coach for Colombia during the World Cup qualifiers.
His first match was a friendly game against Mexico, which Colombia won 2–0. In his first World Cup qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup, Colombia won 1–0 against Peru.
Under Pékerman, Colombia played very well. They beat Uruguay 4–0. They also won against Chile and Paraguay. Colombia qualified for the 2014 World Cup. This was a huge moment because Colombia had not been in a World Cup for 16 years! Pékerman said it was "one of the greatest joys in his life."
In the 2014 World Cup, Colombia won all three of their group matches. They scored nine goals and only let in two. They then beat Uruguay in the Round of 16. They lost to the host nation, Brazil, in the quarter-finals. In August 2014, Pékerman signed a new contract to stay with Colombia until 2018.
Pékerman also led Colombia to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Colombia lost their first game to Japan. But they came back strong and beat Poland 3–0. They also beat Senegal 1–0 to finish first in their group. In the Round of 16, Colombia played a tough match against England. The game ended 1–1, and England won on penalties. In September 2018, Pékerman decided to leave his job as Colombia's coach after six years.
Coaching Venezuela
In November 2021, Pékerman became the head coach of the Venezuela. He tried to help them qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but they finished last in the South American qualifiers. On 8 March 2023, the Venezuelan Football Federation and Pékerman decided to part ways.
Achievements
As a Manager
- Argentina U20
- South American Youth Championship: 1997, 1999
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1995, 1997, 2001
- Argentina
- FIFA Confederations Cup runner-up: 2005
- Colombia
- Copa América Third-place: 2016
Individual Awards
- South American Coach of the Year: 2012, 2013, 2014
Coaching Style
Pékerman is known for his smart way of coaching. He often picks players who fit his team's style, even if they are not the most famous players. He sometimes made surprising choices with his team lineups.
Before the 2006 World Cup, Pékerman made a big decision to not include famous defenders Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel. When Argentina lost to Germany in the quarter-finals, some people criticized his decision to substitute Juan Román Riquelme during the match.
Despite the loss, many fans and news reporters still thought Pékerman was a very good coach. His time as coach is remembered as a period that brought a lot of pride to Argentina.
Personal Life
José Pékerman was born in Villa Domínguez, Argentina. His family had settled in the farming areas of Entre Ríos Province.
After Colombia qualified for the 2014 World Cup, Pékerman said he wanted to become a Colombian citizen. The very next day, the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, granted him citizenship.
See also
In Spanish: José Néstor Pékerman para niños
