Juan Antonio Pizzi Facts for Kids

Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroja, born on June 7, 1968, is a famous former football player from Argentina. He played as a striker, which means he was a forward who scored goals. Today, he is a football coach and currently leads the Kuwait national team.

Pizzi spent most of his playing career in Spain. He played mainly for Tenerife, where he helped the team stay in La Liga, Spain's top football league. He scored many goals during his eight seasons there. He also played for big Spanish clubs like Valencia and Barcelona.

Even though he was born in Argentina, Pizzi played for the Spanish national team for four years. He played in one World Cup and one European Championship for Spain. After he stopped playing, he became a coach. He led the Chile national team to win the Copa América Centenario in 2016. He also coached Saudi Arabia at the 2018 World Cup and Bahrain at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Pizzi's Club Playing Career

Pizzi started his professional football journey in Santa Fe, Argentina, with the club Rosario Central. Later, he moved to Mexico to play for Deportivo Toluca. After just one year, he moved to Spain and joined Tenerife.

He had great success at Tenerife, scoring 30 goals in his first two seasons. He also helped the team qualify for the UEFA Cup, which is a big European competition.

Playing for Valencia and Barcelona

Pizzi's excellent performance at Tenerife caught the attention of Valencia, another team in La Liga. He joined Valencia but soon returned to Tenerife. In his second time with Tenerife, he scored 31 goals in 41 games during the 1995–96 season. This made him the top scorer in La Liga, winning the Pichichi Trophy. He also helped Tenerife qualify for the UEFA Cup again.

After his successful time at Tenerife, Pizzi moved to Barcelona. Even though he wasn't always a starting player, he scored 18 goals in important matches. He was very popular with the Barcelona fans.

With Barcelona, Pizzi won several trophies. He won the Supercopa de España in 1996, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Cup in 1997. He won the Spanish Cup again in 1998 and also won his only league title with Barcelona. One of his most famous moments was scoring the winning goal in a thrilling 5–4 match against Atlético Madrid. Barcelona was losing 3–0 at half-time but came back to win!

Later Club Teams

After Barcelona, Pizzi went back to Argentina to play for River Plate. Then, he had a short time playing in Portugal for Porto. He returned to Rosario Central in 2001. In 2002, he joined Villarreal on loan to help them after another player got injured.

Pizzi's International Career with Spain

Juan Antonio Pizzi played 22 games for the Spanish national team and scored eight goals. His first game for Spain was on November 30, 1994, in a friendly match against Finland, which Spain won 2–0. He even helped Spain beat his home country, Argentina, 2–1 in a friendly game in Madrid.

Pizzi was part of the Spanish teams that played in the UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After the 1998 World Cup, where Spain did not get past the group stage, he stopped playing for the national team.

Pizzi's Coaching Journey

After retiring as a player at almost 34 years old, Pizzi started his coaching career.

Early Coaching Roles

He first coached Colón in Argentina in 2005, but it was a short time. In 2006, he became the coach of Universidad San Martín in Peru. Five years later, he returned to Argentina to coach Rosario Central and San Lorenzo. He even won a league title with San Lorenzo in 2013.

Coaching Valencia

On December 26, 2013, Pizzi returned to Valencia, this time as their manager. His first game was a 2–0 win against Levante. However, he was let go on July 2, 2014, after a new owner took over the club. Valencia finished eighth in the league that season, which meant they did not qualify for European competitions.

Leading the Chile National Team

Pizzi and his Chile squad meeting President Michelle Bachelet after winning the Copa América Centenario

On January 29, 2016, Pizzi became the coach of the Chile national team. He led Chile to a great victory in the Copa América Centenario in the United States. They famously beat Mexico 7–0 and then won the final against Argentina in a penalty shootout.

Pizzi also guided Chile to the final of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. This was Chile's first time reaching a final in a FIFA competition! They lost 1–0 to Germany. However, Chile did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and Pizzi resigned after that.

Coaching Saudi Arabia and Other Teams

On November 28, 2017, Pizzi was appointed to manage the Saudi Arabia. His team played in the 2018 World Cup but was eliminated after the first round. He resigned in January 2019.

Pizzi returned to San Lorenzo in Argentina in June 2019 but was dismissed later that year. In January 2021, he became the coach of Racing Club. He left that role in August 2021.

In June 2022, Pizzi signed a contract with Al-Wasl in the United Arab Emirates. After one season, he returned to international coaching with the Bahrain national team. At the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, his team did well, but was eliminated by Japan. He left Bahrain in February 2024.

Currently, Pizzi is the manager of the Kuwait national team, a role he took on in July 2024. He is helping Kuwait in their World Cup qualifiers.

Honours and Achievements

Juan Antonio Pizzi has won many titles as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

With Barcelona

La Liga: 1997–98
Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup): 1996–97, 1997–98
Supercopa de España (Spanish Super Cup): 1996
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1996–97
UEFA Super Cup: 1997

With Porto

Taça de Portugal (Portuguese Cup): 2000–01

Individual Awards

Pichichi Trophy (Top Scorer in La Liga): 1995–96

As a Manager

With Universidad Católica

Chilean Primera División: 2010

With San Lorenzo

Argentine Primera División: 2013 (Inicial tournament)

With Chile

Copa América: 2016