Marcelo Bielsa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marcelo Bielsa

Bielsa with Olympique de Marseille in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth	(1955-07-21) 21 July 1955 (age 69)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Uruguay (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1975–1977	Newell's Old Boys	25	(0)
1978–1979	Instituto	40	(0)
1979–1980	Argentino de Rosario	48	(0)
Total		113	(0)
National team
1976	Argentina U23	4	(0)
Teams managed
1987–1990	Newell's Old Boys II
1990–1992	Newell's Old Boys
1993–1995	Atlas
1995–1996	América
1997–1998	Vélez Sarsfield
1998	Espanyol
1998–2004	Argentina
2004	Argentina U23
2007–2011	Chile
2011–2013	Athletic Bilbao
2014–2015	Marseille
2016	Lazio
2017	Lille
2018–2022	Leeds United
2023–	Uruguay
2023–2024	Uruguay U23
Honours Men's football Representing  Argentina (as manager) Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Copa América Runner-up 2004 Peru Team Representing  Uruguay (as manager) Copa América Third 2024 United States Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (born 21 July 1955) is a famous Argentine football manager. People often call him El Loco Bielsa, which means 'The Madman Bielsa'. He is currently the manager of the Uruguay national team. Many people think he is one of the most important coaches ever.

Bielsa used to play football as a defender. He played for teams like Newell's Old Boys and Instituto. He also played for the Argentina U23 team. He stopped playing at 25 to become a coach.

Marcelo Bielsa has managed many football clubs and national teams. These include Argentina and Chile. He became well-known for his coaching at Newell's Old Boys. There, he won several titles in the early 1990s. He later won another league title with Vélez Sarsfield.

With the Chile team, he became very popular. This was because the team got much better under his leadership. He also had a two-year period in Spain with Athletic Bilbao. He led them to two big cup finals. In 2018, he became the manager of Leeds United. He helped them get promoted back to the Premier League in 2020. This was after 16 years away! He is a very respected figure among Leeds fans. In 2023, he started managing the Uruguay team.

Marcelo Bielsa's Coaching Journey

Marcelo Bielsa started his coaching career in 1980. His first job was coaching the youth teams at Newell's Old Boys. By 1990, he was managing their main team. He led them to win the 1990 Torneo Apertura and the 1990–91 Torneo Integración. They beat Boca Juniors in a penalty shootout.

In 1992, his team reached the final of the 1992 Copa Libertadores, a big South American club competition. They lost to São Paulo on penalties. Soon after, Newell's won the 1992 Torneo Clausura. After coaching in Mexico, he returned to Argentina. He won another league title, the 1998 Clausura, with Vélez Sarsfield.

Coaching National Teams

Argentina National Team

In 1998, Bielsa became the manager of the Argentina national team. At the 1999 Copa América, Argentina lost to Colombia. In that game, Argentina's forward Martin Palermo missed three penalties. Bielsa was also sent off.

Argentina won their qualification group for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, they did not get past the first round in the tournament itself. Despite this, Bielsa stayed as manager. His team finished second in the 2004 Copa América. They also won the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. This was a huge achievement. It was the first time a Latin American team won the Olympic football title since 1928. It was also Argentina's first Olympic gold medal in 52 years. Bielsa left his role at the end of 2004.

Chile National Team

Bielsa at a press conference in 2009, Santiago, Chile

Under Bielsa, the Chile national team had many important moments. For the first time, Chile earned a point playing against Uruguay in Montevideo. They also had some tough losses. For example, they lost 3–0 at home to Paraguay. This was a historic low.

However, Bielsa led Chile to a big 1–0 win over his home country, Argentina, in 2008. This was Chile's first-ever win against Argentina in an official match. Chile then beat Peru 3–1 in Lima, a place they hadn't won since 1985. They also won away against Paraguay for the first time in almost 30 years.

The team continued their journey to the 2010 World Cup. They beat Bolivia 4–0. After a 2–2 tie with Venezuela, Chile finally qualified for the World Cup. They beat Colombia 4–2. This was also Chile's first away win against Colombia.

Bielsa became very popular in Chile for helping them qualify for the World Cup. This was after they had missed two tournaments. He brought new energy to the team. He focused on young players and a more attacking style. Chile reached the round of 16 in the World Cup but were knocked out by Brazil. Bielsa left the team in February 2011.

Uruguay National Team

On 15 May 2023, Marcelo Bielsa became the new manager of the Uruguay national team. He was only the second non-Uruguayan coach for the team. After Uruguay's performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Bielsa decided to bring in many new, young players. He left out some older, very experienced players like Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez.

Bielsa's time with Uruguay started well. They won their first two friendly matches against Nicaragua and Cuba. In September, Uruguay won their first World Cup qualifier against Chile 3–1.

On 17 October, Uruguay achieved a historic 2–0 victory against Brazil. This win ended Brazil's 22-year winning streak against Uruguay in official games. It was also Brazil's first loss in qualifiers since 2015. On 16 November, Bielsa's team got another historic win. They beat world champions Argentina in their home stadium. This ended Argentina's 10-year winning streak against Uruguay. It was also Argentina's first loss as world champions. Uruguay finished 2023 with another 3–0 home victory against Bolivia.

Coaching Club Teams

Athletic Bilbao

Bielsa as Athletic Bilbao manager in 2012

On 8 July 2011, Bielsa became the manager of Athletic Bilbao in Spain. In his first season, the team started to play very well. They won against strong teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League. They beat Manchester United 3–2 away and 2–1 at home.

Athletic Bilbao reached the Europa League final in 2012. They played against Atlético Madrid but lost 3–0. A few weeks later, they also lost the Copa del Rey Final to Barcelona 3–0. The next season (2012–13) was not as successful. Key players left the club. Bielsa's contract was not renewed, and he left in June 2013.

Marseille

In May 2014, Bielsa was hired as the coach for Marseille in France. He signed a two-year contract. His team started the 2014–15 Ligue 1 season very well. They were even called "autumn champions" at one point. However, they finished fourth in the league. On 8 August 2015, Bielsa resigned after their first match of the new season. He said there were problems with his contract.

Lazio and Lille

On 5 July 2016, Bielsa was appointed manager of Italian club Lazio. But just two days later, he quit! He explained that the club could not sign the players he wanted by a certain deadline.

On 24 May 2017, Bielsa became the new manager of Lille in France. He wanted to build a younger team. He told 11 experienced players they could leave the club. He then signed many promising young players. However, on 22 November 2017, Bielsa was suspended after only 13 games. His contract was ended in December 2017.

Leeds United

2018–19 Season

In June 2018, Bielsa became the head coach of Leeds United. They were in the Championship league at the time. He signed a two-year contract. He won his first four games, which was a record for a new Leeds manager. Leeds started the season very strong and were at the top of the league. Bielsa won the Championship Manager of the Month award for August 2018.

Leeds faced many injuries to their players. But Bielsa was praised for bringing in young players from the club's academy. He gave 10 players under 21 their first senior games. By December 2018, Leeds was still at the top of the Championship.

In January 2019, Bielsa admitted he had sent someone to watch a rival team's training. This caused a big discussion called 'Spygate'. The English Football League (EFL) investigated. Bielsa held a press conference where he explained his detailed research methods. Many journalists called it a 'coaching masterclass'. Leeds was fined £200,000, which Bielsa paid himself.

Leeds missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League. In a game against Aston Villa, Bielsa showed great sportsmanship. After his team scored a goal while an opponent was injured, he told his players to let Aston Villa score an unchallenged equalizer. This act earned Bielsa and Leeds the FIFA Fair Play Award in September 2019. Leeds finished third and went into the playoffs. They lost to Derby County in the semi-finals.

2019–20: Promotion to the Premier League

Banner in honour of Bielsa in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, following Leeds United's promotion to the Premier League

In May 2019, Bielsa agreed to stay as Leeds' head coach for the 2019–20 season. Leeds signed several new players to help them get back to the Premier League. Bielsa's Leeds team continued to play well. They were at the top of the Championship for most of the season. Bielsa won the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for November.

The football season was paused in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When it restarted in June, Leeds United kept their strong form. On 17 July 2020, Leeds secured promotion to the Premier League. They became the EFL Championship Champions for the 2019–20 season. This ended their 16-year absence from the top league!

After this big achievement, a street in Leeds was renamed 'Marcelo Bielsa Way'. Bielsa was also named the LMA Championship Manager of the Year 2020. He signed a new contract to stay with Leeds for the 2020–21 Premier League season.

2020–21 Season

Bielsa's first game in the Premier League was a thrilling 4–3 loss to reigning champions Liverpool. Their first home game in the Premier League in 16 years was a 4–3 win against Fulham. These games showed Leeds' exciting, attacking style. They scored many goals but also let in many.

Bielsa was praised for his team's playing style. He finished third in The Best FIFA Football Coach award in December. Leeds had some big wins, like 5–2 against Newcastle United and 5–0 against West Brom. They also had a big loss, 6–2 to Manchester United.

Leeds finished the season strongly. They lost only one of their last 11 games. They got impressive results against top teams. This included draws against Manchester United and Chelsea. They also beat Tottenham and champions-elect Manchester City. Leeds United finished ninth in the league. They scored more points and goals than any other promoted team in 20 years.

2021–22 Season

On 27 February 2022, Leeds and Bielsa decided to part ways. This happened after Leeds had four losses in a row. They had let in 17 goals in those games. The team was in 16th place, close to the relegation zone.

Marcelo Bielsa's Coaching Style

Marcelo Bielsa is known as one of the most influential coaches ever. He brought new ideas to Argentine coaching. Famous coaches like Pep Guardiola have called Bielsa the best in the world. Many of his former players became coaches themselves. These include Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone.

Bielsa often uses a special formation called the 3–3–3–1. He became known for this during his time with Argentina, Chile, and Marseille. In this formation, teams have:

• Three defenders
• Three midfielders (one central, two wide)
• Three attacking midfielders (one central, two wingers)
• One centre-forward

The 3–3–3–1 allows teams to quickly switch from defending to attacking. Players in this system need to be able to do both defensive and attacking jobs. It also helps his teams have more players in different parts of the field. This means they can defend with seven players or attack with six or seven. To use this style, all players must move quickly into attacking positions when they have the ball. They also need to press hard to win the ball back when they don't have it. This requires great teamwork.

Bielsa is famous for watching and collecting many football videos. He studies and analyzes each video for every player. He also uses special computer programs to prepare for games. Some people say he has the most complete football library in the world.

He likes to organize the game into systems. He believes there are 29 different formations in football. He thinks every young player should try them all.

Many players who worked with Bielsa praise him. Gabriel Batistuta, a famous striker, said Bielsa taught him "everything." Fernando Llorente said Bielsa "is a genius." Alexis Sánchez said, "I learned a lot from him and it is because of him that I am who I am." Javi Martínez said, "Bielsa taught me a lot... everyone should work with him at least once in their life."

Bielsa is also credited with helping Kalvin Phillips become a top player for Leeds United and England. Players like Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, and Dimitri Payet also improved a lot under Bielsa.

Bielsa's unique style continued at Leeds. He even had to prove his "exceptional talent" to get a work permit in the UK. He did this by showing a detailed study of every formation used in the league. He also made players pick up litter around the training ground for three hours. He said this was how long an average Leeds fan worked to afford a ticket. This was to motivate them.

Some people say that Bielsa's demanding style makes his teams tired later in the season. However, his influence on football is clear. In 2019, Bielsa was a main star in the Leeds United documentary Take Us Home. He shared his thoughts on winning: "What also interests me is the way we build to the victory."

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Marcelo Bielsa has won many awards and titles throughout his career.

Player Honours

Individual

• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament Ideal Team: 1976

Manager Honours

Newell's Old Boys

• Primera División Argentina: 1990–91, 1992 Clausura
• Copa Libertadores runner-up: 1992

Vélez Sarsfield

• Primera División Argentina: 1998 Clausura

Argentina National Team

• Summer Olympics: 2004 (Gold Medal)
• CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2004
• Copa América runner-up: 2004

Athletic Bilbao

• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2011–12
• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2011–12

Leeds United

• EFL Championship: 2019–20 (Champions)

Uruguay National Team

• Copa América third place: 2024

Individual Awards

• IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 2001; runner-up: 2004
• South American Coach of the Year: 2009
• LMA Championship Manager of the Year: 2020
• EFL Championship Manager of the Month: August 2018, November 2019, July 2020
• FIFA Fair Play Award: 2019 (shared with his club Leeds United)
• The Best FIFA Football Coach: 2020 (3rd place)

Images for kids

• 

  Bielsa with Olympique de Marseille in 2015

• 

  Bielsa at a press conference in 2009, Santiago, Chile

• 

  Bielsa as Athletic Bilbao manager in 2012

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  Banner in honour of Bielsa in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, following Leeds United's promotion to the Premier League

See also

In Spanish: Marcelo Bielsa para niños