Mauricio Pellegrino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mauricio Pellegrino

Pellegrino with Club Universidad de Chile in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna
Date of birth	(1971-10-05) 5 October 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	Leones [es], Argentina
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position	Centre-back
Club information
Current club	Lanús (manager)
Youth career
1982–1987	CA Sarmiento
1987–1990	Vélez Sarsfield
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1990–1999	Vélez Sarsfield	186	(11)
1998–1999	→ Barcelona (loan)	23	(0)
1999–2005	Valencia	140	(5)
2005	Liverpool	12	(0)
2005–2006	Alavés	13	(0)
Total		374	(16)
National team
1993	Argentina U20	2	(0)
1997	Argentina	3	(0)
Teams managed
2008–2010	Liverpool (assistant)
2010	Inter (assistant)
2012	Valencia
2013–2015	Estudiantes
2015–2016	Independiente
2016–2017	Alavés
2017–2018	Southampton
2018–2019	Leganés
2020–2022	Vélez Sarsfield
2023	Universidad de Chile
2024	Cádiz
2025–	Lanús
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna (born October 5, 1971) is a famous Argentine football player and manager. He used to play as a centre-back, which is a defender in football. Today, he is the manager of the football club Lanús.

Mauricio Pellegrino played football for almost ten years with Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina. After that, he spent most of his playing career in Spain. He played 176 games in La Liga, which is Spain's top football league, and scored five goals. He played for three different Spanish clubs, but he is best known for his time at Valencia. With Valencia, he won three important titles. He won nine titles in total while playing in Argentina.

He also played for Liverpool in England for six months. In 1997, he played for the Argentina national team in the 1997 Copa América.

After he stopped playing, Pellegrino became a football manager. He managed Vélez Sarsfield for two years. He also led Alavés to the final of the Copa del Rey in 2017. For eight months, he was in charge of Southampton in the Premier League, which is England's top football league.

Mauricio's Football Journey as a Player

Playing for Clubs

Vélez and Barcelona

Mauricio Pellegrino was born in Leones, Argentina. He played for Vélez Sarsfield for a long time in the 1990s. This was a very successful period for the club. They won four Argentine league championships. They also won the Intercontinental Cup and the Copa Libertadores in 1994. Because he was tall and thin, people called him El Flaco, which means "The Lanky One".

In the 1998–99 season, Pellegrino played outside Argentina for the first time. He joined Barcelona in Spain on a loan. He played his first game in La Liga on September 12, 1998. Barcelona won that game 1-0 against Extremadura. He played regularly that season, and Barcelona won the league title.

Valencia Success

Pellegrino had his most successful years with another Spanish team, Valencia. He played as a strong defender alongside his countryman Roberto Ayala. He helped Valencia win two league titles. They also won the UEFA Cup in the 2003–04 season. Since he had an Italian passport because of his family, he didn't count as a non-European Union player for the team.

One tough moment for Pellegrino was in the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League final. His team lost to Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout. He also played in the previous season's final, which Valencia also lost to Real Madrid. But overall, he was a very important defender for Valencia. He played 213 official games for the club over six years.

Liverpool and Later Years

In early 2005, Mauricio Pellegrino joined Liverpool in England. He moved there for free and signed a six-month contract. This made him the first Argentine player ever to play for Liverpool. He played 12 games for Liverpool in the Premier League. However, he did not get a longer contract and left the club at the end of the season. He couldn't play in the Champions League that season because he had already played for Valencia in the competition. Liverpool went on to win the final against AC Milan.

After Liverpool, Pellegrino went back to Spain. He played briefly for Alavés. His time there was short, and the team was relegated from the top division.

Playing for Argentina

Mauricio Pellegrino played three games for the Argentina national team in 1997. He was chosen to play in the 1997 Copa América that year. He made his debut in the tournament against Ecuador.

Mauricio's Journey as a Coach

Starting as a Coach

After he stopped playing football in June 2006, Pellegrino stayed involved with Valencia. He coached one of their youth teams. Two years later, he went back to Liverpool to be a first-team coach. In 2010, he moved to Inter Milan as an assistant coach, but they left the club in December.

Managing Valencia

Pellegrino as manager of Valencia in 2012

On May 7, 2012, Pellegrino became the manager of Valencia. He signed a two-year contract. His first game as a head coach was a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on August 19. However, on December 1, 2012, he was removed from his job. This happened after Valencia lost 5-2 at home to Real Sociedad, which left the team in 12th place in the league.

Coaching in Argentina

Pellegrino returned to Argentina and became the manager of Estudiantes in April 2013. He was later let go in April 2015.

In June 2015, Pellegrino was appointed manager of Independiente, another team in the same league.

Leading Alavés

Pellegrino went back to Alavés on June 26, 2016. The club had just been promoted to the top league. In his first season, he led the team to the final of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever. They beat Celta 1-0 over two games to reach the final. In the final match, they lost 3-1 to Barcelona.

Southampton and Leganés

Pellegrino as Southampton manager in 2017

On June 23, 2017, Pellegrino became the coach of Southampton in England. He signed a three-year contract. However, he was dismissed on March 12 of the next year. The team was in danger of being relegated after winning only one of their last 17 matches.

Pellegrino returned to Spain's top league on June 2, 2018. He signed a one-year deal with Leganés. In his first season, he led the club to their best-ever finish, 13th place, with a record number of points. This earned him an extension until 2021. In October 2019, he left the club by agreement because the team was in last place.

Back to Vélez Sarsfield

On April 16, 2020, Pellegrino became the manager of Vélez Sarsfield again. He signed a contract until June 2021, which was later extended.

Under Pellegrino, Vélez Sarsfield reached the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana in his first year. They lost to fellow Argentine team Lanús. In their home league, they finished second to River Plate in the 2021 season. He resigned on March 23, 2022, after a difficult start to the Copa de la Liga Profesional.

Universidad de Chile

On November 29, 2022, Pellegrino was named the manager of Club Universidad de Chile for the upcoming season. He left the club after they finished ninth, just two points away from qualifying for international tournaments.

Cádiz

On January 24, 2024, Pellegrino returned to Spain's top league, signing with Cádiz. He left on May 28, as he could not prevent the team from being relegated.

Lanús

On December 14, 2024, Mauricio Pellegrino became the new head coach of Lanús.

Family Life

Mauricio Pellegrino's son, Mateo, and his brother, Maximiliano, also played football. Mateo made his first professional appearance for Vélez when his father was the manager.

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Trophies

As a Player

Vélez Sarsfield

• Argentine Primera División: 1993 Clausura, 1995 Apertura, 1996 Clausura, 1998 Clausura
• Copa Libertadores: 1994
• Intercontinental Cup: 1994
• Supercopa Sudamericana: 1996
• Copa Interamericana: 1994
• Recopa Sudamericana: 1997

Barcelona

• La Liga: 1998–99

Valencia

• La Liga: 2001–02, 2003–04
• UEFA Cup: 2003–04
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1999–2000, 2000–01

Liverpool

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2004–05

As a Manager

Alavés

• Copa del Rey runner-up: 2016–17

See also

In Spanish: Mauricio Pellegrino para niños