World Cup 2026: Video vault and Leeds litter picking – inside the mind of Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa
Born in Rosario, Argentina, Bielsa comes from a family with educated minds; His brother worked in politics and his sister is a famous architect.
Both professions require analytical thinking; This is a talent Bielsa has had since childhood. However, he was interested in football, absorbing tactics rather than playing.
Every day he sent his mother to the local newsagent to buy football magazines and newspapers, spending hours reading as much as he could about how teams played and how different managers worked.
Bielsa was still a talented but limited footballer. A defender but lacking pace, he decided to call time on his playing career to focus on coaching at the age of 25, coming through the youth system of his boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys before disappointing spells in the lower leagues of Argentine football.
His post-playing career began with the football team of the University of Buenos Aires, where he spent two years before returning to Newell’s as coach of the reserve team.
Bielsa’s frustration with his limitations as a player played a key role in his coaching philosophy; He focused on ensuring that any player he coached could make the most of their talents.
The training sessions were intense and focused heavily on repetition; If a player does not have the ability to perform something naturally, then they will necessarily detail the processes in their mind.
Bielsa appointed Newell as coach in 1990 and his methods brought instant success as Argentina won the championship.
There was a spell in Mexico before Bielsa returned to Argentina to manage Velez Sarsfield in 1997. There he was labeled ‘mad’ (crazy) for insisting on taking the field with two young centre-backs. However, he would have the last laugh as he immediately helped them win the league title.
Bielsa, who said that the nickname ‘El Loco’ actually predates his time at Velez Sarsfield, was the coach of the Spanish team Espanyol for a very short time, but left the team in 1998 when he was offered his first international job as Argentina coach.
