Matías Jesús Almeyda (; born 21 December 1973) is an Argentine professional football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

and former player who is the current manager of

Greek Super League The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

club

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadel ...

. Nicknamed ''El Pelado'' ("bald one") despite his traditionally long hair, he spent most of his career at River Plate and in Italy, representing four teams in the latter country. Almeyda represented

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, appearing with the national team in two

World Cups A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

. After retiring in 2011, he went on to manage River Plate, Banfield, Guadalajara and the San Jose Earthquakes.

Playing career

Club

Born in Azul, Buenos Aires Province, Almeyda started playing professionally for local and national powerhouse

Club Atlético River Plate Club Atlético River Plate, commonly known as River Plate, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Founded in 1901, the club is named after the English name for the city's estuary, Río de la ...

, first as understudy to Leonardo Astrada then as a starter, helping the side to the 1996 Primera División title after his insertion in the starting XI, as well as that year's Copa Libertadores. Shortly after, he moved to

Sevilla FC Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA E ...

in Spain for a record fee for a player in the country of $9 million; he appeared regularly in his first and only season with the

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

ns, but suffered

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

relegation. Almeyda played in the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...

in the following eight years, successively representing S.S. Lazio,

A.C. Parma Parma Calcio 1913 (), commonly known as Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, which competes in the Serie B, the second tier of Italian football. ''Parma Football Club'' was originally founded in Dec ...

and

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

. He spent three seasons in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

with Lazio, becoming a firm fan favourite especially after scoring a 35-yard goal against Parma's

Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian professional footballer who captains and plays as a goalkeeper for the club Parma. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He is one of the few recorded pl ...

, his only of the 1999–2000 campaign, which ended with league and

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

. Additionally, he was voted the competition's best player in 1998–99, and also won – as a starter –

the last The Last may refer to: *The Last (band) The Last is an American, Los Angeles-based, early pop/punk band, formed in 1976 by Joe Nolte with high school bandmates Vitus Matare and Dave Harbison. By 1978 the band included three brothers: Joe (guitar ...

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

, against RCD Mallorca, and was often partnered with compatriot

Juan Sebastián Verón Juan Sebastián Verón (; born 9 March 1975) is an Argentine former professional footballer and current chairman of Estudiantes de La Plata, where he had served as Director of Sports. A former midfielder, Verón's career started in Estudiantes, c ...

in the heart of midfield by manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in his 4–4–2 formation, with Verón providing the creativity and Almeyda the strength. In the summer of 2002, Almeyda was exchanged with Vratislav Greško and moved to Inter, where he was again partnered by compatriots as in his previous clubs. Two years later he joined his final team in Italy, lowly Brescia Calcio, on a free transfer. The following year, after the team's relegation as second from bottom, he returned to Argentina and agreed to play for

Quilmes Atlético Club Quilmes Atlético Club () is an Argentine sports club based in the Quilmes district of Greater Buenos Aires. Established in 1887 (although the date of foundation is still under dispute), Quilmes is the oldest club of Argentina still competing ...

, which appeared at the Libertadores, announcing his retirement after their elimination from that tournament. After one and a half years away from football, in which he represented Argentina in a ''Showball'' tour around the world alongside

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

and participated in the Indoor Football World Cup in Spain, Almeyda joined

Norwegian Premier League Eliteserien () is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion ...

side

FK Lyn Lyn 1896 Fotballklubb () is a Norwegian football club and a department of the sports club Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn based in Oslo, whose members also participate in Nordic skiing and orienteering. Until 2010, SFK Lyn had two football departm ...

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, in which he was accompanied by compatriot

José Oscar Flores José Oscar "Turu" Flores Bringas (born 16 May 1971) is an Argentine retired professional footballer who played as a striker, and is a manager. He started his professional career with Vélez Sarsfield in his native country, winning seven tit ...

; their friend Terje Liverod was central in these transfers. The midfielder made his debut on 13 May 2007, but only played regularly in the reserves and in the domestic cup, being released as the striker shortly after and again retiring from football. On 16 January 2009, at almost 36, Almeyda, after nearly agreeing on a return to River, signed with modest Club Atlético Fénix in the fourth division. During his brief spell, he managed to be

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

on two occasions. On 19 August 2009, veteran Almeyda finally re-joined his main club River Plate, teaming up with former teammates Marcelo Gallardo and

Ariel Ortega Ariel Arnaldo Ortega (born 4 March 1974) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. His nickname is "El Burrito" (''The Little Donkey''), thus he is called "Burrito Ortega". Ariel Ortega first played f ...

. In June 2011, the team was

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to the second level for the first time in their history and he retired from football, being appointed team manager the following month.

International

Almeyda won 35

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

for

over the course of seven years, his debut coming in April 1996 against Bolivia. Shortly after, he helped the Olympic side to the silver medal at the Summer Olympics in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Subsequently, Almeyda was picked in the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. He started in all five games during the tournament, as the country reached the quarter–finals. After

Marcelo Bielsa Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning "The Crazy Bielsa"; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional football manager who was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Leeds United. He is a forme ...

became Argentina's manager, Almeyda did not get as much playing time. He was, however, selected for the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

which was held in South Korea and Japan, and played in the 1–1 group stage draw against Sweden.

Managerial career

River Plate

Almeyda spent 18 months in charge at River Plate, winning the

Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, in English "National B Division", and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 37 team ...

and earning promotion back to the top division at the end of the 2011–12 season. He left the club in November 2012.

Banfield

In early April 2013, Almeyda signed with

Club Atlético Banfield Club Atlético Banfield is an Argentine sports club based in the Banfield district of Greater Buenos Aires. It was founded on 21 January 1896, by the British–origin inhabitants of that city (mostly English, and some Scots and Irish). The club ...

in the Argentine second level. During his spell, he won the league title once again to be subsequently promoted.

Guadalajara

On 15 September 2015, Almeyda was appointed manager at

C.D. Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divi ...

of the Mexican Liga MX, proclaiming he wanted to "awaken the giant." He won his first four matches in charge, including one against

rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

Club América on 26 September by a score of 2–1 at the

Estadio Azteca Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of Association football, football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of a ...

. On 4 November 2015, after nine years of a title hiatus, Almeyda's team won the

Copa MX The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it wa ...

after defeating

Club León Club León Fútbol Club, also known as León, is a Mexican professional football club based in León, Guanajuato, that competes in the Liga MX, the top flight of Mexican football. León has won the Primera División de México/Liga MX title ...

by a score of 1–0. On 10 July 2016, they played their first ever

Supercopa MX The Supercopa MX ( en, Supercup MX) was a Mexican football championship contested by the winners of the Apertura and Clausura Copa MX. History In June 2013 Liga MX president Decio De María announced the winners of Apertura and Clausura Copa MX w ...

and won their second trophy in under a year by besting

C.D. Veracruz Club Deportivo Veracruz, commonly known as Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz, was a Mexican professional football club based in the city of Veracruz. ''El Aston'' was founded in 1943, and played in the Liga MX of Mexico. Their nickname, "Tiburones ...

2–0, and as a result qualified to the Libertadores for the first time since 2012, but ultimately did not participate as a result of scheduling conflicts. On 19 April 2017, Almeyda led ''Chivas'' to their fourth Copa MX title, defeating Monarcas Morelia in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

after a 0–0 draw. After placing third overall in the Clausura's general table, the final second leg was played at the

Estadio Chivas The Estadio Akron, formerly known as the Estadio Omnilife and Estadio Chivas (''Estadio Chivas'', ), is a multipurpose stadium that is used mostly for football matches. It is the home of Liga MX side C.D. Guadalajara. It is part of the JVC comp ...

on 28 May 2017 and the hosts won their 12th title in the competition after besting

Tigres UANL Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Found ...

by an aggregate of 4–3; thus, they became the first team in Mexican history to win the double in a single season on two occasions. Almeyda won the 2018 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League with the club, and as a result qualified for that year's FIFA Club World Cup. On 11 June 2018, however, he left, citing differences with an executive.

San Jose Earthquakes

On 8 October 2018, Almeyda was appointed as the new head coach of Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes, starting with the 2019 season. He attained 44 points within the Western Conference, missing the playoff berth by one win. The following campaign, Almeyda's side managed to reach the playoffs, facing Sporting Kansas City in the first round but losing following a 3–0 penalty shoot-out after a 3–3 tie. On 18 April 2022, Almeyda and San Jose Eathquakes parted ways, two days after the team drew 2–2 with

Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club is a Major League Soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The team began play in the league in 2020 as a continuation of the USL club of the same name and plays its home matches at Geodis Park. It is principally owned ...

AEK Athens

On 20 May 2022, Almeyda signed a two-year contract with

club

. The contract includes a one-year renewal option, subject to performance satisfaction.

Style of play

A tenacious, dynamic and physically strong player in spite of his diminutive stature, Almeyda excelled in a midfield holding role due to his stamina, tactical awareness, reactions, anticipation and work rate, as well as his ability to press opponents and break down opposition plays which allowed him to protect his team's back-line. Although he earned a reputation in the media as a hard tackler, he was gifted with good feet and passing ability, which enabled him to start attacking plays after winning back possession; he also stood out for his leadership throughout his career.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Score and result list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Almeyda goal.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

River Plate * Argentine Primera División: 1993 Apertura, 1994 Apertura, 1996 Apertura * Copa Libertadores: 1996 Lazio *

: 1999–2000 *

: 1997–98, 1999–2000 * Supercoppa Italiana:

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

: 1998–99 *

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was original ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Parma *Coppa Italia: 2001–02 Argentina * Summer Olympic Games Silver medal: 1996 Individual * Guerin d'Oro (former Serie A Footballer of the Year): 1998–99

Manager

River Plate *

: 2011–12 Banfield *Primera B Nacional: 2013–14 Guadalajara * Liga MX: Clausura 2017 *

: Apertura 2015, Clausura 2017 *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

* CONCACAF Champions League:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

Individual *Liga MX Best XI Manager: Clausura 2017 *Liga MX Manager of the Season: 2016–17 * CONCACAF Men's Football Coach of the Year:

Notes

References

External links

* * * *
Liga MX coach profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Almeyda, Matias 1973 births Living people Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province Argentine footballers Association football midfielders Argentine Primera División players Club Atlético River Plate footballers Quilmes Atlético Club footballers Club Atlético Fénix players La Liga players Sevilla FC players Serie A players S.S. Lazio players Parma Calcio 1913 players Inter Milan players Brescia Calcio players Eliteserien players Lyn Fotball players Argentina international footballers 1998 FIFA World Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players Olympic footballers of Argentina Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in football Olympic silver medalists for Argentina Argentine expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Norway Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Norway Argentine football managers Argentine Primera División managers Club Atlético River Plate managers Club Atlético Banfield managers Liga MX managers C.D. Guadalajara managers Major League Soccer coaches San Jose Earthquakes coaches Argentine expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Mexico Expatriate soccer managers in the United States Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Argentine expatriate sportspeople in the United States