Argentine coach Gerardo Martino

Gerardo Martino is a well-known Argentine coach who, during his career, led a large number of different clubs in both South America and Europe. He also has a full-fledged career as a player, but in this role he performed only in South America. Gerardo Martino last time served as head coach of the team of Argentina, but in the summer of 2016 he left this post, taking a break for a year.

Player's career

Gerardo Martino was born on November 20, 1962 in Argentina and was educated at the academy of the club Newells Old Boys. With this club, he signed a professional contract in 1980. It is with this Argentine club that almost all of the player's career is connected, here he won three championships. These titles became the only ones in his career as a football player. Only in March 1991, the 29-year-old midfielder tried to move to Europe, signing a contract with the Spanish "Tenerife", but stayed there only a few months. Already in the summer of 1991 he returned to the Old Boys and played for this club for three years until he was invited to Lanus. There he also did not stay long: only one season Gerardo Martino spent in another Argentine club before returning again. But it was the last return, in the winter of 1996, the 33-year-old moved to Ecuador's Barcelona, and from there, six months later, to the Chilean O'Higgins, where he retired in January 1997 at the age of 34. By that time Gerardo's tactical talent was already known to everyone, so no one doubted that he would become a coach. But few people thought that this would happen so quickly.

Coach career

Gerardo Martino, whose photos as a player were not popular in sports magazines, already a year after the end of his career began all over again, but already as a coach. It was then that he got the maximum fame, hitting the covers first of Latin American, and then European football publications. His career began in the club "Almirante", which he supervised for a year, after which he headed "Platense", followed by "Instituto".

In each of these clubs, he spent only one season, but all of them were not particularly impressive. His first really high-profile debut was no longer in Argentina: in the winter of 2002 he was invited to the Paraguayan Libertad, with whom he immediately won two Paraguay championships. That's when Gerardo Martino got its popularity. Football coach in 2003 led the "Cerro Porteno" and immediately won the championship of Paraguay and with this club.

In January 2005 Martino decided to return to his homeland and headed the "Colon", but could not do anything with him. After that, the coach returned to Paraguay, headed again, "Libertad" and won with him already the third championship. In the summer of 2006 he was given the honor to become the head coach of the Paraguayan national team, in this position Gerardo remained for five years. During this time, he transformed the team, having achieved the fact that in 2011 she reached the final of the America's Cup. Unable to win, Martino resigned and returned to his native "Newells Old Boys", but now as a coach. For a year and a half he managed to win the Argentinean championship with his native club in his new position, and in 2013 reached the peak of his career, receiving an invitation from one of the strongest clubs in the world - the Catalan "Barcelona".

"Barcelona" and after

In the "Barcelona" Martino failed to achieve what he was trying to achieve in South America: for a year he managed to win only the Cup of Spain, which clearly disappointed the fans and the leadership. Club accustomed to the scattering of trophies, the result of Martino did not impress anyone. Therefore, a year later he was dismissed. But the coach decided not to stay in Europe, and return to comfortable conditions, the more he was invited to the position of coach of the national team of Argentina. At the helm Gerardo spent two years, twice led the team to the finals of the America's Cup and lost twice to the Chileans. As a result, he left his post in July 2016, announcing a one-year break.

What's next?

What will happen next with this trainer? No suspense, Martino already has everything painted. In September 2016 it became known that from the summer of 2017 the Argentine coach will head the American club Atlanta United.