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Uruguay picked Marcelo Bielsa as their new manager after sacking Diego Alonso following the 2022 World Cup. The former Leeds United manager was on the verge of returning to La Liga last summer. But will now lead the Celeste for the next three years, until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
Bielsa has been unemployed since his dismissal from Leeds in early 2022. However he would have been Athletic Club manager had Inaki Arechabaleta won the elections in Bilbao last summer. In the end, Ernesto Valverde took over for Jon Uriarte.
Having previously worked in Chile and Argentina at the turn of the century, “El Profe” has plenty of experience in managing teams across borders. Bielsa, as is his wont, will undoubtedly try to impose a style and culture on Uruguay. The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) made the announcement in a film greeting Bielsa. Uruguay welcomed him with the words printed out in training equipment.
Their catchphrase is “the audience wants play and emotions,” something Bielsa is famous for instilling in every team he coaches.
His predecessor, Alonso, got the difficult duty of succeeding Oscar Tabarez. Tabarez was in in command for 15 years before him. Tabarez transformed Uruguayan football by instituting a structure that extended from the senior national team to the earliest phases of youth football. That system has shown to be effective over the previous two decades, and Bielsa will need to find a way to mesh with the principles taught in Uruguayan football.
Uruguay picked the Former Leeds United Boss as their new Coach for 2026 World Cup
Uruguay’s new head coach is Marcelo Bielsa.
Since leaving Leeds over 15 months ago, the 67-year-old has been out of football management.
Bielsa’s hiring was verified on Twitter by the Uruguayan Football Association.
He takes over as manager of the national team from Diego Alonso.
Alonso’s contract ended following Uruguay’s dramatic group-stage defeat at the World Cup in Qatar earlier this season.
Bielsa managed Argentina from 1998 to 2004, as well as Chile for four years.
