El Muñeco returns as a director after a year of sabbatical, but not in the top flight, but in the multimillion-dollar Asian football.
The break is over and Marcelo Gallardo returns to directing. But he won’t do it in a world-class competition, as everyone expected since he left River a year ago: the Doll agreed to his arrival at Al-Ittihad, in Saudi Arabia, and will be one of the highest paid coaches in the world become the world. .
Since his departure from the Millonario at the end of 2022, the coach’s name had been heard in several clubs in Europe: Leeds United, Monaco and Sevilla, among others, had started looking for him, but no proposal had completely seduced him. However, the sheikhs convinced him to sign an eighteen-month contract, until mid-2025, with the option to extend for the same period, until the end of 2027.
The Argentinian will travel this weekend to sign and immediately take charge of the team: his debut could take place on Friday the 24th, against Al-Ittifaq, for the 14th round of the Saudi Pro League. But all guns are pointing to December, when the team will play in the Club World Cup having been the last champion of the competition of the country where the FIFA competition is held.
In this way, Gallardo will arrive in a country that has made an investment of millions of dollars in the past year to acquire many of the stars of the clubs of the Old Continent, but which is still far from having a truly competitive level: in its selection The Argentinian will have to have figures of the stature of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté and Fabinho, who will be accompanied by seven other foreigners and seventeen local players.
Although Muñeco’s decision is surprising, the truth is that his relationship with the Middle Eastern country had begun six months ago, when he was hired to lead the league’s all-star team in a friendly match against Paris Saint -Germain, on January 19. .
For the coach, this will be his third club experience after his time at Nacional de Montevideo and River and time will tell whether, at the age of 47, it works as a platform for him to make the jump to the big leagues. Or not.
Source: Goal