Matías Almeyda

Club

Born in Azul, Buenos Aires Province, Almeyda began his career with River Plate, making his professional debut on February 21, 1992, in a match against Unión de Santa Fe. During his time at the club, he contributed to winning four Primera División titles and the Copa Libertadores. In August 1996, he was transferred to Sevilla in La Liga, with his boyhood club receiving a record fee of $9 million. Despite playing regularly, Almeyda struggled during his single season with the club. Following Sevilla's relegation, he joined Lazio in Serie A, where he spent three seasons. He became an integral part of the club's golden era, helping them capture six trophies, including the domestic double in the 1999–2000 season. In June 2000, Almeyda moved to Parma for a reported fee of $23 million. He spent two seasons there and won the Coppa Italia in the 2001–02 season. In July 2002, he moved to Inter Milan, and two years later he joined Brescia. After Brescia's relegation, he returned to Argentina to play for Quilmes. He retired in July 2005, citing exhaustion as the reason. Almeyda came out of retirement in March 2007 to join Norwegian club Lyn, appearing in four matches before leaving the team and retiring once again. In January 2009, he briefly signed with Fénix in Argentina's fourth division. Later that year, in August, he rejoined River Plate during a troubled era for the club that culminated in relegation. Almeyda retired on June 22, 2011, and just five days later he was…

River Plate

On June 27, 2011, five days after retiring as a player, Almeyda became the manager of River Plate with the aim of returning the club to Argentina's top division. On June 23, 2012, River achieved promotion back to the Primera División under his leadership. Following an uneven campaign upon their return to the top tier, Almeyda resigned on November 28, 2012.

Banfield

In April 2013, Almeyda became the head coach of Banfield in the Primera B Nacional. On May 16, 2014, Banfield secured promotion to the top division. Almeyda left the club on August 3, 2015.

Guadalajara

In September 2015, Mexican club Guadalajara appointed Almeyda as their new manager. He won his first four matches in charge, including the Clásico Nacional against Club América at the Estadio Azteca. Over the next 18 months, Almeyda guided Guadalajara to three titles: two Copa MX trophies and a Supercopa MX. Guadalajara qualified for the Clausura 2017 play‑offs, where they defeated Atlas in the quarter‑finals and subsequently eliminated Deportivo Toluca to reach the final. There, they prevailed 4–3 against Tigres UANL, securing the club's twelfth league championship. On April 25, 2018, Guadalajara triumphed against Toronto to win the CONCACAF Champions League. On June 11, Almeyda resigned from his post following disagreements with the club's management.

San Jose Earthquakes

On 8 October 2018, Almeyda was appointed as the new head coach of Major League Soccer club…

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, due to his "no-nonsense style of play," 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. During his time in Italy, pundits likened him to his rival, Dutch holding midfielder Edgar Davids of Juventus, although Almeyda believed that Davids was more offensive-minded, while he preferred to focus on the defensive aspect of the game in order to support his more creative and offensive teammates. Due to his diminutive stature, tackling, and ability to cover a lot of ground during matches, Almeyda was given the nickname el tractorito ("the little tractor," in Spanish) in the media.

Almeyda's approach is heavily influenced by Marcelo Bielsa, his former manager, particularly in the emphasis on high-intensity pressing, attacking football and man-to-man marking of the opposition. Almeyda also incorporates the "Bushido Code" (a Japanese samurai code of conduct) into his coaching philosophy, emphasizing virtues like righteousness, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, duty, loyalty, honor, and self-control.