Mauricio Pochettino

"Mauricio Pochettino is a professional football manager and former defender. He was the manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from May 2014 to November 2019. Born in Murphy, Argentina, Pochettino began his footballing career in 1987 at the age of 14 after being scouted by Marcelo Bielsa and former Atlético Madrid player José Griffa for Newell's Old Boys. After six years with the club, he went on to enjoy a successful career as a defender for teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Espanyol (twice) and Bordeaux. After less than a year at PSG, he had been made captain, and was part of two 'Copa Del Rey' winning teams at Espanyol (2000 and 2006). He represented the Argentinian national side 20 times and played at the Korea/Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup. After winning his second 'Copa Del Rey' title at Espanyol in 2006, Mauricio retired from playing, having made more than 300 appearances for the Spanish side (the most-ever for the club by a foreign player). He began to study for his coaching qualifications and, after a short stint helping to coach Espanyol's successful women's team, took over as coach of the men's first team in January 2009 where he pulled them out of the relegation zone and finished tenth overall. After almost four years in charge of Espanyol, Pochettino became manager of Premier League side Southampton in January, 2013. In his first full season at Southampton, Pochettino led the team to an eighth-place finish, their highest league position since 2002/03, while also recording their highest points tally since the Premier League began in 1992/93. After one season at Southampton, he joined Tottenham - finishing in the top-four in four consecutive seasons. Pochettino led Tottenham Hotspur to the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in the club's history in 2019."