Marcelo Gallardo

Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈselo ɣaˈʝaɾðo]; born 18 January 1976) is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who is the current head coach of the Ecuador national team. During his playing career, Gallardo was an attacking midfielder and playmaker. He was regarded for his vision, technique, class, dribbling and especially his defence-splitting passing. Gallardo began his career in the club's youth divisions, and made his debut in the Argentine Primera División at age 17 in 1993. After a six-year period in which he won five local league championships, the 1996 Copa Libertadores and the 1997 Supercopa Libertadores, he transferred to France's Ligue 1 Monaco and was named French League Footballer of the Year in 2000. Gallardo represented Argentina in two FIFA World Cups, although his performance was affected by injuries in both. After topping the 2010–11 Uruguayan Primera División season with Nacional de Montevideo, Gallardo retired as a player to coach the team. He helped Nacional de Montevideo defend their championship the following season before transferring to River Plate. River Plate won local championships under Gallardo and returned to the international scene, where they had not won a tournament from 1997 to 2014. With the most international tournament championships in team history, he is considered River Plate's most successful coach to date.