• A defender, Manuel Pellegrini spent his whole career with Universidad de Chile

• Pellegrini began coaching in 1988 with Universidad

• The Chilean took Malaga within minutes of a Champions League semi-final

Akshat Mehrish A mane of grey flowing hair and a shrivelled face carved by the passing of time leaves little to the imagination; Manuel Pellegrini is touching 70, an age at which most resort to a life of ease than face the ardours of coaching a group of individuals in one of the most demanding football competitions in the world. Yet, there seems to be no immediate end within sights to the Chilean’s glorious career. So delighted are Real Betis with the work he has done in his three years hitherto that they are determined to keep their accomplished tutor at the club until 2026. In each of his three seasons in charge of Betis, Manuel Pellegrini has helped the team qualify to play in European competitions, an accomplishment without compare in the club’s recorded history. The Chilean, at the time of writing, has coached the third-most number of games in Betis’ top-flight journey and picked up a Copa del Rey title along the way, their first major trophy since the same in 2004-05.

Born in Santiago, Chile, into Italian heritage, Pellegrini spent his youth training in the academy of Audax Italiano, a club organised in the city by Italian immigrants, a notion reflected in their Italy-inspired identity. Pellegrini later moved to Universidad de Chile, with whom he graduated into senior football and spent every minute of his professional playing career, amassing over 450 appearances. A combative defender, Pellegrini studied civil engineering in correspondence with his football career in the early years of his Universidad spell, graduating in 1979. Manuel Pellegrini earned one international cap for Chile in 1986, the same year he decided to hang up his boots for good after being outmatched in a contest by a teenage Ivan Zamorano. Following retirement, the Chilean entered into coaching, taking charge of his former club in his first spell in 1988. El Ingeniero, the Engineer, cut his teeth into coaching in his native Chile, enjoying short spells with Universidad de Chile, Palestino, and O’Higgins before his defining move to Universidad Catolica, whom he led to a Copa Interamericana and Copa Chile in 1993 and 1995, respectively. Acquiring a taste for silverware, Pellegrini embarked on successful stints across South America, leading LDU Quito, San Lorenzo, and eventually, River Plate to domestic titles.

Having built enough notoriety, Manuel Pellegrini arrived in Europe in 2004 with Spanish side Villarreal, whom he oversaw for five years to excellent effect. In the five seasons under his tutelage, Villarreal didn’t drop below seventh in the table, finishing as high as second in 2007/08, and won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2004. Of his 259 games in charge of the team, the Chilean won 123, paving the way for a big move to Real Madrid in 2009. Pellegrini lasted a year in the cauldron of Real Madrid before returning to the humble surroundings he had become accustomed to, this time at Malaga. In his first full season at the club, he led them to a historic fourth-placed finish and direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League before surpassing that by taking the team to the cusp of a European semi-final in his second year. Malaga, battling Borussia Dortmund for a place in the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League semi-final, were seconds away from a memorable triumph, only to ship two late goals to their German counterparts and exit the competition. Still, Pellegrini’s accomplishments across his three-year spell at the club were enough for the city to celebrate him by renaming a junction in his honour. The Chilean left Malaga in 2013 to join Manchester City in England, whom he led to their second Premier League title in his debut season. Manuel Pellegrini became the first tactician born outside Europe to nail that milestone while leaving behind much of the blueprint his successor, Pep Guardiola, would build upon. A short spell in China followed, but Pellegrini didn’t abstain from the fast-paced Premier League for long, joining West Ham United in the summer of 2018.

West Ham and Pellegrini parted ways midway through the 2019/20 season, the Hammers dipping below the expectations of their owners and fans. The Chilean’s stock barely took a hit, however, as he returned to coaching the following summer with Real Betis, aiming to lead a third modest Spanish side to outperform its much-bigger opponents. Building a side like a skilled engineer with limited resources, Pellegrini has Betis punching above their weight. Happy to keep the Santiago native for three more years, the Seville-based outfit is aiming for bigger things, like perhaps matching the achievements of their city rivals in the UEFA Europa League, a competition they will be competing in for the third successive year for the first time in history in 2023-24. For Manuel Pellegrini, meanwhile, the new deal signals a show of faith from the club few others have done previously. Should he see out the remainder of his new contract, he would have stayed at Betis the longest of any of his former clubs.