Matías Almeyda is a famous Argentine former football star who won the hearts and admiration of his multitude of fans during his playing days. In the dawn of his career, he was fondly nicknamed El Pelado meaning ‘the bald one’, by his many fans. This is quite ironical because the footballer actually has long hair.
Matias played for several football clubs during his career days such as River Plate, Fénix and other clubs before retiring. Since his retirement, he has turned into a football coach and has managed several clubs including River Plate and Guadalajara. He now manages the club known as San Jose Earthquakes under the Major League Soccer.
Matías Almeyda Biography, Age
Matías Almeyda, whose full name is Matías Jesús Almeyda, was born on the 21st of December, 1973 in Azul, Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. According to reports, he had quite a decent childhood growing in Azul, Buenos in the early 70s.
Even though information about his parents and his early life have remained quite vague through the years, sources have revealed that Matias discovered his passion for football and sports generally at a tender and went on to pursue his dream, eventually becoming a renowned footballer.
Professional Football Career
Matias Almeyda set the ball rolling for his professional football career when he joined the Argentine powerhouse club, Atlético River Plate. He would later help the club to clinch the1996 Primera División title and the Copa Libertadores of the same year, as he featured in the starting eleven of the team.
However, he abruptly left River Plate for Sevilla FC in Spain having being lured with a mouth-watering $9 million record fee. After his debut at La Liga for Sevilla, he became a regular face in their games and wowed fans with his skills. This notwithstanding, the team went into relegation in the league. In all, he has made 28 appearances before his exit from the club in 1997.
After leaving Sevilla, Matias joined S.S. Lazio where he played in the Italian Serie A league. He stayed in the club for three years and earned a soft spot from fans for the key role he played in helping the club to win several titles including two successive Coppa Italia trophies of the 1997–98, and 1999 seasons. The club also won the Supercoppa Italiana still in 1998 alongside the UEFA Cup of 1999 and UEFA Super Cup in the same year.
Almeyda was later involved in an exchange with a fellow footballer, Vratislav Greško during the 2002 summer which saw him moving to Internazionale where he featured 47 times for the club.
By 2009, Matias was in his mid-30s and has made his mark in the world of football, yet he was relentless, as he still staged a return to his former team River Plate in August that year. River Plate were eventually relegated and this forced Matias to officially retire from active football. However, he was appointed team manager the following month.
International career
In the international frontiers, Matías Almeyda was a very dedicated ambassador of his home country Argentina as he always passionately represented the country in the football competitions that he featured in for the Argentine football team.
His outstanding performance helped the team to win Silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Since his first appearance for the national Argentine team, Matias has earned 35 caps with the team.
Coaching Career
Matías Almeyda spent 18 months as the coach in charge of the River Plate club. During this time, he won the Primera B Nacional and earned a promotion back to the top division at the end of the 2011–12 season. He then left the club in November 2012.
He went on to coach other clubs including Club Atlético Banfield as well as the Mexican Liga MX club C.D. Guadalajara. He is now the manager of Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and he is still piloting the affairs of the club to this moment.
Matías Almeyda Personal Life, Married Wife, Children
Matías Almeyda is a happily married man at the moment. The man is married to a woman identified as Luciana Garcia Pena. He now has a daughter named Sofia.
Read Also: Alex Morgan Biography, Net Worth, Salary, Husband, Soccer Career, Height
Matías Almeyda Net Worth, Salary
Being a successful footballer turned manager, Matias has succeeded in amassing huge wealth for himself and his family. At this moment, his total net worth is estimated at about $7 million. He has sourced his fortune mainly from his football and club managing careers.
Height weight, body measurement
El Pelado as he is popularly called stands at a height of 1.75 m which is equivalent to 5 ft.9 inches, and maintains a weight of 75kg.
Complete profile of Matías Almeyda
| Matías Almeyda | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Matías Jesús Almeyda |
| Date of Birth | 21 December 1973 |
| Age | 47 years |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Birth place | Azul, Argentina |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Profession | Former Professional footballer and Coach |
| Playing Position | Midfielder, Defender |
| Clubs | 1991–1996 River Plate 1996–1997 Sevilla 1997–2000 Lazio 2000–2002 Parma 2000–2002 Parma 2004–2005 Brescia 2005 Quilmes 2007 Lyn 2009 Fénix 2009–2011 River Plate 1992 Argentina U20 1995–1996 Argentina U23 1996–2003 Argentina Teams Managed 2011–2012 River Plate 2013–2015 Banfield 2015–2018 Guadalajara 2019– San Jose Earthquakes |
| Education | NA |
| Father | Oscar Almeyda |
| Mother | NA |
| Siblings | 3 |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse/Partner | Luciana Garcia Pena (m. 2015) |
| Girlfriend | NA |
| Kids | Sofia |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Estimated Net Worth: | $7 million |
| Source of net worth | Football and Coaching career |
| Height | Feet-5 feet 9 in Meters- 1.75 m Centimeters-175cm |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Eye color | NA |
| Hair color | Dark brown |
| Social media | Instagram |
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