Juan Antonio Pizzi
Spanish football manager (born 1968)
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Key Takeaways
- Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroja ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan anˈtonjo ˈpisi] , Italian: [ˈpittsi] ; born 7 June 1968) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
- Born in Argentina, Pizzi represented the Spain national team for four years, appearing with it in one World Cup and one European Championship.
- He also coached Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in 2018 and Bahrain at the 2023 Asian Cup.
- After only one year, he moved to Tenerife, experiencing great individual success (a total of 30 goals in his first two seasons) while also helping the Canary Islands club to qualify for the UEFA Cup in his second year.
- However, highly unsettled, he returned at the end of the campaign to his previous team and in the second season in his second spell he fired them into another UEFA Cup qualification, topping the goal charts at 31 in 41 games and adding a further five in the Copa del Rey.
Juan Antonio Pizzi Torroja (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwan anˈtonjo ˈpisi], Italian: [ˈpittsi]; born 7 June 1968) is a retired professional footballer who played as a striker.
Pizzi spent the bulk of his club career in Spain, mainly at Tenerife, helping to the side's consolidation in La Liga and amassing top division totals of 221 matches and 92 goals over eight seasons – he also played for Valencia and Barcelona.
Born in Argentina, Pizzi represented the Spain national team for four years, appearing with it in one World Cup and one European Championship. He embarked on a managerial career after retiring, winning the Copa América Centenario for Chile in 2016. He also coached Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in 2018 and Bahrain at the 2023 Asian Cup.
Club career
Born in Santa Fe, Pizzi started his professional career with Rosario Central, before transferring to Mexico's Deportivo Toluca. After only one year, he moved to Tenerife, experiencing great individual success (a total of 30 goals in his first two seasons) while also helping the Canary Islands club to qualify for the UEFA Cup in his second year.
This performances prompted interest from fellow La Liga side Valencia, and Pizzi's subsequent purchase. However, highly unsettled, he returned at the end of the campaign to his previous team and in the second season in his second spell he fired them into another UEFA Cup qualification, topping the goal charts at 31 in 41 games and adding a further five in the Copa del Rey.
After that, Pizzi transferred to Barcelona. Never an undisputed starter, barred by Ronaldo, Sonny Anderson and the versatile Luis Enrique during his two-season stint, he managed to net 18 times in competitive matches, being very popular among the Camp Nou faithful.
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