31 Facts About Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero is an Argentine professional football manager and former player.

Mauricio Pochettino was capped 20 times for the Argentina national team and played at the 1999 Copa America and 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino left the club in 2012 after poor results and financial disputes.

Mauricio Pochettino was dismissed after a string of poor results, and in 2021, joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France.

Mauricio Pochettino was born in Murphy, Santa Fe to Amalia and Hector Mauricio Pochettino, a farm labourer.

Mauricio Pochettino supported Racing Club de Avellaneda as a child.

Mauricio Pochettino started playing as a centre-back at an early age for Union y Cultura, a position he preferred, but he played as a striker and midfielder.

Mauricio Pochettino played in Murphy in the first division of the regional Venadense league together with his older brother, Javier.

Mauricio Pochettino studied agriculture in a school 20 miles from home.

When he was 14, Mauricio Pochettino was scouted by Jorge Griffa, director of football at Newell's Old Boys, and his future manager Marcelo Bielsa, then the reserve team coach at Newell's.

Mauricio Pochettino played with Diego Maradona for a time, sharing a room before games.

In 1994, Mauricio Pochettino had the option of joining a number of clubs including Boca Juniors, but chose the Catalan club Espanyol even though it was the least financially attractive offer as he was interested in moving to the city of Barcelona.

In late January 2001, Mauricio Pochettino signed for Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee.

The return occurred midway through his first year, where Mauricio Pochettino continued to play for two-and-a-half more seasons.

Mauricio Pochettino announced his retirement as a player at the age of 34.

Mauricio Pochettino studied for a master's degree in sports management at a business school before training to be a coach in Madrid a year later.

In 1992, Mauricio Pochettino played four matches for the Argentina under-23 team at the CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Paraguay, which saw them fail to qualify for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Mauricio Pochettino won 20 caps for the full side over a period of four years.

Mauricio Pochettino was a participant at the 1999 Copa America and the 2002 FIFA World Cup under Bielsa, appearing in three complete matches as the nation were unsuccessful in progressing from the group stage in the latter tournament.

On 18 January 2013, Mauricio Pochettino was announced as the new first-team manager of Premier League club Southampton, replacing Nigel Adkins and becoming the second Argentine manager in English football after Osvaldo Ardiles.

On 27 May 2014, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract, becoming their tenth manager over a 12-year span.

The game at Stamford Bridge saw the former receive a league record nine yellow cards, and Mauricio Pochettino entered the pitch in the first half to separate his left back Danny Rose from a confrontation with Chelsea winger Willian.

On 12 May 2016, Mauricio Pochettino agreed to an extension of his contract, committing him to the club until 2021, and it was confirmed that his title had changed from that of "head coach" to "manager", although he confirmed that the role itself was no different.

On 24 May 2018, Mauricio Pochettino signed a new five-year contract to keep him at Tottenham until 2023.

In December 2018, Mauricio Pochettino won his 100th Premier League match as manager of the club after a late victory against Burnley; he became the first Tottenham manager to reach this milestone and the third fastest Premier League manager to achieve the feat with a single club.

Five months after the Champions League final, on 19 November 2019, Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur with the side 14th in the Premier League standings.

On 2 January 2021, Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain on an 18-month contract, where he had spent two years during his playing career, replacing Thomas Tuchel.

Mauricio Pochettino's team finished the season with a win in the Coupe de France final against Monaco and as runners-up in the Ligue 1, a point behind Lille.

Mauricio Pochettino is hailed by many pundits for his focus on developing local players from the clubs' youth academies, getting local government and references' support, and a willingness to promote young players in general.

Players coached by Mauricio Pochettino praised his man-management approach and guidance with his willingness to advise, encouraging the players to take charge of their own development as well as helping them to improve physically, technically and mentally.

Mauricio Pochettino believes in "energia universal", the idea that people, places and things are charged with a hidden energy, positive or negative.