1. On the 21st July 1955, Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera was born in Rosario, Argentina. At the time, Raich Carter’s Leeds United had just finished 4th in Division Two with new £600 signing Harold Brooks named top scorer for the season with 16 goals.

    

2. Coming through as a defender at his childhood club Newell’s Old Boys, Marcelo made the step up to the first team which boasted future Argentine World Cup winners, Américo Gallego and Ricardo Giusti. He played 25 times over the course of the 1977/78 season, before going on to feature for Instituto and Argentino.

    

   

3. In 1990, Marcelo replaced José Yudica as first team coach of Newell’s Old Boys. Making an instant impact with a side including Mauricio Pochettino, Gerardo Martino, and Eduardo Berizzo, he led the club to two league championships in two years, whilst also guiding Newell’s to the 1992 Copa Libertadores Final, where they narrowly missed out on penalties.

   

4. Marcelo’s success at Newell’s led the Argentinian club to rename the ‘El Coloso del Parque’ to the ‘Estadio Marcelo Bielsa’ in 2009. Club secretary Pablo Morosano remarked “This is a gesture towards a person who did a lot for the club and today carries its name with pride around the world”

   

   

5. After winning a third championship in Argentina with Valez Sarsfield, and managerial stints in Mexico and Spain, Marcelo was named Argentina’s national manager in 1998. 

   

6. Bringing together a team featuring Gabriel Batistuta, Diego Simeone, Juan Veron, Javier Zanetti, and Hernan Crespo, Bielsa’s Argentina sailed through qualification for the 2002 World Cup, with 13 wins and one loss. The side’s dominance across South America led to Marcelo being named the 2001 IFFHS World's Best National Coach.

   

   

7. 2004 saw Marcelo lead Argentina to a Copa America Final against Brazil, before The Albicelestes won their first ever Olympic Gold a month later, with Carlos Tevez’s 18th minute strike securing a 1-0 win over Paraguay in Athens.

   

8. August 2007 saw Marcelo take up his second national post, as he set about transforming the Chile national team. Historic wins against Argentina, Paraguay, and Peru, were followed by Bielsa’s Chile qualifying for the 2010 World Cup after missing the previous two tournaments. 

   

   

9. The 2010 World Cup in South Africa saw Marcelo cement his legacy in Chile, as he led La Rojas featuring Claudio Bravo, Arturo Vidal, and Alexis Sanchez to the knockout stages before being stopped by Brazil.

   

10. Following up his successful spell with Chile, Marcelo set about becoming a hit in Spain, as he took over from Joaquín Caparrós as Athletic Bilbao coach. His first season at the club saw the club reach the 2011/12 Europa League Final, beating Paris St Germain, Manchester United and Sporting CP en-route. 

   

   

11. In addition to reaching the Europa League Final, Marcelo also navigated his Athletic Bilbao side to the Copa Del Rey Final, where they faced Barcelona in front of over 54,000 at the Vicente Calderon.

   

12. After a second season at Bilbao, Marcelo took his popular brand of football to Ligue 1 after being appointed Head Coach of Olympique de Marseille, where he’d develop a team around the likes of Imbula, Mendy, Lemina, Ayew, Batshuayi, Payet, and Gignac, leading them to a 4th place finish.

   

    

13. Following a short stint at Ligue 1 side Lille OSC, Marcelo Bielsa today became Leeds United’s first manager born outside of Europe.