Real Betis have announced that former Manchester City and Real Madrid manager, Manuel Pellegrini will take the reins at the Benito Villamarin stadium next season.
The 66-year-old Chilean has been out of the game since he was sacked by West Ham in December 2019.
Pellegrini will replace Rubi, who was dismissed on June 21st after a defeat by Athletic Bilbao. The contract between Pellegrini and the Seville-based club runs until June 2023.
“Real Betis have appointed a coach of a high level and big international prestige to elevate the performance of the first team in a three-year project,” a statement of the club’s website read.
✍📄💚 pic.twitter.com/fvCCHnH2bB
— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) July 9, 2020
Pellegrini had success as a coach in South America with many clubs including San Lorenzo and River Plate but he made his name in European football when he arrived at Villareal in 2004.
In five years at El Madrigal, he led the team to second and third place finishes in La Liga, won the Intertoto Cup and also played in the Champions League semi-finals against Arsenal in 2006.
Pellegrini went from Villarreal to Real Madrid in 2009. In his one season in Madrid, his side amassed 96 points in the league but still missed out on the title to Barcelona. He was dismissed at the end of the season and replaced by Jose Mourinho.
He then moved onto Malaga where he guided the club to the quarter-final of the Champions League against Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund.
Pellegrini joined Manchester City in 2013. In his first season they won the Premier League ahead of Liverpool and also a league cup.
He added another league cup in his second season but was replaced at the end of his contract by Pep Guardioala in the summer of 2016.
Pellegrini has also coached in China with Hebei China Fortune.
The Chilean takes over a Betis side that currently sit in 13th place in the La Liga table. However, the squad includes players like William Carvalho and Nabil Fekir as well as talented youngsters who Pellegrini will hope to build around.
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