“Overwhelmed by Pain”
©IMAGO
River Plate and club legend Marcelo Gallardo are going their separate ways again after a year and a half. The 50-year-old Argentine announced his resignation as coach in an emotional video on Monday evening. On Sunday, the traditional club suffered its third defeat in a row in the Torneo Apertura in a 0-1 (0-1) draw against Vélez Sarsfield, after which the long-time coach thanked his employees and players in a noticeably emotional way.
The ex-professional had already trained River from 2014 to 2022 and, among other things, won the Copa Libertadores twice and the Copa Sudamericana once. In August 2024, he took over again from his successor Martín Demichelis and achieved a points average of 1.62 in 85 games – significantly less than in his first term in office (1.88) and also less than Demichelis (1.98).
With a shaky voice, Gallardo announced that the home game against CA Banfield on Thursday would be his last. “I have only words of gratitude, especially to this great club and its people for their unconditional love throughout all these years, even in the most difficult moments,” he said. “Things did not turn out as we planned. I am overwhelmed with emotions and pain in my soul because we were unable to achieve our goals. I sincerely hope that the club, which has grown tremendously in recent years, will again achieve good results to further strengthen River’s reputation.”
