Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero (; born 2 March 1972) is an Argentine professional football manager and former footballer who is the head coach of the United States men's national team.
Pochettino played as a centre-back and began his career in 1989 with Primera División club Newell's Old Boys, winning a league title and finishing as runner-up in the 1992 Copa Libertadores. In 1994, he transferred to newly promoted La Liga club Espanyol, helping establish their top-flight status and winning the 2000 Copa del Rey, their first trophy in 60 years. In 2001, he joined Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, and then had a stint with Bordeaux before returning to Espanyol in 2004, winning another Copa del Rey in 2006. Pochettino was capped 20 times for the Argentina national team and played at the 1999 Copa América and 2002 FIFA World Cup.
After retiring as a player, Pochettino began his managerial career at Espanyol in 2009. In 2013, he was appointed at Premier League club Southampton, leading them to an eighth-place finish that season – equalling their highest ever Premier League finish. He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2014 and served as their third longest manager in club history, and finished as Premier League runners-up in the 2016–17 season, as well as leading the club to their first Champions League final in 2019. He was widely credited for developing young Tottenham stars Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, and Harry Kane. In 2021, Pochettino joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he won the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France. He took over as Chelsea manager for the 2023–24 season, mutually agreeing to part ways with the club after just one season.
In 2024, he was appointed as national team head coach for the first time with the United States. At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he broke the nation's all-time managerial records of the most wins (3) and most goals scored (11) at a World Cup. Afterwards, his U.S. contract was extended through 2030.
Early life Pochettino was born in Murphy, Santa Fe, to Amalia and Héctor Pochettino, a farm labourer. His family is of Italian descent from Piedmont. Between the ages of eight and ten, he played both football and volleyball, and also learned judo. He supported Racing Club de Avellaneda as a child. The first football matches he watched on television were in the 1978 FIFA World Cup which he watched with his father Héctor. He started playing as a centre-back at an early age for Unión y Cultura, a position he preferred, but he also played as a striker and midfielder. When he was 13, he trained two days a week with Rosario Central in Rosario, Santa Fe, a 160-mile bus ride away from Murphy. He played for Murphy in the first division of the regional Venadense league together with his older brother, Javier. He studied agriculture at a school 20 miles from home.
Club career Newell's Old Boys When he was 13, 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. Although he was happy at Rosario Central who were interested in signing him, he was persuaded to try out for their rivals Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, Santa Fe. He was quickly placed in a team attending a tournament in Mar del Plata in January 1987, and helped the team win 3–2 in the final against Club Olimpia of Paraguay, after which he signed for Newell's. He was offered a professional contract at 16, and made his first appearance in the Primera División in the 1988–89 season when he was 17.
At Newell's, he played in an intense, fast-paced, high press style of play under Bielsa, who was first-team coach from 1990 to 1992. Bielsa's coaching methods and philosophy would have a significant impact on the young player.
During his five-year stint at the club, Pochettino won the 1990–91 national championship as well as the 1992 Clausura. The side also reached the final of the Copa Libertadores helped by Pochettino who netted a crucial goal away to Colombian champions América de Cali in the second match leg of their semi-final, but they were beaten 3–2 in the final in a penalty shoot-out by São Paulo after both teams drew 1–1 on aggregate over the course of two legs. He played with Diego Maradona for a time, sharing a room before games.
Espanyol In 1994, 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. Aged 22, Pochettino moved to Espanyol for the 1994–95 season, as part of the new intake of players upon their return to La Liga. There, he soon established himself as an automatic first-team starter, and developed a reputation as a tough, uncompromising centre-back. Due to his style of play, Pochettino was nicknamed "the Sheriff", but it was also a reference to his paternal grandfather, who once served as the sheriff of Murphy, Santa Fe. In February 1997, in the local derby against their rival Barcelona at the soon-to-be-demolished home ground Sarrià Stadium, Pochettino man-marked Ronaldo out the game, and helped the team win 2–0. It was their first win against Barcelona in ten years.
He stayed six-and-a-half years at the club. Although he had the opportunity to move on a number of occasions, he chose to stay. In 1998, he stayed so as to reconnect with his former coach Bielsa, and he also rejected an offer from Valencia in the 1999–2000 season out of loyalty to the club. In that season, he helped Espanyol beat Atlético Madrid in the 2000 final of the Copa del Rey, winning their first major trophy in 60 years.
In the 1999–2000 season, he signed a pre-agreement to stay at the club for six more years, contingent on funding. However, the club could not finance the deal, and informed Pochettino that he should accept an offer from Paris Saint-Germain.
Paris Saint-Germain In late January 2001, Pochettino signed for Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee. A regular starter during his stay, he made his official league debut on 3 February 2001 for manager Luis Fernández away to Nantes, which PSG lost 1–0. Three days later, Pochettino netted his first goal in a 1–3 home defeat at the Parc des Princes against Guingamp. His contributions helped Paris Saint-Germain win the 2001 edition of the UEFA Intertoto Cup later in the 2001–02 season following a 1–1 draw with Brescia, which meant the Parisian side won on away goals, as well as reaching the final of the Coupe de France the next season, where PSG lost 1–2 to Auxerre.
Bordeaux In July 2003, Pochettino moved to fellow Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux for the 2003–04 campaign. His first game came on 2 August 2003 against Monaco in a 2–0 defeat. Pochettino's first goal was on 23 August, thus helping Bordeaux overcome Auxerre with a 2–0 home victory.
Return to Espanyol During the 2004 summer transfer window, he returned to Espanyol however, initially on loan, before he later made the transfer permanent. The return occurred midway through his first year, and Pochettino continued to play for two-and-a-half more seasons at the club. In the 2005–06 Copa del Rey, he was an unused substitute at the final, where Espanyol beat Zaragoza 4–1.
Following the win, Ernesto Valverde took over as manager in the summer of 2006, but he did not want Pochettino in the squad for the coming season. Pochettino announced his retirement as a player at the age of 34. He studied for a master's degree in sports management at a business school, before training to be a coach in Madrid a year later.
International career In 1992, 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.
Pochettino won 20 caps for the full side over a period of four years. He was handed his first senior international by his former manager Bielsa, playing his first match on 31 March 1999 in a friendly against the Netherlands at Amsterdam Arena, ending in a 1–1 draw. Pochettino scored his first goal on 17 November 1999 in another friendly, a 2–0 win over Spain. He was a participant at the 1999 Copa América 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.
Pochettino's most newsworthy highlight to the competition came during the second group stage match against England, when Italian referee Pierluigi Collina awarded Argentina's opponents a penalty, after the defender brought down Michael Owen in the box. The resulting spot kick was converted by David Beckham for the match's only goal.
Managerial career Espanyol
In late January 2009, Pochettino became Espanyol's third coach of the 2008–09 season, with the team third from the bottom of the table. Tasked with saving them from relegation, he had only just received his UEFA Pro License in December 2008 and had spent a short spell as the assistant coach to the women's team but was otherwise untested as a coach. His first match was at home to neighbouring Barcelona, coached by Pep Guardiola, in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Despite his players' reluctance and only being able to avail themselves of two training sessions prior to the game, his system of high pressing and one-on-one defensive cover yielded an unexpected 0–0 draw. After he had asked for "divine intervention", the side's fortunes improved and they eventually finished the season comfortably mid-table with their most significant result being a 2–1 victory in the league derby against Barcelona, their first in the competition at the Camp Nou for 27 years. He coached nine players who were his teammates during his last active year and, in early June, renewed his contract for a further three years.
In 2009–10, Pochettino once again led Espanyol to a comfortable league position, in a campaign where club captain (and his former teammate) Raúl Tamudo fell out of favour, particularly after the January 2010 arrival of the coach's compatriot Dani Osvaldo. On 28 September 2010, he agreed to a one-year extension at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat which ran until 30 June 2012, and in May of the following year further renewed his contract until 2014. On 26 November 2012, however, following a 0–2 home loss against Getafe that left the team in last place with just nine points from 13 matches and with the manager complaining about the financial restrictions being placed upon him, his contract was terminated by mutual consent at the end of that month.
Despite the lowly league position, Pochettino's work had drawn praise from commentators and he was beginning to display the characteristics that would inform his coaching at his subsequent clubs, namely the imposition of a specific tactical style on all of the clubs' team from the senior side down to youth level, attending training sessions to receive updates from all levels, a preference for 4–2–3–1, a focus on a high-pressing game and the promotion of players from the academy to the first team.
Southampton On 18 January 2013, 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. His first match in charge was five days later, a 0–0 draw against Everton at St Mary's Stadium. He recorded his first win on 9 February, 3–1 at home over reigning champions Manchester City.
Despite having some knowledge of English, Pochettino initially used a Spanish interpreter in press conferences as a way to fully express himself. He led the Saints to notable victories against other top league sides, including a 3–1 home win over Liverpool and a 2–1 success against Chelsea also at St Mary's.