Real Sociedad and this is none other than Pellegrino Matarazzo, born in New Jersey (USA) 48 years ago, but who has spent almost his entire career on the bench in the German Bundesliga. After the dismissal of Sergio Francisco, the sports management was looking for a coach to straighten the course of a ship, the blue and white, that was completely adrift, even flirting with the relegation spots. This Saturday, against Levante, they let another two valuable points slip away in the most painful way possible with a goal conceded from a penalty in stoppage time. “We are going away looking a bit stupid. The assessment of the result is bad because we wanted to win and we didn’t achieve it,” said Ion Ansotegi, Real’s interim coach, the other day in the Cup and today against Levante, after the clash played in the Ciutat de Valencia.
after this brief stint in the first team after the dismissal of Sergio Francisco. His place at the head of Real Sociedad will be taken by the aforementioned Pellegrino Matarazzo. The American has not been the only name that Real Sociedad has explored in this short space of time. In fact, as EL PAÍS has learned, the blue and white entity contacted the environment of Mauricio Pellegrino, current coach of Lanús, to find out the Argentine’s disposition regarding a possible return to a League like the Spanish one that he knows perfectly well after his time on the Valencia bench. Alavés, Leganés or Cádiz. But finally the choice was that of Pellegrino Matarazzo.
✍ Pellegrino Matarazzo, new coach of Real. Ongi etorri!
— Real Sociedad Fútbol (@RealSociedad)
Matarazzo was a low-profile footballer whose career developed mainly in Italy and Germany. It was in German football where he took his first steps as a coach, after training for several years at the Nuremberg academy. In 2015 he began his academic career at the German Sports School, where he met, among others, Julian Nagelsmann, with whom he even shared accommodation. Due to his methodology and career, he is placed within the same current as the current German coach.
Matarazzo subsequently became part of Nagelsmann’s coaching staff at Hoffenheim, serving as his assistant. In December 2019, Sven Mislintat opted for him to lead the VfB Stuttgart first team, a stage in which he left a positive impression despite the fact that his cycle ended with his dismissal in October 2022. In February 2023 he returned to Hoffenheim to take charge of the first team, encountering a delicate sporting situation. Despite the public support of his players, he was fired in November 2024.
Also new coach for Levante: Luis Castro
Almost at the same time that Real Sociedad announced the arrival of Pellegrino Matarazzo, Levante did the same with its bench, making the arrival of Luis Castro official. The Portuguese coach, like the new Real coach, also signs until 2027. Castro arrives from FC Nantes, after previously managing USL Dunkirk and developing part of his career in the Benfica youth academy.
