MANCHESTER CITY hope new boss Manuel Pellegrini will help them build something special at the Etihad. And that should be no problem to the man known as ‘The Engineer’ — if his past achievements are anything to go by. The Chilean, 59, combined the final couple of years of his playing career with studying for a career in civil engineering. Today, back in Santiago, some families boast of living in homes built by the experienced former Real Madrid coach. And, soon after starting his coaching career at Universidad de Chile, he even constructed a summer house for the club physio. Dr Alejandro Orizola — now head of the club’s medical team — still enjoys it to this day and claims it was a typical gesture by his close friend. He said: “I’ve known Manuel since his playing days at Universidad de Chile. “I joined as a club physician when Manuel was in his last year and a half as a player — and he later came back to the club as a manager. “Manuel is highly educated, one of the smartest guys I know. He studied civil engineering and was very dedicated. “In that La U (Universidad de Chile) team, he and Arturo Salah were leaders in a team of leaders. They were at university while they played, which was rare for professional footballers in Chile — both then and now. “I think the other players respected that. We became neighbours and during his early coaching days he took some time off and started a construction business. He built a summer home for himself and one for me.” With a squad full of superstars and magnificent wealth, the foundations are certainly all in place for Pellegrini at City. The club dispensed with Roberto Mancini last month, stating they wanted a manager who would have a more ‘holistic’ approach. And Dr Orizola believes Pellegrini’s work ethic, dedication and attention to detail has always stood out throughout his football career. He recalled: “When training was over he went off to study. There were no nights out, he had very little free time. “He grew up in a respectable family where he was the only sport-minded person. That is the thing — despite his education and background, above all it was about soccer for him. “On the field he was like a general putting everyone in their place, always trying to improve his team-mates.” Pellegrini’s interest in building probably came from his father Emilio, a renowned civil engineer who died while Manuel was in charge of Malaga. The family also had a keen interest in politics with his mother, Silvia Ripamonti, a supporter of the military dictatorship while his brother, Pablo, ran as a candidate for deputy for the UDI, a right-wing party in the Chilean government. But it was engineering which he took up when he feared his career in football was coming to an end in the mid-80s. In 1984, along with his brother, he began doing some work for Constructora y Arquitectura Pellegrini — the engineering firm owned by his father Emilio. Speaking recently, he said: “I studied engineering while I was still playing football. I did it because I thought my career in football was about to end. “I even worked for a construction company in Chile. I made some buildings while I was playing. “Let me tell you — I was a really good student but I studied engineering because I couldn’t study medicine, which is the most exciting career.” In the end, he was offered the chance to take over at Universidad in 1987 — and from then on he was laying the foundations for football clubs rather than buildings. Spells with Palestino, O’Higgins and Universidad Catolica back in his homeland followed, then a brief spell in Ecuador with Universitaria de Quito. Then it was on to Argentina with San Lorenzo and River Plate before Spain beckoned as he took charge of Villarreal, Madrid and then most recently Malaga. Yet for all he has achieved in South America and Europe, he admits if he had his time to do again, he might not have chosen a life in football. Pellegrini, like his dad, is an avid reader and said recently: “If you ask me if in the next life I wanted to be a soccer coach, I would say no, I’d want to be an artist — a writer, painter or sculptor. “I would like to do things I do not know today, things I would like to know. I think that’s why I end up reading so much because in that way I have experienced other lives.” #angel
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:41:29 +0000
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