The CONMEBOL Copa América™ Coaches: Ricardo Gareca

• The Argentine took over Chile in 2024, and the CONMEBOL Copa América™ will be his first major tournament leading La Roja. 
• He was already a runner-up in the tournament while coaching Peru. 

 Ricardo Gareca was born in Buenos Aires in 1958. As a player, at the club level, he is remembered for having played for both Boca and River.

 He played in the CONMEBOL Copa América™ for the Argentine national team in 1983 and scored a goal in a classic match against Brazil. Another important goal he scored with the Albiceleste was against Peru, securing qualification for the 1986 World Cup, which Argentina would go on to win. 

 As a coach, his most outstanding stint at club level was at Vélez Sarsfield, where he won four titles in five years, as well as reaching the semifinals of the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 2011. 

 In 2015, Gareca took over the Peru national team and became a Peruvian idol. He qualified for the 2018 World Cup and had a string of remarkable performances in the CONMEBOL Copa América™. In the four occasions he participated, he always advanced from the group stage and accumulated a runner-up finish (2019), a third place (2015), a fourth place (2021), and quarterfinals (2016). 

 He was the coach of Peru until 2022 and ended with a total of 96 matches, quite the accomplishment  for a manager of a national team. 

 Chile begins the CONMEBOL Copa América United States 2024™ against Peru on June 21. The other members of Group A are Argentina and Canada. 

 

With extensive experience, Ricardo Gareca took over Chile in 2024 with the hope that La Roja would once again be a protagonist in continental football.