The CONMEBOL Copa América™ Coaches: Néstor Lorenzo
2024-04-25
- The former Argentine defender will face his first major challenge at the helm of Colombia during CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™.
- The coach of Colombia carries an important unbeaten streak.
Néstor Gabriel Lorenzo was born in Buenos Aires in 1966. As a player, he played as a central defender. He emerged from Argentinos Juniors, although he had a prominent spell in Europe wearing the colors of Bari (Italy) and Swindon Town (England).
The former defender played for Argentina in the late 1980s, being part of the team that finished as runners-up in the FIFA World Cup in 1990. However, he did not have the opportunity to represent his country in a CONMEBOL Copa América™.
After some years abroad, Lorenzo returned to Argentine football where he retired and shortly after began his career as an assistant coach. He worked alongside his compatriot José Pekerman in the U-20 national teams (2000 and 2001) and in the senior Albiceleste team (2004 to 2006), and joined Pekerman as part of the Colombian national team staff between 2012 and 2019.
The Argentine received his first major opportunity as a head coach in 2021 when he joined Melgar, in Peru. At the Arequipa club, he won the local Apertura Tournament in 2022 and laid the foundations for the team that achieved a historic qualification to the semifinals of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana in the same year.
Lorenzo’s achievements impressed Colombia, which hired him as the coach of the senior team, replacing Reinaldo Rueda. The bet paid off, as Colombia enters 2024 still undefeated in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
He has also accumulated some historic results while at the helm of Colombia, such as Colombia’s first victory against Germany in 2023, and an impressive streak of 20 games without losing with La Tricolor.
In this CONMEBOL Copa América United States 2024™, Colombia faces the challenge of overcoming a group with Brazil, Paraguay, and Costa Rica. With everything they’ve experienced under Néstor Lorenzo’s leadership, however, there is no shortage of reasons to dream of a great tournament.