Marcelo Bielsa, widely regarded as one of football’s most enigmatic and influential coaches, has left an indelible mark on the sport through his distinctive coaching philosophy and unyielding dedication to his principles. Nicknamed “El Loco” (The Madman) for his unconventional methods and intense commitment to attacking football. His coaching journey began in Argentina, where he managed Newell’s Old Boys and led them to several domestic successes, eventually coaching the Argentine national team for six years.
Bielsa’s tactical approach is characterized by high-intensity pressing, fluid attacking movements, and meticulous preparation. He is known for his exhaustive analysis of opponents, often studying hours of footage to devise strategies that maximize his team’s strengths. This attention to detail and insistence on proactive, expansive football has influenced a generation of coaches, including Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, who have publicly acknowledged Bielsa’s impact on their own coaching philosophies.
Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy extends beyond his achievements on the pitch; he is celebrated for his passion for football as a vehicle for personal and collective improvement. Here are 11 quotes from one of soccer’s most brilliant minds.
Marcelo Bielsa in quotes
“I am a very rejected person in my country. When I explain something, they say I’m selling smoke, that’s why I feel embarrassed to explain what I think.”
“Coaches can commit two sins: making players who can fly walk, or expecting those who can only walk to fly.”
“A person is a madman until his ideas triumph”.
“It’s hard to accept injustice, boys. I know that nothing can calm you now, because you gave everything for the game, you deserved it, and you didn’t achieve it. Even though it seems impossible, don’t complain about anything. Swallow the poison. Strengthen yourselves because playing like this, you will get what you deserve. Congratulations, boys! To everyone, everyone!”
“I know that support is only given by triumph. Almost all coaches are losers, and that’s why we are so lonely.”
“The only way I understand football is constant pressure, playing in the opponent’s half, and ball possession. I am obsessed with attacking. I watch videos to attack, not to defend. Do you know what my defensive job is? We all run.”
“There’s no need to justify or demonize. We must become aware and implement change. We need self-criticism to improve.”
“Success is distorting, relaxing, deceiving; it makes us worse, it helps us fall excessively in love with ourselves; failure is the opposite, it is formative, it makes us solid, it brings us closer to convictions, it makes us coherent. While we compete to win, and I work in what I do because I want to win when I compete, if I didn’t distinguish what is truly formative and what is secondary, I would be mistaken.”
“I am very respectful and an admirer of dribbling. Moreover, I consider that two dribbles together change the content of a match, it clears it, oxygenates it, makes it healthier.”
“I was never tempted by compliments. Compliments in football are utterly hypocritical.”
“Success and happiness do not function as synonyms; there are successful people who are not happy, and there are people who do not need success to be happy. Every human being’s obligation is to capitalize on their options to be happy.”