Pochettino reveals an incredibly bizarre Marcelo Bielsa story
Leeds United currently sit atop the standings in the Championship and the Premier League can witness two Argentine managers who know each other very well go head to head next season.
Yes, we are talking about Marcelo Bielsa and Tottenham‘s Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom share a fascinating history starting from their days back in Argentina.
In an exclusive interview with ESPN Brasil, Pochettino shared a bizarre story of how Bielsa, then the manager of Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, convinced his parents and recruited him to play for his club.
“One night, at one in the morning, he came to my house, knocked on the door and wanted to see a 13-year-old boy,” Mauricio Pochettino told ESPN Brasil’s Natali Gedra.
“He tried to convince my parents to let me travel 200km, to Rosario, which was the distance from my city, Murphy.
“He wanted to see my legs! At this time of the morning, he would have to be a little… he had to make my parents dream.
“Then he said: ‘these legs look like those of a very good player’. That was a good lie, no bad intentions.”
Pochettino went on to have a successful playing career and represented Argentina at the 1999 Copa America and 2002 World Cup when Bielsa was at the helm of affairs.
Having already faced each other as managers in Spain, Pochettino hopes to play against him once again, this time in the Premier League.
“I already faced him in Spain. And it’s a pleasure to see him, to greet him, and to play against his teams is always a beautiful challenge.
“For me, he’s a person I will always admire. People call him ‘El Loco Bielsa’, but for me, he is not crazy at all.
“For me, he’s a genius. A person with charisma and a personality very different from us normal coaches, and that’s what makes him special.”
