Also by Guillem Balagué
A Season on the Brink
Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning
Messi
Barca: The Illustrated History of FC Barcelona
Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography
APPENDIX 1
2016–17 RESULTS
APPENDIX 2
SEASON-BY-SEASON COMPARISON
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sometimes we lose perspective. When Orion suggested a book about Mauricio Pochettino, I could not believe I had not thought of it myself. It made a lot of sense. I had followed his career very closely at Espanyol, the club I have supported since I was a kid. I had seen him work with the youngsters in a very emotional period for the club, and had heard many times from him and his staff what they were trying to do. They were exciting times – a young coach full of energy wanting to change the recent history of our Espanyol. While at Southampton and Tottenham, we kept in touch. Then Mark Rusher, a big Spurs fan working for Orion at the time, suggested his name – and it was good timing. Instead of telling the story of a coach who had succeeded at a legendary club, or of a couple of players the like of which we had rarely seen before, this was the account of a manager on the up in a team in the ascendant, applying what he had learnt in Argentina and Spain to create the necessary will to win things. So I approached Mauricio with the idea, but it was Karina Grippaldi, his wife, who actually told him to get involved. So he did!
I have to thank Mauricio for the huge amount of time he found for me and for allowing me to roam the training ground regularly, and to Karina for opening the doors of their house and their photo albums, as well as for that deep fascinating chat that included young Sebas and Mauri. I know I disturbed them during the summer as they mixed relaxation with checking the accuracy of what I was writing. Jesús Pérez was ever present and always sanguine, listening and making me understand the intricacies of the job of a manager and his assistants. Many mornings Miki d’Agostino drove me to the training ground, and he always had a fascinating story to tell. Toni Jiménez seemed a bit embarrassed and shy to tell me about his admiration for Pochettino, but that also gave me a huge insight into what kind of bonds Mauricio creates. Susan Bowdidge, Mauricio’s secretary, was a welcoming smile every Monday at his office. Simon Felstein couldn’t have been more helpful and understood and supported the project from day one.
All the players, friends, directors and coaches I spoke to offered new insights into Pochettino’s world. From Hugo Lloris (who even rang twice to give me more anecdotes) to Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Danny Rose, Daniel Levy, Ramon Planas, Alejandro E. Alonso, John McDermott, Paul Mitchell, Jordi Amat, Victor Wanyama, Harry Winks, Les Reed, Jay Rodriguez, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Eric Dier. Bill Beswick helped me understand the psychology of managers and directed my confused thinking once again.
I keep saying this but repetition does not make it less true. It is such a privilege that a company such as Orion and Alan Samson, the publisher of the Weidenfeld & Nicolson imprint, give me the support and confidence that is needed to keep writing books, even though I never thought I had more than one in me. David Luxton is the perfect foil and good to bounce ideas off. Paul Murphy exudes the calmness and vision that is so necessary to give the book the editorial touches that make it what it is.
And of course, I have to thank my team. Without them, this would be much less fun: Maribel Herruzo, the perfect companion, organiser, researcher and so many more things; William Glasswell and his encouraging words while proofreading; Miguel García with his contagious good humour and accurate comments; Marc Joss and Hugo Steckelmacher, the best translators in the business; Peter Lockyer, who is always there when needed; and Brent Wilks, who made sure the rest of the company worked while we were all in another land. From which we have just come back.
I left the door open for a year. The need for intimacy is demanding that I close it again – the wind is blowing in.
But I feel that over the course of this journey, we have got to know each other a bit more.
Illustrations
This is my favourite photo because it seems to express something essential about me. You can see a plough, a ball and a broken shoe. I was wearing some sort of nappy and had not yet turned three. That is what summer is like over there.
I played outdoors all the time during my childhood and always loved animals.
Here we were playing in the Third Division for Newell’s second team and had just beaten our rivals Central 4–0 away. Marcelo Bielsa is on the left in a suit. He looked old even when he was young. I was with them for seven or eight months. Batistuta was also there – we broke into the first team together.
This is the day when Karina set her sights on me.
With my father and my brothers Martín and Javier.
With Jorge Griffa, the coach who handed me my debut and was in charge of Newell’s youth academy. He came with me to Barcelona when Espanyol signed me in 1994. Here we are visiting the Mundo Deportivo editorial department. He was like a second father to me.
José Manuel Lara, as majority shareholder, played a key role in that period of Espanyol’s history. His family’s company, a publisher called Planeta, purchased my playing rights and loaned me to the club. They always looked after me.
With Toni, Spurs’ current goalkeeping coach. We have been through so much together.
We could see them blowing up Sarrià from our flat in September 1997. It was a sad day. Karina wanted to leave flowers by the wreckage, but they did not let her.
With Marcelo Bielsa, who was at Espanyol for a few months at the start of the 1998–99 season before the Argentina national team poached him.
Enjoying success with Espanyol was particularly special. We won the Copa del Rey in 2000,
after 60 trophyless years, meaning two generations had not seen the club win anything.
Karina, Sebastiano and Yolanda on the day of the Copa del Rey final at Mestalla. Later, when the ground was empty, we spent some time on the pitch. I was unable to celebrate because I had to join Argentina for a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia a few days after.
I’m actually crying in this picture. We were going to Paris. It was tough to leave Espanyol behind, although I later went back. Karina was pregnant with Mauri.
I scored against Marseille in the Coupe de France at the Parc des Princes by heading in a Hugo Leal corner. It was a different PSG and a different league back then, filled with good teams: Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Marseille, PSG . . .
Diego Maradona invited me to his Boca testimonial versus Argentina. It was a star-studded Boca side, featuring René Higuita, Carlos Valderrama, Hristo Stoichkov . . . It was one of the most wonderful experiences I had on the pitch. Diego’s speech had us all in tears. He exudes charisma and energy wherever he is!
Ronnie had just come over to PSG from Brazil. His technique was extraordinary, but, above all, he oozed charisma. My son Mauri, who was still little, almost learnt how to say ‘Inho, inho’ before ‘Papá’ from an ad Ronnie used to do. When I brought him to meet Ronnie, he was gob-smacked. He did not know if he was with the real Ronnie or the one from the advertisement.
I am extremely fond of Mikel Arteta, who will go on to be a wonderful coach. He is alongside Guardiola at present. He was like my younger brother. He was 17 when he joined PSG and you could see that he was heading for greatness.
With my mother Amalia and my brother Martín on my farm.
With my cows on my land in Argentina.
This photo of me with Simeone and Batistuta is from the 2002 World Cup in Japan.
After the 2002 World Cup, we went to Disneyland with my children and my in-laws, Ana Castro and Antonio Manuel Grippaldi.
With Zinedine Zidane. I had the photo taken because he was a Bordeaux legend. It was pre-season, so I was very thin.
In Bordeaux, I discovered the magic of wine. I bought books and started taking a real interest in it. In fact, I signed for Bordeaux (I turned Villarreal CF down) partly to live close to
and enjoy the best wine region in the world. There were châteaux everywhere. We lived just behind the main theatre.
We played a friendly at Camp Nou in 2004. I was part of the Rest of the World team that included a skinny Anderlecht player by the name of Vincent Kompany. I met Johan Cruyff, who coached one of the sides. A brave man and a visionary footballing genius.
I went back to Espanyol in 2004. Here I am with club legend Raúl Tamudo, listening to Miguel Ángel Lotina, the Espanyol coach.
When we won the 2006 Copa del Rey at Espanyol with Walter Pandiani, Martín Posse and Pablo Zabaleta.
Another departure. Another change. An image of a footballer and his family that you rarely see. My farewell dinner at Espanyol in 2006.
The day I was given the gold-and-diamond badge to commemorate my 264 league appearances for Espanyol.
I hung up my boots in 2006 and we went to Bariloche in Argentina. The trip signified a transition from one era to another.
I have taken the family skiing once. We look great, right? But we didn’t have a clue how to ski. We shall not be going back!
Gaining experience with the Espanyol Women’s team in 2008. We trained on one half of the pitch and the youth team trained on the other. The boys often got distracted by looking at our female players. ‘Come on, look somewhere else, guys!’ I would say to them.
‘Always with the youth academy’ epitomises my time at Espanyol. I really like this photo.
We made a promise to climb Montserrat if we kept Espanyol up in my first season as coach.
In Nicola Cortese’s private jet on the way to England in January 2013. It was the beginning of my Premier League adventure.
The wooden-arrow challenge and walking on hot coals barefoot.
I had these pictures on the wall in my office at Southampton: the Argentinian Pope, a photo from my first game in charge and a newspaper cutting about what we were doing at the club.
While at Southampton, I decided to wear the tie that Cortese had given me before his departure a few months earlier for the final home game of the season. I asked Miki to take a photo of me to pay tribute to him.
A photo with all of the coaching staff and my colleagues at Southampton after my final match in charge of the team.
After a year in England, we had all gone pale, so as soon as we arrived in Barcelona we went to the pool. Taiel, our dog, came with us.
Meeting Sir Alex Ferguson was one of the greatest professional pleasures that I have experienced. Here I am admiring him alongside Guus Hiddink.
José Mourinho and I have always had a very good relationship. We sent each other messages for a long time, but now that we are direct rivals, we naturally keep a bit more distance.
In Nice with Daniel Levy on the way to Joe Lewis’s yacht during the summer when I decided to join Tottenham.
In the car with Miguel, Jesús, Toni and Xavier Elaine, our chiropractor and medical expert. We had signed for Tottenham but still lived in Southampton. We were wearing kit from the campaign that had just finished.
The trip to Argentina with Daniel Levy and the coaching staff brought us closer together. Some of us almost didn’t make it back!
Going for a walk and getting away from everything. Sometimes you come across some real gems while clearing your thoughts.
A W&N ebook
First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
This ebook published in 2017 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
© Guillem Balagué 2017
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reproducing copyright material. The author and publisher will
be glad to rectify any omissions at the earliest opportunity.
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-4091-5774-8
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