MADRID (AP) — A 48-year-old American coach who studied mathematics at Columbia University and grew up watching Diego Maradona play for Napoli has become part of the history of Real Sociedad, the Spanish club in the Basque Country.
Pellegrino “Lino” Matarazzo led Sociedad to victory. 4th Copa del Rey victory On Saturday, they defeated Atlético Madrid in a penalty shootout.
It was the first career title for the coach, who left the United States to pursue a career as a professional soccer player and eventually became a manager in Germany.
“It’s like, ‘Wow, wow, this happened, we did it, we did it,'” Matarazzo said. In less than four months, he led Sociedad from near the relegation zone of the Spanish league to lifting the prestigious Copa del Rey trophy.
The New Jersey-born manager took over in December when Sociedad were two points above the relegation zone. He guided it to safety and to the Copa title, which he called an “incredible journey”.
“If you think about all the games we played, every game since I arrived was very special, and I think it ended in a very special game,” Matarazzo said in a soft-spoken tone. “Wow, that’s amazing…”
Matarazzo downplayed his role in the team’s turnaround, crediting the talent and character of his players for their development and the Copa title.
“I’m very grateful to be the manager of this club. I’m very grateful,” Matarazzo said. “It’s obviously special to be a part of that history now. And I’m also very grateful to have this team, this player, this staff, this club. This is a product of what we’ve been doing together over the last few weeks.”
italian roots
Matarazzo comes from an Italian family and met his parents in the United States after they immigrated there for work.
Matarazzo’s first language before attending school was Italian. When Argentine great Maradona was playing for Napoli, he would often watch Serie A matches on a small TV in his father’s bedroom.
In an interview with Sociedad’s television channel, Matarazzo said that he always had a passion for soccer, even though it was far from popular while growing up in the United States.
Before moving to Germany to play, Matarazzo earned a degree in mathematics from Columbia University, which he said helped him as a coach even though he knew the job was about people, not just numbers.
career in germany
Matarazzo, a defender, initially tried to play in Italy, but was forced to return to the United States due to what he said was a breach of promise by his agent. After that, I went to Germany at the invitation of a friend, and immigrated there in my early 20s without knowing a word of German. He ended up staying and working in this country for 25 years.
Matarazzo started playing in the fourth division and eventually moved into coaching in Nuremberg’s reserve and youth teams. He was Julian Nagelsmann’s assistant at Hoffenheim in 2018, before joining Stuttgart in December 2019. He guided the club back into the Bundesliga on his first try and led them to a commendable finish in their first top-flight season.
He was released by Stuttgart at the end of 2022 and hired by Hoffenheim around four months later, where he remained until the end of 2024, before being released after a disappointing season.
Matarazzo made a great start in Spain and hoped this was “just the beginning” of a long and successful period for him and the club.
“I hope we remain ambitious because there are still seven games left in La Liga and we can do more,” he said. “I’m not done yet. Hopefully I’m not done yet.”
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