Club Leon manager Juan Antonio Pizzi has been announced as the next manager of the Chilean national team, succeeding the departed Jorge Sampaoli, who left after three years at the helm. 

A new man in town

Pizzi has club León since 2014 but before that had managerial spells in Spain, Chile and Argentina. He will take charge in a vital year for the Chilean national team, as he will manage the defending Copa America champions in the 2016 Copa America Centenario in the United States in June. After that, Pizzi will take Chile forward to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia, a berth which they earned by winning last summer's Copa America. In addition to those tournaments, Pizzi will also have to deal with qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia as they look to go to their third consecutive FIFA World Cup.

''We are very pleased with the arrival of Juan Antonio Pizzi. A professional who gives us full confidence, has an established career, has been a champion in Chile and Argentina, in addition to good campaigns in Europe and Mexico," said Chilean Football Federation President Arturo Salah. He continued his statement about how ''Pizzi is the right person to protect and continue the work of the Chilean national team, while maintaining the competitiveness shown in recent years." 

Who is Pizzi?

The 47-year old Pizzi coached for clubs Santiago Morning and Universidad Católica during 2009-2011, which means he brings experience as well as a familarity of Chilean soccer. Born in Argentina, Pizzi represented the Spanish national team for four years, appearing with it in one FIFA World Cup and one European Championship.

He spent the bulk of his club career in Spain, mainly at Tenerife, where he helped consolidate the side's status in La Liga where he amassed 221 top division appearances and 92 goals over the course of eight seasons. He also played for Valencia and Barcelona.

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About the author
Roberto Rojas
Writing about the beautiful game. Cohost of the @LowLimitFutbol Podcast.