Marcelo Daniel Gallardo (Spanish pronunciation: [maɾˈselo ɣaˈʝaɾðo];[a] born 18 January 1976)[3] is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who is the current head coach of River Plate.

[6] After topping the 2010–11 Uruguayan Primera División season with Nacional de Montevideo, Gallardo retired as a player to coach the team.

[3][8] Gallardo made his professional debut at age 17 for the club during the 1992–93 Argentinian Torneo de Clausura in a 2–0 win against Newell's Old Boys.

[11] He received his first international trophy (the Copa Libertadores) that year, as River Plate defeated América de Cali 2–1 in the final series.

[14] Gallardo was scouted by European teams during the late 1990s and signed with France's Ligue 1 Monaco, bringing his initial spell with River Plate to an end with the 1998–99 season.

[17] He made his European debut on the opening day of the 1999–2000 season in a 2–2 tie against Saint-Étienne, and scored his first goal for the team on 12 September in a 1–2 away loss to Rennes.

[18] Despite an ankle injury before the season, Gallardo quickly adapted to French football and partnered with Ludovic Giuly in midfield and attackers Marco Simone and David Trezeguet.

[22] Gallardo played a key scoring role in the 1–1 home tie against Atlético de Rafaela, which clinched the championship over long-standing rivals Boca Juniors.

[27] After one season with the club, scoring two goals in 13 matches, Gallardo terminated his two-year contract to move to Major League Soccer in the United States.

[32] In 2010, after a final short spell in River Plate as a player, Gallardo signed with Nacional de Montevideo in the Uruguayan league.

Considered a key player with Guillermo Barros Schelotto, he scored one of the victory goals in the final penalty shootout against Mexico.

[41] Although Gallardo had a series of injuries (including a hamstring strain due to a lack of rest between matches) before the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France,[42] he played in the group stage against Jamaica and Croatia and in the eighth-finals victory against England;[43] the team lost in the quarter-finals to Holland.

[43] Looking back at his injury-plagued World Cup participation, he called not being able to compete at the same level as the other players "the worst thing that can happen to a footballer".

[47] Days after announcing his retirement from the Nacional de Montevideo squad which won the 2010–11 Uruguayan Primera División season championship, he accepted the team's offer to coach.

[35] On 6 June 2014, Gallardo was presented by technical secretary and former teammate Enzo Francescoli as the new manager of River Plate after the controversial resignation of Ramón Díaz on 27 May.

River Plate bought only two players: attacking midfielder Leonardo Pisculichi, who had been relegated to second division with Argentinos Juniors, and goalkeeper Julio Chiarini from Instituto de Córdoba.

[52] Gallardo's coaching style was praised by the Argentine press, with the team tying its all-time unbeaten record on 9 November with 32 undefeated games before losing to Estudiantes de La Plata three days later.

Planning to rest his key players for the semi-finals, Gallardo played a substitute team against second-place Racing Club and lost on an own goal by Ramiro Funes Mori.

Defenders Gabriel Mercado and Germán Pezzella scored in the second leg at the Monumental, giving the unbeaten River Plate a 2–0 win and its first international title since 1997.

In the second leg, played at the Monumental, River won 3–0 with goals by Lucas Alario, Carlos Sánchez, and Ramiro Funes Mori for their first Libertadores championship in nine years.

[64] River played in the year-end 2015 FIFA Club World Cup, struggling to beat 2015 J1 League winners Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1–0 in the semi-finals with a goal from Lucas Alario and three saves in the first half by goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero.

[70] River Plate then earned the right to play in the 2017 Copa Libertadores and the 2016 Supercopa Argentina against 2016 Primera División champion Lanús, where it was defeated 3–0.

[77] Despite missing the finals with a suspension for violating a previous penalty in the semi-finals against Grêmio, Gallardo's coaching played a key role in the victory (considered one of the most important in Argentine football history).

[83][84] Into the early 2020s, Brazilian teams showed a stronger performance than their counterparts in the CONMEBOL international tournaments, due to a higher competitiveness in their local league and a more favorable domestic economic situation.

[85] Although Gallardo displayed his ability to form competitive squads over the years in spite of factors such as key players leaving the roster, Argentina's growing economical disparity with Brazil's took its toll in River Plate's performance against its teams.

[86] After a tough fall in the 2021 Copa Libertadores quarter-finals against Atlético Mineiro, he acknowledged their rivals beat them, playing "much better", and opted to focus on that year's edition of the Argentine league.

[91] After a defeat to Al-Ettifaq by 5–0 at home, which left them with no chance of qualifying for the next edition of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite and added to the poor results, Gallardo was sacked on 13 May 2024.

A skillful, intelligent player, he was valued for his vision, technique, class, dribbling, and ability to defeat opponents in one-on-one situations and was best known for defence-splitting passes.