Marcelo Gallardo, known as the 'Muñeco', announced on Monday that he will step down as River Plate coach following a 0-1 defeat to Vélez Sarsfield. His departure ends his second stint at the club, which started in August 2024 and yielded no titles. His final match will be this Thursday against Banfield at Estadio Monumental.
Marcelo Gallardo announced his resignation as River Plate's head coach via a video on social media, hours after a 0-1 defeat to Vélez Sarsfield in Liniers on Sunday. This marked the team's 14th loss in the last 20 official matches, deepening a crisis of irregular performances and three consecutive defeats in the tournament.
In the message, Gallardo stated: 'Me invade el dolor en el alma por no cumplir con los objetivos' (It invades my soul with pain for not meeting the objectives). He thanked the support and wished the club well: 'Simplemente mi amor recíproco para todos los hinchas y espero de todo corazón que esta institución [...] lo pueda encontrar con buenos resultados futbolísticos' (Simply my reciprocal love to all the fans and I hope from the bottom of my heart that this institution [...] can find it with good football results). His son, Nahuel Gallardo, posted on social media shortly after the confirmation.
Gallardo's second cycle, starting in August 2024 after a stint in Arab football, featured 85 matches with 35 wins, 32 draws, and 18 losses, achieving 53.72% effectiveness. No titles were won, contrasting his first tenure (2014-2022), where he managed 424 games, secured over 220 victories, and claimed 14 trophies, including Copa Libertadores wins in 2015 and 2018. The turning point was the elimination from the 2025 Copa Libertadores against Palmeiras, followed by a slump with 10 losses in the last 15 Liga Profesional matches.
River invested around 100 million dollars in reinforcements requested by Gallardo, but the squad delivered uneven results. Highlights included two wins over Boca Juniors: 1-0 at La Bombonera in 2024 and 2-1 at Monumental in 2025. The board has begun searching for a replacement, with the first leaked contact to Eduardo Coudet, and the technical secretariat led by Enzo Francescoli and Leonardo Ponzio will be key.
Gallardo canceled the post-Vélez press conference to reflect and will lead his final training before the Banfield match.
