Matías Almeyda appointed as the new coach of Sevilla.

Matías Almeyda has officially become the new coach of Sevilla for the upcoming season. The 51-year-old Argentine has no experience in La Liga, but possesses the right qualifications to lead a project facing economic limitations, and he must end the turmoil that has plagued the Andalusian club over the past two seasons. The official announcement of Almeyda’s hiring, who played for Sevilla during the 1996-1997 season, confirms two key aspects. This is the first significant action of Antonio Cordón, the new sports director following the dismissal of Víctor Orta. Additionally, it reflects the appointment of a coach who was not the first choice for Sevilla. The club held several meetings with Imanol Alguacil, the selected coach, but the Basque manager was hesitant to take charge of a club in evident decline and facing financial difficulties.

Sevilla and Imanol faced each other on two occasions. The first meeting, with Víctor Orta still in charge, showed more alignment. In the second meeting, with Antonio Cordón, the connection was missing. The coach’s doubts intensified until he informed Sevilla last Thursday morning that he would not accept their offer, which was good in terms of finances and for three years, albeit with exit clauses. After Imanol’s refusal was confirmed, Sevilla, through Cordón, green-lighted the offer received from Almeyda’s agents, someone Cordón knew from his time in Greek football. Cordón had been the sports director at Olympiacos while Almeyda was the coach of AEK. The Argentine has signed for three years, also with exit clauses at the end of each term, and he will earn less than the offer made to Imanol, providing some relief to Sevilla’s delicate situation. For example, Cordón has been mandated to reduce the first team’s salary mass by 40%.

Almeyda’s experience in European football is limited to three years at AEK in Greece, where he won the title, indeed in 2023. He was eager to work in La Liga and turned down offers from Mexican and Arab football to embark on a project he finds exciting, albeit quite delicate. Sevilla is a powder keg both institutionally and sportingly. In the last two seasons, the team has flirted with relegation and instability reigns within an organization that has seen up to seven coaches in the last three seasons. The Andalusian club believes Almeyda fits the profile needed during this transitional and reconstructive phase. The challenge ahead for the Argentine is undoubtedly immense. He must maintain the level of a team that will sell its best players and have very limited capacity to sign new ones. However, Sevilla’s management was surprised by his understanding of the club’s situation and his hunger for success in Spanish football.

Almeyda has managed River Plate, Chivas in Mexico, San Jose Earthquakes in the United States, and from 2022 to 2025, AEK Athens, where he won a league title and a cup. As a player, he developed at River and made the most expensive transfer in Sevilla’s history during the summer of 1996. The Andalusian club, then led by José María González de Caldas, paid 1.4 billion pesetas for the 22-year-old midfielder from River. That story did not turn out well, and Almeyda did not succeed at a team that was relegated to the Second Division after using three coaches that season: Camacho, Bilardo, and Julián Rubio.

Almeyda had a very successful career in Italian football. Transferred to Lazio in 1997, he won the league with the Italian club in 2000, as well as the cup in 1998 and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999. He later moved to Parma (where he won another cup), finishing his career in Italy at Inter.