Santiago Solari


Santiago Hernán Solari Poggio is an Argentine former footballer who played as a left midfielder, and a current manager.
He spent the better part of his 16-year professional career in Spain, amassing La Liga totals of 177 matches and 17 goals mainly with Real Madrid, but also played in Italy for Inter Milan, winning 13 major titles with both teams.
Solari began working as a coach in 2013, going on to spend several years associated with Real Madrid in different capacities.

Playing career

Club

Early career / River

Born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Solari played youth football for Newell's Old Boys and Renato Cesarini, after returning from the United States where he attended Richard Stockton College in New Jersey. He joined Club Atlético River Plate midway through the 1995–96 season, making his Primera División debut on 12 May.
Solari appeared in 24 league games in his first full campaign, helping River to both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments.

Atlético Madrid

Solari moved to Spain late in the 1999 January transfer window, signing with Atlético Madrid. He played his first La Liga game on 7 February, in a 1–2 away loss against UD Salamanca.
Solari had his best individual season in 1999–2000 when he scored six goals in 34 matches, but the Colchoneros were relegated from the top level.

Real Madrid

Subsequently, Solari moved across the city to join Real Madrid. After a poor first season he became a regular, albeit as a substitute; in the final of the 2001–02 UEFA Champions League, in which he played the full 90 minutes, he was involved in the play that led to Zinedine Zidane's wonder strike against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, in an eventual 2–1 win.
Solari's best season with Real was 2003–04, but his five goals from 34 appearances – 15 starts, 1,539 minutes of action – could only help the side to the fourth position in the league. During his five-year spell he also played 49 matches in the Champions League, netting seven times.

Inter / Later years

Solari signed a three-year contract with Inter Milan in the summer of 2005 for €6 million, being sparingly used during his three-year stint but winning three consecutive Serie A titles to add to his trophy cabinet, the 2006 edition due to the Calciopoli scandal.
On 30 June 2008, Solari's contract with the Nerazzurri expired and he joined San Lorenzo de Almagro shortly after. On 9 July of the following year, he moved teams and countries again and signed with Atlante F.C. from Mexico, again on a free transfer.
In early September 2010, 34-year-old Solari signed with Uruguayan club Peñarol for one year, yet again as a free agent. He retired after only a couple of months.

International

Solari won 11 caps for Argentina, during five years. He was not selected for any major international tournaments, however.

Coaching career

Solari started working as a manager in 2013, first being in charge of Real Madrid's youths. Ahead of the 2016–17 season, he was appointed at the reserves who competed in Segunda División B.
On 29 October 2018, Solari was named caretaker manager of the first team after the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui. He assumed the role the next day, and became the official coach 14 days later because in Spain no club was allowed to have a caretaker for more than two weeks.
Solari was sacked on 11 March 2019. He won the FIFA Club World Cup during his tenure, extending Real's reign in the competition to three consecutive titles.

Style of play

A dynamic and versatile winger, with excellent technical ability, Solari was mainly known for his dribbling skills, although he was also an accurate passer and was capable of striking the ball from distance with both feet.

Broadcasting

Since 2010, Solari worked as pundit for ESPN.

Personal life

Nicknamed Indiecito, Solari came from a sporting family: his uncle Jorge, his father Eduardo and two of his four siblings, younger Esteban and David, are also footballers. His younger sister, Liz, worked as an actress.
His uncle Jorge played for several clubs during his career, mostly Club Atlético River Plate, whilst his cousin Natalia married Fernando Redondo who also represented Real Madrid. All but David played for Argentina.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.20 December 2000Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, United States1–02–0Friendly

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

River Plate
Real Madrid
Inter Milan
Real Madrid