Bielsa's disciples meet again in Mexico 30 years later

As if it were yesterday when fate made their paths cross at Atlas under the command of Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, the former World Cup player Pavel Pardo and the also Argentine Eduardo Berizzo, greeted each other again 30 years later after having defended the red and black colors.

A reunion with a taste of nostalgia between eThe newly hired coach of León and the former midfielder of Atlas, Tecos, América, Stuttgart of the Bundesliga and Chicago Fire, at the facilities of the Esmeraldas squad on the eve of the duel against Cruz Azul this Saturday in the activity of date 7 of the 2024 Apertura tournament.

A meeting between two members of that Atlas where the presence of the sought-after and controversial Argentine strategist Marcelo Bielsa who brought “Toto” Berizzo from his country and promoted the emergence of Pável Pardo from the once sought-after red-and-black quarry, was fundamental for both ex-footballers shared locker room stories from the 1993 to 1996 seasons.

But as they say, rolling stones meet, Now with the arrival of the so-called “Toto” Berizzo to the technical direction of León, his former teammate Pável Pardo did not want to miss the opportunity to go and greet him at the facilities of the Leonese entity to remember old times.

South American Berizzo arrived at Atlas from Argentine footballwhere he had Marcelo Bielsa as coach at Newell’s Old Boy, to defend the Atlas shirt for three seasons at a time when players such as Cristian “Pájaro” Domizzi and Ricardo Lunari also arrived, among others.

While that Pavel found his niche of opportunity with the arrival of Bielsa to Atlas to begin writing his brilliant story as a full-back for the red-and-black squad and start to grow surrounded by experienced players like Berizzo himself.

There the seed of friendship was planted that after three decades made this Thursday a different day for the Esmeraldas del León team, who sought the services of Berizzo to straighten the ship that started the current tournament with much turbulence. already on the verge of shipwreck under the orders of the Uruguayan Jorge Bava.

Without a doubt, both players learned Bielsa’s concepts by heart to create a brilliant career that led Pavel Pardo to defend the shirts of Tecos, América, Stuttgart of the Bundesliga and the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS). as well as the Mexico jersey at the World Cups in France 1998 and Germany 2006.

While Berizzo from Atlas moved to River Plate of Argentina and from there he made the jump to Olympique de Marseille, then to Celta de Vigo and Cádiz in Spain, before making a career as a strategist, first as an assistant to Marcelo Bielsa in Chile and then walking solo in teams such as Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina.

As well as Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Athletic Clubas well as the national teams of Paraguay and Chile, which undoubtedly give him a track record of great respect upon his arrival to the team from the Bajío region of Mexico.

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