What’s happened to Marcelo Bielsa after leaving Leeds United | OneFootball

The Argentinian's managerial career has returned to the international stage since departing Elland Road

Marcelo Bielsa is comfortably in the top five greatest Leeds United managers of all time, and he could be even further up the list depending on which generation they grew up in.

The Argentinian boss transformed Leeds during his near-four-year spell in charge at Elland Road, and was responsible for bringing Premier League football back to the club after a 16-year spell away from it.

Many current Leeds fans even argue that Bielsa shouldn't have been sacked in February 2022, despite the club conceding 17 goals across a four-game losing streak and spiraling towards a relegation which they ultimately avoided under Jesse Marsch.

With the 69-year-old known to not hang around at one club for too long, his time at Leeds represents the most he's spent at one side in his career, and his departure from West Yorkshire put an end to 11 consecutive years managing in club football.

Since then, he's made his return to the international game in his home continent of South America.

Marcelo Bielsa's career after leaving Leeds United

Marcelo Bielsa took just over a year-long break before getting back into management, as he became Uruguay's new boss in May 2023.

He became one of the highest-paid coaches in South America, signing a contract which expires at the culmination of the 2026 World Cup. In the 2024 Copa América, Bielsa was the highest-paid coach at the tournament.

And in the tournament itself, Uruguay breezed past their group, winning all three games and conceding just once, before beating Brazil in the quarter-finals despite being reduced to ten men, and then falling to Colombia in the semi-finals.

Bielsa's men did earn third place after a penalty win over Canada, who were ironically managed by 'El Loco's' replacement in the Leeds dugout, Marsch.

A generally solid tournament for a country that hasn't enjoyed much success in the past 15 years or so, and many were touting Uruguay as an outside shout for the upcoming World Cup under Bielsa. However, some shaky World Cup qualifying form, along with criticism from key players, has that under threat.

Coaching style and results questioned - Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay pre-World Cup 2026

Uruguay's win over Venezuela in their most recent World Cup qualifier was a key one, as it all but qualified the two-time winners for next summer's competition in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

With two games remaining in qualifying, Bielsa's side sit fourth in a league where the top six teams automatically head through, and now have a six-point buffer to seventh place.

However, this win was their first in five, and marked only the third qualifier in ten since last summer's Copa América in which El Loco's side scored a goal.

It's been a tough 10 months for Bielsa, with his coaching style even being criticised by influential forward Luis Suárez last October, as some players told the former Liverpool and Barcelona frontman that they wouldn't play for the national team again after the Copa América.

The 69-year-old was always known to be a strict operator in the dugout, and if you were on his side, you'd likely reap the rewards. But if you weren't, Bielsa would waste no time in removing you from his plans.

Uruguayans will be hoping that the win over Venezuela will put that in the past and kickstart an important year as the side prepares for the World Cup, with the hopes of progressing much further than Qatar's group stage exit.