Gustavo Matosas

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Matosas and the second or maternal family name is Paidón.

Gustavo Matosas
Matosas in 2014
Personal information
Full name Gustavo Cristian Matosas Paidón
Date of birth (1967-05-27) 27 May 1967
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1988 Peñarol 105 (8)
1989–1990 Málaga 45 (4)
1991–1992 San Lorenzo 45 (3)
1992 Racing Club 12 (1)
1993–1994 São Paulo 5 (2)
1993–1994 Lleida 17 (2)
1994–1995 Valladolid 15 (1)
1996 Atlético Paranaense - (-)
1997 Goiás 14 (0)
1999–2000 Tianjin Teda 49 (2)
2001 El Tanque Sisley - (-)
2001 Querétaro 6 (0)
International career
1987–1992 Uruguay 7 (1)
Managerial career
2002–2003 Villa Española
2004 Plaza Colonia
2005 Rampla Juniors
2006–2007 Danubio
2007–2008 Peñarol
2008–2009 Bella Vista
2009–2010 U. de San Martín
2010–2011 Danubio
2011 Queretaro
2012–2014 León
2014–2015 América
2015 Atlas
2016 Al-Hilal
2017 Cerro Porteño
2017 Estudiantes LP
2018–2019 Costa Rica
2019 Atlético San Luis
Medal record
Representing  Uruguay
Copa América
Winner 1987 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gustavo Cristian Matosas Paidón (born 25 May 1967) is a Uruguayan former professional footballer and football manager. As a player, he was a central midfielder known for his technical ability and leadership, notably winning the 1987 Copa Libertadores with Peñarol and the 1987 Copa América with the Uruguay national football team. His club career spanned over 15 years across Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, Brazil, China, and Mexico.

After retiring, Matosas transitioned into management and gained widespread recognition for guiding Club León to consecutive Liga MX titles in the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014 seasons. He also managed prominent clubs including Club América, with whom he won the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, as well as Atlas F.C., Estudiantes de La Plata, Al Hilal SFC, and the Costa Rica national football team. His coaching career has been marked by both domestic and international tenures, alongside periods of both success and controversy.

Playing career

Club

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 25 May 1967, Gustavo Matosas is the son of former Uruguayan international footballer Roberto Matosas. At the time of his birth, his father was playing for River Plate.[1]

Despite being born in Argentina, Matosas was eligible to represent Uruguay through his father and chose to play internationally for that country.

He began his professional career in 1985 with Peñarol in the Uruguayan Primera División.[2] While at Peñarol, he won two league titles and was part of the squad that captured the 1987 Copa Libertadores, defeating América de Cali in the final.[3]

Following his success in Uruguay, Matosas had an extensive international club career. He played for Málaga in Spain, San Lorenzo in Argentina, and São Paulo in Brazil. He later joined Tianjin Teda in China, and also had spells with various other clubs across Argentina, Brazil, and Spain during the 1990s.[4]

He concluded his playing career in Mexico, where he appeared for Querétaro in the Primera División de México before retiring in 2001.[5]

International

Matosas made his debut with the Uruguay national football team in 1987. That same year, he was part of the squad that won the 1987 Copa América, defeating the Chile 1–0 in the final held in Buenos Aires.[6] Over the course of his international career, he earned seven caps for Uruguay.[7]

Managerial career

In 2012, Matosas became manager of Club León, where he led the team to promotion to Liga MX from Ascenso MX.[8] Under his guidance, León won back-to-back league titles in the Apertura 2013 and Clausura 2014 tournaments, a rare achievement in Mexican football.[9]

In December 2014, Matosas was announced as the new manager of Club América.[10] During his tenure, the club won the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League, securing a place in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.[11] He left América in May 2015, citing disagreements with the club’s board over player transfers.[12]

Later in 2015, Matosas took over as manager of Atlas FC, but his time with the club was short-lived, and he departed after one season.[13]

On 12 June 2016, he signed a one-year contract with Al Hilal FC of Saudi Arabia.[14] During his tenure, Al Hilal reached the final of the Saudi Crown Prince Cup, where they were defeated by Al-Ittihad.[15]

Matosas returned to South America in June 2017 to manage Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina.[16] He resigned on 19 September 2017, citing personal reasons.[17]

On 10 October 2018, he was appointed head coach of the Costa Rica national football team.[18] His tenure saw underwhelming results, including draws against Haiti and Curaçao in the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League. He resigned on 5 September 2019, later stating the role was "boring" due to limited day-to-day activity compared to club management.[19]

On 9 September 2019, Matosas was appointed manager of newly promoted Atlético San Luis in Liga MX.[20] He made a winning debut on 13 September 2019, leading the team to a 3–1 victory over Puebla.[21]

However, his stint was cut short by mid-season. On 26 October 2019, leaked audio surfaced from a 2012 conversation between Matosas and agent Fernando Pavón, allegedly detailing a commission arrangement regarding striker Matías Britos’ transfer at Club León.[22] The revelation sparked ethical questions under FIFA rules and intensified scrutiny.

Following a string of five losses in seven matches and heightening off-field pressure, Atlético San Luis and Matosas mutually terminated his contract on 27 October 2019.[23][24] No formal sanctions were recorded, but the incident drew significant attention from media and Liga MX officials.

Honours

As a player

Peñarol

Uruguay

As a manager

Danubio

León

America

References

  1. ^ FIFA – Gustavo Matosas Profile
  2. ^ Tenfield – El perfil de Gustavo Matosas
  3. ^ CONMEBOL – A 33 años del título de Peñarol en la Copa Libertadores 1987
  4. ^ BDFutbol – Gustavo Matosas player profile
  5. ^ Mediotiempo – Trayectoria de Gustavo Matosas
  6. ^ RSSSF – Copa América 1987 Full Details
  7. ^ National-Football-Teams.com – Gustavo Matosas
  8. ^ Club León logra el ascenso a Primera División – ESPN Deportes
  9. ^ León se consagra campeón del Clausura 2014 – ESPN Deportes
  10. ^ Matosas es el nuevo técnico del América – MedioTiempo
  11. ^ América conquista la Concachampions – Marca
  12. ^ Matosas deja al América por diferencias con la directiva – Récord
  13. ^ Gustavo Matosas es presentado como técnico de Atlas – AS México
  14. ^ Matosas firmó con Al Hilal de Arabia Saudita – ESPN FC
  15. ^ Al Hilal pierde la final ante Al-Ittihad – Arab News
  16. ^ Estudiantes presentó a Gustavo Matosas como nuevo DT – La Nación
  17. ^ Gustavo Matosas renuncia a Estudiantes – TyC Sports
  18. ^ Costa Rica nombra a Gustavo Matosas como seleccionador – EFE
  19. ^ Matosas renuncia a Costa Rica y dice que ser DT de selección es aburrido – ESPN Deportes
  20. ^ Uruguayan Matosas to take charge of Mexico's Atletico San Luis – Xinhua
  21. ^ Viva Liga MX – Gustavo Matosas fired – Viva Liga MX
  22. ^ Infobae – Corrupción en la Liga MX
  23. ^ Viva Liga MX – Gustavo Matosas fired
  24. ^ Tico Times – Two months after quitting La Sele, Matosas is out at Mexican club
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