Marcelo Gallardo to leave River Plate, final match on Thursday | OneFootball

Marcelo Gallardo, River Plate’s most decorated coach and a club idol, announced on Monday that Thursday’s league fixture will be his last in charge of the Buenos Aires side.

The coach said in a video on the club’s social channels that he felt deep emotion and pain at missing targets, and he thanked the club and supporters for their unconditional backing during a difficult spell.

River have begun the new season poorly, with three straight league defeats, and sit 21st in a 30-team table.

In his second spell, which began in August 2024, Gallardo could not arrest a disappointing 2025 campaign that ended without silverware or qualification for the 2026 Copa Libertadores. His record across the return stands at 35 wins, 32 draws and 18 defeats.

The 50-year-old, criticised for assembling an expensively built squad that failed to deliver, has lost 12 of his past 20 matches in domestic competitions, the worst run among Primera División clubs over that period. His first tenure from 2014 to 2022 brought 14 trophies, and a statue of him stands at the Monumental.

Source: L'Équipe