River Plate’s legendary coach Marcelo Gallardo has announced his resignation in a surprise video, ending his troubled second spell at the club.
Gallardo, the club’s most decorated coach, said he will take charge of his final match on Thursday, when the Millonario host Banfield at the Monumental in the Apertura tournament.
The 50-year-old River idol decided to bring his second, frustrating stint to a close after Sunday’s disappointing defeat to Vélez Sarsfield in Liniers – a result that deepened concerns in Núñez.
“Thursday will be my last game. I only have words of gratitude, mainly to this great club and its people for their unconditional love throughout all these years, even in the most difficult moments,” Gallardo said in a downcast farewell video.
He acknowledged that “things did not turn out as we had planned.”
“I am overcome with emotion and pain in my soul for not being able to achieve our goals,” he added.
“I sincerely hope that the institution, which has grown enormously in recent years, will achieve good results on the pitch to further enhance what River means,” Gallardo said.
After shining in his first eight-year spell on the River bench, winning 14 trophies, Gallardo has overseen 35 victories, 32 draws and 18 defeats since returning to the club of his heart in August 2024.
His second stint in charge has, by most accounts, unravelled quickly. He failed to reverse a disappointing 2025 campaign, which ended without silverware and without qualification for the Copa Libertadores.
This season, though still in its infancy, has begun poorly. River are on a run of three consecutive league defeats.
Home farewell
The match against Banfield, on matchday seven of the Apertura, will now serve as a farewell for a club legend who even has a statue at the Monumental.
On Thursday, however, he will be without two key figures through injury: Juan Fernando Quintero and Franco Armani – two of the so-called “heroes of Madrid,” the side led by ‘El Muñeco’ that defeated arch-rivals Boca Juniors in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final at the Santiago Bernabéu, widely considered the greatest triumph in River’s history.
Yet those glory days now seem distant. Gallardo has faced mounting criticism after assembling a squad that has failed to deliver despite heavy investment from River’s board.
The team have suffered 12 defeats in their last 20 matches across all domestic competitions – the highest tally among top-flight sides in that period.
On Sunday, River lost 1–0 to Vélez Sarsfield, leaving them 10th in their group and 21st overall in the 30-team standings.
They have also scored just four goals in six league matches, none of them from their forwards – one of the squad’s most glaring shortcomings.
One of the most persistent criticisms is that Gallardo built the squad to his own specifications, with the club investing more than US$70 million in new signings during his tenure.
Despite the backing of the institution and its board, the team failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores and this year have had to settle for the Copa Sudamericana.
The club’s new leadership, headed by Stefano Di Carlo, even extended Gallardo’s contract until December 2026.
‘El Muñeco,’ however, will now have to continue his story elsewhere.
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