Years before coaching the U.S. men’s national team in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and before managing some of the biggest clubs in world soccer, Mauricio Pochettino was known as “El Sheriff.”
Marshaling his area of the pitch with an aggressive and vocal presence, the former central defender made a name for himself in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a physical and thundering enforcer. This bold personality and imposing style was seen most prominently in Spain with Espanyol, where Pochettino landed after being molded by the youth ranks of Newell’s Old Boys.
Through two separate stints that marked the beginning and end of his playing career abroad, the long-haired officer took command at Espanyol. Establishing himself as a captain for the team that would go on to win two Copa del Rey titles, Pochettino showcased traits that paved the early foundations of his eventual and successful pivot to coaching.
With ensuing managerial positions at illustrious clubs such as Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, the Argentine’s legacy in the sport is defined by what he has done on the sidelines. With 2026 around the corner, that attention has been heightened to another level in his move to the wild west of North American soccer through his current position with the USMNT.
Plenty has been said about the 53-year-old based solely on what he has done as a manager. Analysis of his leadership, and the former player in general, tends to zero in on just his coaching era.
So let’s change that.
In order to better understand Pochettino’s process and way of thinking as he prepares for the World Cup with the U.S., we must first also understand him as a player — especially during his lengthy stay at Espanyol from 1994 to 2001 and 2004 to 2006. Through conversations with ESPN, a few of his former teammates at the Spanish club opened up about Pochettino, his on-the-field character, his different personality, his sense of humor off the pitch and much more.
‘We saw him as a leader’
“He spoke a lot,” former Espanyol full back Grégory Vignal said with a laugh. “Very typical South American guy from Argentina … but he was really good.”
Of the stories that were shared, one of the most common themes regarding Pochettino was just how boisterous the confident defender was as a player. And not just yelling for the sake of yelling, but organizing, directing and advising throughout practice sessions or the 90-plus minutes of a match.
“His voice is the way he controls, how he demands players, how we can move together, how we can support each other,” said Armando Sá, another former member of the Espanyol backline. “He had a strong presence.”
For Sá, even though it did mean that the presence was a highly persistent one, he felt reassurance whenever the Argentine was on the field with him.
“I felt very safe. I felt like someone [was], every time in my ears, talking, coaching me,” Sá said. “‘Go left, left, close the space, close that, come down, go inside’ … all these communications on the field were very clean from him, you know? Very good information.
“This made it easy when you play [like] that and one of the reasons we won the Copa del Rey.”
Before playing alongside each other at Espanyol, former midfielder Óscar García remembered Pochettino standing out when he first faced him with Barcelona.
“He looked like a leader,” García said. “Experienced, an aggressive defender.”
Praised as someone who was also technically good on the ball, and respectful to players and staff at training, it makes sense as to why many of his teammates have fond memories of Pochettino. His desire to guide a roster, coupled with his own skill set, made him an obvious candidate to be captain.
But was he always like this? Even from the beginning with Espanyol?
“In our first practice sessions, you can immediately notice that this kid has something special. I mean, he was immediately talking, organizing,” said Velko Iotov, a former Bulgaria international, when reminiscing about Pochettino’s early days. “Immediately, all the teammates saw him as a leader.”
Spanish lessons and pranks off the field
Described by Sá as “a different beast, he’s a different animal” on the field, what was Pochettino like when he didn’t have his cleats on?
“Honestly, a different guy,” the former Mozambique international said. “Calm, funny, liked to joke, he’s sarcastic … he’s a normal guy.”
When not a beast on the field, his former teammates shared anecdotes about the humble figure he was off the field, who was easy to befriend.
Iotov, who at one point was alone at Espanyol when his family was back home, remembers Pochettino inviting him to dinners with his own family. During those dinners and team meals, he didn’t seem to mind that Iotov’s Spanish was very limited, and used those moments to coach players outside of the confines of a training ground as well.
“Tenedor,” began one informal Spanish lesson after Pochettino held up a fork when sitting next to Iotov.
Another Spanish lesson also displayed Pochettino’s sense of humor. During a bus ride, the defender was walking past Vignal and noticed that the French-born player on loan from Liverpool was practicing his Spanish. Pochettino commended his efforts, but also gave him his own homework.
“He taught me one or two bad words to make sure I understand properly the language,” Vignal joked.
The current USMNT coach later played a prank that Vignal remembers to this day. New to the Barcelona area where Espanyol are based, Vignal wanted to take his girlfriend out to dinner and reached out to Pochettino, who recommended a place called La Dama.
“It was a beautiful restaurant, but he never told me it was really, really expensive,” Vignal said with a big laugh. “I think he did that on purpose.”
On the restaurant’s website, it describes itself as the “epitome of eclectic sophistication.” One review on TripAdvisor reads: “We knew it would be expensive, but didn’t think it would be that expensive.”
Vignal had a nice meal, but when receiving the bill: “Wow!”
At training the next day, Pochettino approached him with a smile and asked him if he enjoyed the experience. “Yeah, I also enjoyed the bill,” Vignal said.
Despite displaying the characteristics of a successful coach in his playing days, another theme that emerged from the conversations with his teammates was their surprise that Pochettino became a manager. If he had goals of being a coach one day, there was no indication that it was something he openly talked about. “You never know and he never said anything about it,” said García when asked if he could tell that the Espanyol captain would one day lead on the sidelines. “But he is having a very good coaching career.” Vignal agreed. “[He had] the characteristics [of a coach], of course, but sometimes you never expect this type of player or ex-player to become a coach or manager … but he had the profile,” the former France youth international said. There was undeniably a sense of pride among his teammates when opening up about what Pochettino has accomplished since becoming a manager after his 2006 retirement as a player. With PSG, Pochettino lifted a Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France, while finishing as a semifinalist in the UEFA Champions League. Over at Chelsea, he pushed them to a Carabao Cup final and an FA Cup semifinal. With Tottenham, he helped the team qualify for a Champions League final for the first and only time in club history. “I’m very happy for his career and very happy for what he’s achieved now,” said Sá, who hopes to one day work with Pochettino again, but as a coach. “I think he’s doing a good job. It’s not easy.” What could be easy is fully moving on past his days as “El Sheriff.” The attention and fame he has gained as a manager exceeds what he did on the field, despite the fact that Pochettino represented Argentina through 20 caps and a 2002 World Cup appearance. All that said, depending on who you ask, that Sheriff is still within the USMNT coach. In his previous coaching run with Chelsea during the 2023-2024 season, Pochettino was leading a preseason tour in the U.S. that took the team through Atlanta. At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Premier League club was training, a group of guests watched the practice session from afar. Unknown to Pochettino, Iotov was among that group. “Poche!” yelled the director of the local United Futbol Academy, thinking there was no way Pochettino was going to recognize him years after last seeing each other and among a random collection of people watching the training. “Velko!” Pochettino yelled back. He rushed over and “jumped” on Iotov. “People looked at me and said, ‘Who the heck are you?'” Iotov, a 1994 World Cup semifinalist, said. No longer watching from afar, Pochettino brought Iotov onto the field during the training. Later in the locker room, along with members of his coaching staff, they caught up for about an hour and a half. Pochettino was running late, with the bus ready to leave the stadium, but he didn’t care. “Oh, they can wait,” Pochettino said to Iotov, talkative as ever, as if nothing had changed for the former stalwart Espanyol figure who’s now commanding a different role.An unexpected pivot to coaching
