River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo is always linked to various managerial jobs in Europe, but there is a time when he said no to FC Barcelona.
After Los Millonarios defeated Boca Juniors in the Copa Libertadores final in 2018 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, plenty of clubs in Europe noticed Gallardo, if they hadn’t already.
In 2020, Barça was looking to find their replacement for Ernesto Valverde. Ultimately, the Spanish club decided to go Quique Setién, but TyC Sports reports that Barça had approached Gallardo during their search.
The Argentine tactician was one of the few names the Spanish side was looking to take over their managerial role. However, when Barça decided to pull the trigger and fire Valverde, it was too late to continue talks with Gallardo.
Gallardo had already begun his 2020 pre-season with River Plate and wasn’t willing to leave the club in a bad position. As a result, the 45-year-old turned down the chance to manage Barça.