Pochettino the Player: How his playing days shaped the USMNT coach

Years before he was coaching the US men’s national team in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, and before managing some of the biggest clubs in world soccer, Mauricio Pochettino was known as "The honorable“.

Organizing 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 explosive enforcer. This bold personality and imposing style was most prominently displayed in Spain with Espanyol, where Pochettino arrived after being drafted through the youth ranks at Newell’s Old Boys.

Through two separate spells that marked the beginning and end of his playing career abroad, the long-haired officer took charge at Espanyol. Pochettino established himself as captain of a team that won two Copa del Rey titles, displaying traits that laid the early foundations for his successful coaching pivot.

With him holding managerial positions at iconic clubs such as Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur, the Argentine’s legacy in the sport is defined by what he did on the sidelines. Heading into 2026, that interest has risen to another level as he moves to the Wild West of North American soccer with his current position in the NFL.

A lot has been said about the 53-year-old based solely on what he has done as a manager. Analysis of his leadership, and former player status in general, tends to focus on the coaching era alone.

So let’s change that.

In order to better understand Pochettino’s process and mindset as he prepares for the World Cup with the United States, we must first understand him as a player – especially during his long 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 spoke about Pochettino, his personality on the pitch, his different personality, and his sense of humor. Stadium and much more.

“We saw him as a leader.”

“He talked a lot,” former Espanyol full-back Gregory Vignal said with a laugh. “A very typical South American guy from Argentina… but he was really good.”

Among the stories shared, one of the most common themes regarding Pochettino was how powerful the confident defender was as a player. And it’s not just shouting for the sake of shouting, but organisation, guidance and advice throughout training sessions or over 90 minutes of a match.

“His voice is the way he controls, how he asks the players, how we can move together, how we can support each other,” said Armando Sa, another former member of Espanyol’s backline. “He had a strong presence.”

For Sa, although this meant that the presence was very constant, he felt reassured whenever the Argentine was with him on the field.

“I felt very safe. I felt like someone [was]“Every time, he speaks in my ear, coaching me,” Sa said. “Go left, left, close the space, close that, go down, get inside”… All those communications on the pitch were very clean from him, you know? Very good information.

“That made it easy when you played [like] This is one of the reasons why we won the King’s Cup.”

Before playing alongside him at Espanyol, former midfielder Oscar Garcia recalled Pochettino’s brilliance when he first faced him for Barcelona.

“He seemed like a leader,” Garcia said. “Experienced, aggressive defender.”

Lauded as someone who was technically good on the ball, and respected players and staff in training, it stands to reason that many of his teammates would have fond memories of Pochettino. His desire to lead the roster, coupled with his special skill set, made him an obvious candidate to be captain.

But was it always like this? Even from the beginning with Espanyol?

“In our first training sessions, you could immediately notice that this kid had something special,” said former Bulgaria international Vilko Etov when recalling Pochettino’s early days. “I mean he was talking and organizing straight away.” “Immediately, all his teammates saw him as a leader.”

Lessons and pranks in the Spanish language outside the field

Sa described him as “a different beast, a different animal” on the pitch. What did Pochettino look like when he wasn’t in his boots?

“Honestly, he’s a different man,” the former Mozambican international said. “Calm, funny, he likes to joke, he’s sarcastic… he’s a normal guy.”

When he wasn’t a monster on the field, former teammates shared tales of the down-to-earth personality he was off the field, who was easy to make friends with.

Yotov, who was alone in Espanyol when his family was home, recalls Pochettino inviting him to dinner with his family. During dinners and team meals, he didn’t mind that Iotov’s Spanish was very limited, and he used those moments to coach players beyond the confines of the training field as well.

“Tindoor“, began an informal Spanish lesson after Pochettino raised a fork as he sat next to Yotov.

Another Spanish lesson also showcased Pochettino’s sense of humour. While on the bus, the defender was walking past Vignal and noticed that the French-born player on loan from Liverpool was practicing his Spanish. Pochettino praised his efforts, but also gave him his homework.

“He taught me one or two bad words to make sure I understood the language correctly,” Vignal joked.

The current USMNT coach later played a joke that Vignal remembers to this day. Vignal was new to the Barcelona area where Espanyol is based, and wanted to take his girlfriend out to dinner and got in touch with Pochettino, who recommended a place called La Dama.

“It was a nice restaurant, but he never told me it was really expensive,” Vignal said with a hearty laugh. “I think he did it on purpose.”

On the restaurant’s websiteHe describes himself as “an example of selective evolution.” 1 review on TripAdvisor “We knew it would be expensive, but we didn’t think it would be this expensive,” it reads.

Vignal ate a delicious meal, but upon receiving the bill: “Wonderful!”

At training the next day, a smiling Pochettino approached him and asked if he had enjoyed the experience. “Yes, I also enjoyed the bill,” Vignal said.

An unexpected focus of training

Despite displaying the characteristics of a successful manager in his playing days, another theme that emerged from conversations with his team-mates was their surprise that Pochettino became a coach. If he had goals of one day becoming a coach, there was no indication he was talking about them publicly.

“You never know and he hasn’t said anything about that,” Garcia said when asked if he could say the Espanyol captain would one day lead off the pitch. “But he has had a very good coaching career.”

Vignal agreed.

“[He had] Characteristics [of a coach]“Of course, but sometimes you never expect that kind of player or former player to become a coach or a manager, but he had the profile,” the former France youth international said.

There was an undeniable sense of pride among his teammates when he spoke of what Pochettino has achieved since becoming a coach after retiring as a player in 2006.

With Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino won the French League title and the French Cup, while reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League. At Chelsea, he led them to the Carabao Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final. With Tottenham, he helped the team qualify for the Champions League final for the first and only time in the club’s history.

“I am very happy with his career and very happy with what he has achieved now,” said Sa, 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 to move on from his past days as “The honorableThe attention and fame he gained as a coach far outweighed what he did on the pitch, though, as Pochettino represented Argentina with 20 caps and an appearance at the 2002 World Cup.

All that said, depending on who you ask, Sharif is still on the USMNT as coach.

In his previous coaching career with Chelsea during the 2023-2024 season, Pochettino was leading a pre-season tour in the United States that led the team through Atlanta. At the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the English Premier League club was training, a group of guests watched the training session from afar.

Pochettino was not aware that Iotov was among that group. “Pucci!” exclaimed the director of the local United Football Academy, thinking it impossible that Pochettino would recognize him years after his last encounter with a random group of people watching training. “Filco!” Pochettino shouted again. He rushed and “jumped” on Yotov.

“People looked at me and said: ‘Who are you?'” said Etove, who reached the 1994 World Cup semi-finals.

He no longer watched the match from afar, and Pochettino brought Iotov to the field during training. Later in the locker room, they interacted with members of the coaching staff for about an hour and a half. Pochettino was late, the bus was ready to leave the stadium, but he didn’t care.

“Oh, they can wait,” Pochettino told Iotov, more talkative than ever, as if nothing had changed for the former Espanyol stalwart who now commanded a different role.