No matter what team wins this Copa América edition, Argentina will have a winner. The South American tournament will hand its glory to one of the four Argentinean coaches still alive in the competition, each with different backgrounds, but all of them with the needed credentials to be considered among the best managers in CONMEBOL. Three of these coaches made their debut with their team after the 2014 World Cup, being Jorge Sampaoli the only one to have coach its current side in the world's most relevant football tournament.With that in mind, let's have a closer look at what each manager has accomplished with their National Teams and all the previous team's they've coached.
Argentina - Gerardo Martino
"El Tata" took Argentina's hottest seat looking for redemption after failing to win any major trophies with Barcelona. Martino's coaching career includes a six-year relationship with Paraguay, where he led Los Guaraníes to a historic performance in the 2010 World Cup, followed by a second place finish in the 2011 Copa América. Martino started coaching in 1998, taking second-tier teams such as Almirante Brown and Platense, from the Argentinean Nacional B Division. His first glorious moments came when he took Paraguayan team Libertad to win back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003. His winning skills were enjoyed by another Paraguayan club, Cerro Porteño, which won the 2004 title under "El Tata". After a brief period of rest, Martino returned to coach Libertad and won the Apertura and Clausura tournaments with the club. His coaching talents were attractive enough to give him the chance to lead La Albirroja from 2006 and 2011, and before his failed adventure with Barcelona, he took over the coaching duties of his beloved club Newell's Old Boys, saving them from relegation and giving them the Torneo Final title in 2013. Martino has coached Argentina's most recent 12 games, winning eight, drawing two and losing a couple more.
Chile - Jorge Sampaoli
The 55-year old coach started preparing his career on the sidelines after being forced out of the pitch due to a leg injury when he was just 20. His first job came in the Nacional B Metropolitana with Newell's youth team Argentino de Rosario. Back in 2002, his coaching career took off in Perú, coaching different teams until 2007. His first coaching gig in Chile came in 2008, when he started working with O'Higgins. He had a brief stint coaching in Ecuador, and finally came back to Chile to coach one of the most important clubs in the country: Universidad de Chile. With "La U", Sampaoli won three consecutive domestic titles, and added to his resume the 2011 Copa Libertadores. After his successful run, he was appointed as new coach for La Roja, where he was able to lead Los Andinos to their first World Cup since the 1998 edition. He has been in charge of La Roja for 37 games, winning 23, drawing 7 and losing the same amount.
Paraguay - Ramón Díaz
"El Pelado", as he is known since his playing days, has enjoyed a lenghty spell as coach for several teams, including his beloved River Plate. His first job as coach goes back to 1995, when he took River Plate's top job and managed to win five leagues with Los Millonarios. Furthermore, his dominance included winning the 1996 edition of the Copa Libertadores, with players such as Hernán Crespo and Enzo Francescoli in the team. He took a job as Sports Director with English Club Oxford United until 2005, when he returned to Argentina and coached San Lorenzo de Almagro, winning the Clausura 2007 tournament. After that, he enjoyed an unsuccessful stint as coach for Mexican Club América, returning a few years later to handle River Plate once again, lifting two more trophies with Los Millonarios in 2014. Diaz took Paraguay's top job in December of 2014, and his record with La Albirroja includes seven games, winning one, drawing five and losing only one, a friendly match against Mexico earlier this year.
Perú - Ricardo Gareca
"El Tigre" was a successful striker who played for all of Argentina's top clubs incuding Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente and Vélez Sarsfield. His first glory as coach came when he led Talleres to the Argentinean top flight by winning the championship in 1998. After bouncing around in different teams from his home country with mixed results, he had a two-year stint in Colombia, coaching América de Cali and Santa Fe, but his breakthrough came when he took over Universitario's coaching duties in Perú, winning the Apertura tournament in 2008. He returned to his native country with Vélez Sarsfield, and he was able to lead his beloved club to four titles. Gareca led the team with the "V" on their chest to the 2009 and 2011 Clausura tournaments, adding the 2012 Torneo Inicial. Finally he won the Campeonato Nacional in the 2012/2013 season. After a brief stint coaching Brazilian club Palmeiras, he was appointed as Perú's coach in March of 2015.