César Luis Menotti, Carlos Bilardo, and Marcelo Bielsa—Nothing but a list of some of the most iconic Argentine managers that soccer has been blessed with. Today, their legacy is being kept alive by a new generation of talented tacticians, with Mauricio Pochettino leading the pack. While achievements may not speak greatly enough, the 52-year-old has firmly established his reputation as a ‘big-name’ coach in the managerial world. However, today we shift our focus away from the pitch and shed light on the lesser-known aspects of his personal life.

The early life of Mauricio Pochettino

Born on March 2, 1972, Mauricio Pochettino spent his childhood in Murphy, Argentina. Technically, he is of Italian descent, as his great-grandfather moved from Italy to Argentina many years ago. He was born to his father, Hector Pochettino, and his mother, Amalia Pochettino. While his mom was a homemaker, Mauricio’s dad worked in a cattle farm just like his grandfather and great-grandfather. It explains where his love for the beautiful game comes from as father Héctor loved playing soccer.

However, grandfather didn’t allow Mauricio’s dad even the slightest to dream about being professional, especially for the eldest child, who left school at 12 to work on the family farm. Mauricio was lucky that Hector wasn’t harsh over the idea of pursuing a dream in soccer. At 14, Mauricio moved to Newell’s Old Boys where he kicked off his journey. Idolizing Germany icon Franz Beckenbauer, he played as a defender.

He struggled a lot in his earlier days. After attending agricultural school, he would take a three-hour bus ride to Rosario once a week. There he used to train with Rosario Central, one of Argentina’s oldest clubs, in the evening and the following morning, he’d take the bus back home to play with his hometown team on the weekends. Starting at Newell’s Old Boys, he moved to Espanyol in 1994/95, then to Paris Saint-Germain in 2001, and represented Argentina in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

After a stint at Bordeaux, he returned to Espanyol in 2004 and retired at 34, transitioning into coaching and taking over in January 2009. He later moved to the Premier League, coaching Southampton in 2012/13, and joined Tottenham in 2014/15, where he led them to the 2019 Champions League final. After a brief sabbatical, he returned to PSG before taking charge of Chelsea for a year.

As the only child, father Hector and mother, Amalia supported Mauricio to pursue his dreams. Growing up, not only did he become a successful player and then coach, but he also created his own family.

Meet Pochettino’s wife and children

Karina Pochettino, Mauricio’s wife, also hails from Argentina and was born in 1973, a year younger than Poch. Growing up, she studied pharmacy at the City’s National University. The two love birds first crossed paths in 1991 at a nightclub. Coincidentally, the two locked eyes when Mauricio came to celebrate his triumphant score for Newell’s Old Boys.

After establishing his career in soccer, Mauricio took the next step in his life and tied the knot with his three-year-long girlfriend in 1994. Both share two sons. The elder child Sebastiano was born on January 24, 1995, while the younger one, Maurizio, was born in Barcelona on March 30, 2001. Among the two sons Maurizio, who aims to follow in the footsteps of Pochettino.

Joining the youth ranks of Southampton during his father’s tenure there, he moved to Tottenham as well, in 2015. Having got his first professional contract in 2019 from Spurs, he joined Watford two years later before joining Spain’s Primera Federación club Gimnàstic in 2022. This year, Maurizio transferred to CD Ibiza.

Meanwhile, elder brother Sebastiano didn’t choose the beautiful game and instead studied European Baccalaureate of Sciences at St Paul’s School in Barcelona. After completing his bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise science from Solent University and a master’s degree in science from Université Paris-Saclay, Sebastiano began working as a first-team fitness coach at PSG, before joining Chelsea.

Learning all of this about Pochettino shows just how far he has come. While his children are thriving in their own lives, he enjoys a happy life with his beloved wife during his managerial sabbatical.