Matias Jesus Almeyda was born on December 21 1973 in Azul near Buenos Aires.
He started playing football in the youth teams of River Plate and debuted in 1991-92. He played for River for five years winning the Apertura three times (1993, 1995 and 1996) and Copa Libertadores in 1996.
In 1996 Almeyda signed for Sevilla. It was not a good year for the club and at the end of the season they were relegated.
In 1997 he was signed by Lazio. In his first year he did not play much, just 28 games, but in his second he became a regular player, impressing everybody. A strong, powerful, tireless player, he blocked the opposition and stole balls allowing the counter attack. He was the perfect midfield companion for Juan Sebastian Veron. With Lazio he won a scudetto, a Cup Winners Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, the Coppa Italia twice and the Super Coppa twice. In 1999 he was awarded a Guerin D’Oro as best midfield player of Serie A.
His goal against Parma is probably among the best in Lazio's history. A 35 metre volley whacked behind Gianluigi Buffon.
In 2000 he was sold to Parma with Sergio Conceição in the Hernan Crespo deal. A huge mistake by President Sergio Cragnotti. He stayed for two years in Emilia Romagna winning another Coppa Italia in 2001-2002.
In 2002 he signed for Inter and stayed a couple of years. His stay in Milan was marred by injuries. In 2004 he signed for Brescia but in November, after 5 appearances, moved back to Argentina to play for Quilmes in the Copa Libertadores. After four months, at only 31 years of age, he decided to retire.
In two years of inactivity he concentrated on his farm, played in a Showball tour around the world with Diego Maradona and participated in the Indoor Football World Cup in Spain. He came out of retirement in 2007 to play for Lyn in Oslo. He appeared in a couple of games and played regularly only in the reserves team and in the domestic cup before retiring again. In 2009 he signed for Argentine fourth tier side Fénix. In August he went back to River Plate and stayed for another two years. In 2011 the team was relegated and he quit for the third time.
Almedya won 40 caps for Argentina with one goal and participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He also played in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta winning a silver medal. Argentina were beaten by Nigeria.
After he retired Almeyda became a manager and was head coach for River Plate for 18 months winning the Primera B Nacional and earning promotion to the top tier in 2011-12. He was sacked in November 2012. He then took charge of Banfield taking the team to promotion. In 2015 he was nominated manager at Guadalajara. In Mexico he won the Liga Clausura in 2017, the Cop MX Spertura in 2017 and Clausura in 2017, the Supercopa MX in 2016 and the CONCACAF Champions League in 2016.
He left Mexico in 2018 and joined San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. In his first year he just missed the playoffs but reached them in his second, eliminated by Sporting Kansas City. He quit the US in 2022.
He then became head coach of AEK Athens and won both the Super League Greece as well as the Greek Cup, the first time AEK had won the double since 1978. In January 2023 he renewed his contract until 2028.
During his career Almeyda suffered from depression and alcoholism, particularly when he was at Inter. But he came out of it and has had a successful manager career. As a footballer his highlight was his stay at Lazio. He always talks about his experience in Rome as the best and most prestigious of his career. The fans have never forgotten him.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Cup Winners Cup | UEFA Cup | UEFA Super Cup |
1997-98 | 28 | 19 | 2 | - | - | 7 | - |
1998-99 | 35 (1) | 25 (1) | 4 | - | 6 | - | - |
1999-00 | 30 (1) | 19 (1) | 2 | 8 | - | - | 1 |
Total | 93 (2) | 63 (2) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
Sources