The only surprise, if any, is the timing: Ömer Toprak (36) is starting his coaching career as Pellegrino Matarazzo’s assistant at Real Sociedad.
Last Saturday, Pellegrino Matarazzo took up his post as the new head coach of Spanish first division club Real Sociedad, which is surprisingly threatened with relegation. The American brought two assistants with him, who were also present at the start of training on Monday: Australian John Maisano and Ömer Toprak.
The latter ended his active professional career in mid-November 2024. Even then, he had announced his intention to enroll in the DFB’s A-license course, stating: “The goal is to work as a professional coach.”
Toprak is now one step closer to realizing this dream. And the task is a challenging one: instead of joining a youth club, the 27-time Turkish international, who has 263 Bundesliga and 39 Champions League appearances to his name, is heading to the traditional Basque club Real Sociedad.
After finishing fourth in the 2022/23 season and sixth in the 2023/24 season, last year’s eleventh-placed team is currently only 16th in La Liga, two points ahead of the first relegation spot. There is considerable pressure in San Sebastian. For Matarazzo and Toprak, the initial focus will be on unlocking the offensive potential that exists with players such as Goncalo Guedes, Takefusa Kubo, and European champion Mikel Oyarzabal. Twenty-one goals from 17 games is a disappointing interim result.
Most recently active in amateur football
Alongside his brother Harun, who is a coach, Toprak had most recently been playing for amateur club SK Weingarten. Now, the holder of a B license is finally focusing on his post-playing career.
Matarazzo seems convinced that the new coaching team will succeed in turning things around: “It’s a great club with a strong identity, a special institution that focuses on young talent. I come with great respect and anticipation for what we can build together. It’s a team with a lot of potential.”
Sports director Erik Bretos admitted during the coaching appointment that Matarazzo had already been contacted in October, “when we weren’t planning to change coaches yet. We tried to find someone who would complement us, who would work on development and do so with the young players, someone who would come in from outside and make us better.”
Matarazzo and Toprak will make their debut on Sunday, when the team faces a tough home game against Atlético Madrid.
