Pellegrino Matarazzo has a new job. The former coach of VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim is to become the new coach of Real Sociedad.
Pellegrino Matarazzo was without a club for just over a year after being dismissed by Hoffenheim on November 11, 2024. Now the 48-year-old has found a new challenge at Real Sociedad. The American-born coach will succeed Sergio Francisco at the La Liga club, who was dismissed last Sunday after a 2-1 defeat at 18th-placed Girona.
In the league, the Basques, who could only manage a 1-1 draw at bottom club Levante on Saturday under interim coach Ion Ansotegi, have plummeted to 16th place and are now just above the relegation zone. Matarazzo is no stranger to relegation battles. He kept VfB Stuttgart, with whom he was promoted to the Bundesliga in 2020, in the league twice (9th and 15th place) before being dismissed in October 2022. This was followed by a year and a half at TSG Hoffenheim from the 2022/23 season, with whom he finished the league in 12th and 7th place. Matarazzo was unable to fully enjoy the following season in the Europa League, as the Kraichgau club pulled the plug after only nine points from ten games.
Matarazzo is now venturing to Spain, his first coaching position outside Germany. He has signed a contract in San Sebastian until the end of the 2026/27 season. The club announced that the official presentation will take place on Monday. Matarazzo will sit on the Basques’ bench for the first time on January 4 against Atlético Madrid.
