Manuel Pellegrini took charge of his 69th Champions League match this Wednesday, and Real Betis celebrated with a 3-2 comeback win over Portugal's Porto at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville, in the second round of the league phase.
According to La Tercera, the figure places the Engineer among the 20 coaches with the most matches in the history of Europe's top club competition. That tally drew him level with Germany's Jupp Heynckes, who won the title with Real Madrid in 1998 and Bayern Munich in 2013, and left him one match behind Italy's Giovanni Trapattoni.
In his previous 68 appearances, the former Universidad de Chile defender recorded 28 wins, 23 draws and 17 defeats, earning 53.4% of the available points. His teams scored 103 goals and conceded 76.
The list could have been longer. UEFA, European football's governing body, suspended him for the opening round of the 2014-15 edition, when his Manchester City lost 1-0 to Bayern in Munich. His assistant Rubén Cousillas signed the team sheet that day.
His record includes two semifinals, with Villarreal and Manchester City in 2016, and quarterfinal appearances with the Yellow Submarine in 2009 and Málaga in 2013, the best result in that club's history. La Tercera dates the Villarreal semifinal to 2026, a detail that does not match his known career record and that the outlet does not clarify.
Among South Americans, Pellegrini ranks second behind Argentina's Diego Simeone, who has 133 matches, all with Atlético de Madrid. The Chilean is comfortably ahead of Héctor Cúper's 52. Carlo Ancelotti leads the overall standings with 218.
On the pitch, Betis fell behind before turning the result around in the closing minutes. "Turning around a losing scoreline just minutes before the end makes it even more exciting," Pellegrini told Cooperativa.
The coach highlighted the significance of the moment for a club playing in only its second Champions League in 120 years. "These are not decisive points, but they are important points," he cautioned after the victory, which follows their win over Lille in France in the opening round.
With six points, Betis are ninth in the league phase. On Saturday, October 17, they host leaders Barcelona in LaLiga at La Cartuja, and on Wednesday, October 21, they visit Feyenoord in the third round of the Champions League.
