Liga de Quito, one of Ecuador’s only two clubs with international titles, can add a new trophy to its record in this edition of the Copa Sudamericana. The white team has just qualified for the grand final of this competition after 12 years and is aiming to become champions for the second time in its history. To achieve this, in addition to the no less valuable contribution of his coach, he has experienced players like Paolo Guerrero in his team. Luis Zubeldia.
Both characters left a memorable postcard during the semi-final second leg against Defensa y Justicia when they embraced each other in a tender embrace after 90 minutes. Under the leadership of the coach, the “Predator” will compete in its first final of the continental competition, which will be an opportunity for personal revenge for the strategist.
YOU CAN SEE: How much did LDU secure for qualifying for the Sudamericana final and how much did Guerrero earn?
Who is Luis Zubeldia?
Luis Francisco Zubeldia He is a former Argentine player who retired from professional football at just 23 years old after suffering from osteochondrosis dissecans (a disease affecting the cartilage) in his knee. The La Pampa native played from 1998 to 2004 and became part of his country’s U17 and U20 teams.
After giving up his duties, he began his coaching training and made his debut at Lanús just four years later, in 2008. In that first season he led the maroon team to third place in the table and stayed until mid-2011 when he was signed by Ecuadorian Barcelona SC.
Two years later he returned to Argentina to take over the management of racing, and in 2014 he emigrated again to Ecuador to take over the management of LDU. During this time he achieved the first of his four second-place finishes, finishing second in the 2015 Serie A.
Luis Zubeldía will referee his second final of the continental competition. Photo: Conmebol Sudamericana
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He came close to glory again in 2016 when he lost the Concacaf Champions League final as coach of Santos Laguna. In 2018 he again placed second in a national championship, this time as part of Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño. In 2020 he reached his last international final (so far) with Lanús, but lost to Defensa y Justicia.
Luis Zubeldía’s numbers in LDU
During his two stints as league coach, Zubeldía has managed a total of 256 matches between national and international competitions, of which he won 77, drew 48 and lost 31. In 2022 he finished fourth in the Ecuadorian tournament, in the current season they are fighting for victory in the second phase to reach the definition of the title against Independiente del Valle.
When will LDU play the Copa Sudamericana final?
The grand final of the 2023 Copa Sudamericana between LDU de Quito and Fortaleza will be played next Saturday, October 28, at the Domingo Burgueño Miguel Stadium in the Uruguayan city of Maldonado. The meeting schedule still needs to be confirmed by Conmebol.