Legendary Chilean coach and Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini is set to return to Rangers 17 years on from his last visit with Villarreal.
The South American manager is still competing at the top level at the ripe old age of 70 with Manuel Pellegrini in his fourth season with the La Liga side.
Ahead of the hotly anticipated visit of Real Betis in the Europa League tomorrow evening, Ibrox supporters will remember the last time the manager was in Glasgow.
Manuel Pellegrini took charge of Villarreal in that famous Champions League first knockout round clash of 2006, coming up against Rangers’ Alex McLeish.
A star-studded Villarreal side containing the likes of Marcos Senna, Juan Roman Riquelme and Diego Forlan forced a 2-2 draw at Ibrox before eventually overcoming the Gers in Spain.
A controversial 1-1 draw in El Madrigal earned Villarreal progress to the Champions League quarter-finals on a night that went down in the history of both sides.
Manuel Pellegrini returns to Rangers after 17 years
As Manuel Pellegrini prepares to return to Rangers with Real Betis, the Ibrox side will be hoping for similar excitement in Glasgow but a better result.
With Rangers the pot one side, Real Betis came out the second grouping of teams and all being equal these two sides should progress at the expense of Sparta Prague and AEL Limassol.
But this will be a real test for the inexperienced Michael Beale and the vastly more experience Manuel Pellegrini, who is not without issues heading into the game.
It’s been a long time since the Chilean has visited Rangers and a lot has happened in the almost two decades-long absence.
Managing Real Madrid, Malaga, Manchester City (where he won the Premier League), Hebei China Fortune and West Ham in that space of time, it’s been a long old road back to Scotland.
