Ange Postecoglou is Australian, but she wasn’t born in the Maritime country. Her last name gives her away, Ange is originally from Greece, but had to leave the country in 1970, when she was barely five years old, when her father lost the family business due to a military coup, which Established dictatorship in the country. Hellenic country. A ship took them from Athens to Melbourne, a journey of over eight thousand nautical miles, to start a new life. Since he was a child, Postecoglu loved football; He entered the youth ranks of South Melbourne at the age of nine and continued to progress. He became part of the first team, where he featured in two league titles. In the last, achieved in 1991, his coach was none other than Ferenc Puskás, the great player his father had always told him about. It was under the Hungarian’s orders that Enge became interested in becoming a coach, and in later interviews she has always identified him as an inspiration. This change was due to misfortune; Postecoglou suffered a serious knee injury which forced him to retire early.
In 1996, after a few years as assistant manager at South Melbourne, Postecoglou took over the reins of the team. During five brilliant seasons, he led the club to the highest level of his life, winning two consecutive league titles as well as the Oceania Club Championship, which qualified them for the Club World Cup in 2000. Following his successes, Postecoglou was appointed youth coach for his country’s national team, where he played a key role in the development of young talent and Australian rules football in general. Nine years later, in 2009, he returned to club football, specifically at Brisbane Roar, where his team took only a year to play like the Angels. The match against Adelaide United, which they won 4–0, is remembered in the country as some of the best football ever seen in Australia and that team was nicknamed the Rocerlona in the years that followed, with Pep Guardiola European football was taken by surprise. They went unbeaten for 36 games, an Australian rules football record, and won two leagues in a row. After leaving Brisbane, he briefly managed another hometown team, Melbourne Victory, where they reached the final for the league title, only to lose this time.
This was followed by his time with the Australian team, which he directed for more than five years. They managed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, but lost in the first round to Spain, after being placed in a very tough group with Chile and the Netherlands. His return to a club took place in another minor league, the Japanese, as despite his merits, Postecoglu was still not recognized enough by the elite of world football. In Yokohama, Merinos added a new league title to their record, which the club had not won for 15 years. Finally, in 2021, Postecoglu’s first adventure in Europe takes place. His work was closely watched by the managers of Glasgow Celtic, who had just lost their first league title in 10 years to Rangers, and decided to hire him.
Paradoxically, despite the fact that Scottish football is considered rudimentary and unattractive to spectators, it was in Scotland where the passing game began to be practiced in the late 19th century, at that time an entirely new style of play , as players accustomed to long throw-ins towards the opponent’s goal began attacking with short passes and combinations. Postecoglou successfully reintroduced a similar style more than 150 years later, and Celtic won the league and League Cup with high praise for his play. This season they have gone even further and retained both titles as well as winning the Scottish Cup, signing the eighth treble in the history of the Glasgow Catholic club.
His role did not go unnoticed by the bigger European teams. Finally, Postecoglou has committed to Tottenham with a long-term contract, showing Levy’s faith in the Australian coach and his potential impact in the medium- to long-term. In north London, Eng will find himself with a real challenge, the Big Six team that has not lifted a title for the longest time, a slab that has weighed heavily on the many coaches who have passed through the Spur bench. Although he didn’t manage to play the metal, Mauricio Pochettino has been the London club’s most successful coach in recent years, taking Tottenham to historic heights such as the Champions League final in his six years in charge. When he arrived, the Argentine had not even coached an elite club, and this is probably one of the reasons Levy trusted Postecoglou, despite his lack of experience in that regard. After nearly 30 years on the bench, in a less glamorous league, comes a wonderful opportunity for Ange Postecoglou, who will be rubbing shoulders with the best next season.
