Pellegrino Matarazzo was born in Wayne, New Jersey in 1977, but was raised in Fair Lawn. Matarazzo’s parents were Italian immigrants and the passion for football was shared amongst him and his brothers.
Matarazzo played several sports growing up, but his 6’6 stature helped him find the most success in soccer. At Fair Lawn High School, Matarazzo was a four-year varsity starter, where he helped lead the team to its first state tournament appearance in nearly 20 years.
Matarazzo continued playing soccer at the collegiate level for Columbia University and decided to pursue a professional career in the sport following his graduation. He spent 10 seasons playing for various teams across Germany, from 2000 to 2010, making his final stop at 1. FC Nürenberg’s reserve team. While playing for the reserve team, Matarazzo also spent time as an assistant coach for the team.
After his playing career ended in 2010, Matarazzo shifted his focus to coaching. In 2015, Matarazzo attended the Hennes-Weisweiler Academy, which is specifically designed to help train football coaches. During his time there, Matarazzo shared a room with Julian Nagelsmann, who has become one of the most successful German coaches at the moment.
Nagelsmann became the head coach at Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim for the 2016-17 season, not long after his time at the academy. Matarazzo joined Nagelsmann’s staff in 2017, serving as the youth coach at TSG Hoffenheim. In 2018, Matarazzo was named as Nagelsmann’s assistant, a role that he maintained after Nagelsmann left to join RB Leipzig.
In December 2019, Matarazzo was signed to be the head coach at VfB Stuttgart, his first time managing at the senior level. Matarazzo was eventually released by the team in 2022, but found his next destination soon after. On Feb. 8, 2023, Matarazzo returned to TSG Hoffenheim, this time managing the senior team.
Matarazzo’s tenure with Hoffenheim ended in 2024, following team struggles during his time there. On Dec. 20, 2025 Matarazzo was named as the manager of La Liga club Real Sociedad, signing an extension to remain with the team until June 2027.
Since joining Real Sociedad, Matarazzo has led the team to a record of eight wins, four draws and two losses. After defeating Athletic Bilbao by a score of 1-0 on Mar. 4 in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad are set to move on to the championship game of the Copa del Rey, which is history in the making for Pellegrino Matarazzo. He is set to become the first American manager to coach a top-five team in a major cup final.
The Copa del Rey is an annual knockout football competition throughout multiple levels of Spanish football. Real Sociedad has only won the tournament twice in over a century since being founded, which would cement Matarazzo in the history books if he is able to lead the team to a win. Real Sociedad will be taking on Atlético Madrid in the final, a team that has won the tournament ten times.
The Copa del Rey final is set to take place on Apr. 18, as both teams look to take home the hardware. Matarazzo is in uncharted territory for American managers and could continue to make even more history in the final match.