Pellegrini, it means pilgrim in Italian...

Florentino Perez is not the manager of Real Madrid. The manager of Real Madrid is Manuel Pellegrini, the humble Chilean who spun La Liga mediocrity into La Liga and Champions League contending gold. He is a clever fellow the likes of Arsene Wenger whose success has been built on an ability to construct strong unified teams that rely more on collective style and heart than on super star magic. So much so, that on occasion he has been known to cast out super stars with a flick of the wrist (Juan Roman Riquelme) to protect that strength and unity of the squad. In short, Pellegrini and his Villareal sides were self made contenders. Not wealthy or traditional but practical, well organized and dangerously confident. Of course none of this explains his recent move to Real Madrid but it certainly does call into question his intentions.

Over the years it has seemed that if Pellegrini ever had intentions to leave Villareal he would probably go to another club where he could offer his expertise in how to succeed with less, where he could build another Goliath killer. But alas he did not. It makes you wonder. Is he the glory seeking type. One way to look at the situation is to examine his name, Pellegrini, which in Italian means pilgrim. It is silly to assume that his name has anything to do with his character but coincidentally it might.

The dictionary definitions of Pilgrim are:

pil·grim

(pĭl'grəm) n. A religious devotee who journeys to a shrine or sacred place. One who embarks on a quest for something conceived of as sacred. A traveler. Pilgrim One of the English Separatists who founded the colony of Plymouth in New England in 1620.

I find the first two definitions particularly relevant in this scenario. Pellegrini is a devout believer in football and he is on a journey driven by his passion for the game. The football gods move in mysterious ways and maybe he has been beckoned to the sacred Santiago Bernabeu to fulfill his role as a true believer in the beautiful game. He worked miracles at Villareal and it was only a matter of time before he would be called upon to offer up his talents on the biggest stage.

Being a canny, strategical tactician is great, but working with some of the most talented players in the world is something else entirely. Its misery and glory. Heavan and hell. You are blessed with talent but cursed with a multitude of forks in the road and if you eat off the wrong tine you might not get the chance to taste whats on the end of the others. Pellegrini is on a journey towards something sacred and if he can find it, the trophies in Spain and Europe are his for the taking, but if he cannot, he will be thrown out of the Santiago Bernabeu and forced to take a job with some mid table club where he may not be as lucky as he was at Villareal. All the best Manuel.