List of Colo-Colo managers

That article shows the list and details of the managers in their spells at Colo-Colo.

History

During the club's early years, David Arellano, the team captain, effectively served as its coach. He was responsible for conducting training sessions, devising plays, analysing opponents and determining the players' positions on the pitch, drawing on methods he had observed in Uruguay while participating in the 1924 South American Championship. The players' physical training, meanwhile, was overseen by instructor Erasmo Vera.

Following Arellano's death in 1927, coaching responsibilities passed to the club's directors, with the president generally selecting the starting eleven and deciding the team's tactical approach. By the late 1920s, however, players such as Guillermo Saavedra and Guillermo Subiabre had gained considerable influence over technical decisions. This led to tensions with the board, including the resignation of president Carlos Cariola in 1929 after the players refused to follow his tactical instructions during a match against Argentina's Sportivo Buenos Aires. Between 1930 and 1931, the team was also coached in several friendly matches by Hungarian György Orth, who was then managing the Chile national football team and occasionally worked with other Chilean clubs, including Green Cross and Audax Italiano.

After an inconsistent 1931 season, the board, led by Cariola and Alberto Parodi, regained some control over the club's technical affairs. Following an institutional crisis in early 1932, however, footballing decisions were once again entrusted to the players, with first-team captain Guillermo Saavedra assuming responsibility and Víctor San Martín being hired to oversee physical training. Disputes between the board and the first-team squad continued beyond the end of the club's amateur era in 1933, at times resulting in threats of mass resignations from both sides.

During the second half of the 1930s, coaching duties alternated between professional managers and members of the playing squad, usually the captain. The first professional manager was Uruguayan Pedro Mazullo, appointed in 1936, while Arturo Torres fulfilled the role during 1937.

By the late 1930s, Hungarian coach Franz Platko had been appointed. Platko introduced the WM system to Chilean football, employing three defenders, two defensive midfielders, two attacking midfielders and three forwards, a tactical innovation that attracted considerable attention at the time. He also introduced man-marking through the so-called half-policía role—the player assigned to mark the opposing centre-forward—with José Pastene becoming one of its leading exponents.

Chronology

Interim coaches appear in italics.

Most successful managers

The following table, shows the most successful managers according to the club's history (totals include competitive matches only):

Claudio Borghi was the first coach in won fourth consecutives trophies.
Table correct as of 12 March 2013
Name From To GamesWinsDrawsLossWin % Honours
Hungary Franz Platko 1939 1943 / 1953 85581413068.24 1939 Campeonato Nacional
1941 Campeonato Nacional
1953 Campeonato Nacional
Chile Luis Álamos 1972 1975 153933525060.78 1972 Campeonato Nacional
1973 Copa Libertadores (*)
1974 Copa Chile
Croatia Mirko Jozić 1990 1993 134833813061.94 1990 Campeonato Nacional
1990 Copa Chile
1991 Campeonato Nacional
1991 Copa Libertadores
1992 Recopa Sudamericana
1992 Copa Interamericana
1993 Campeonato Nacional
Argentina Claudio Borghi 2006 2008 133753226056.39 2006 Torneo de Apertura
2006 Torneo de Clausura
2006 Copa Sudamericana (*)
2007 Torneo de Apertura
2007 Torneo de Clausura

References

  1. ↑ "Entrenadores". historiadecolocolo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Salinas Sebastián (2005), p. 50.
  3. ↑ Salinas Sebastián (2005), p. 215.
  4. ↑ Salinas Sebastián (2005), p. 241.
  5. ↑ Salinas Sebastián (2005), p. 242.
  6. ↑ Salinas Sebastián (2005), p. 284.
  7. 1 2 Claudio Herrera (2005). "Galería de imbatibles". El Mercurio Online (EMOL). Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "Reseña (Véase 1925)". Colo-Colo official website. 2008. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  9. ↑ "Murió Platko, ídolo del poeta Alberti". El País. 1983. Retrieved 12 May 2008.
  10. ↑ "Germán Reveco 1950". historiadecolocolo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Carlos Ruz 1962 (interino)". historiadecolocolo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Francke, Lucas (31 May 2025). "No está Almirón: ¿Quién es el DT que dirigirá a Colo Colo vs. La Calera en el Campeonato Nacional?". En Cancha (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025.