Demichelis to leave Bayern, take over as River Plate coach

Martin Demichelis, a former defender for Argentina, will take over as manager of his old team River after leaving his position as coach of Bayern Munich’s development squad, the German Bundesliga club said on Monday.

After spending more than eight years and 14 championships with the Argentine team, Marcelo Gallardo is leaving River Plate.

Demichelis, who played for the German giants between 2003 and 2010, was announced by Bayern to be replaced by Holger Seitz.

Bayern Munich released a statement saying that it and Martin Demichelis “have agreed that the second-team coach will move to his former club, River Plate in Buenos Aires, at his own request, to take over as head coach.”

Demichelis, 41, started his career in 2001 as a center back for River Plate before transferring to Bayern.

Demichelis stated, “I came to Europe as a player from River to Bayern, and now I’m going the other way as a coach. What a remarkable tale.