Real Betis have appointed former Real Madrid and Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini as their manager from next season on a three-year contract, the La Liga side said on Thursday.
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Pellegrini, who won the English Premier League (EPL) with Manchester City in 2013/2014 as well as two League Cups, returns to Spain where he had successful spells with Villarreal and Malaga.
The 66-year-old Chilean led Villarreal to the 2006 UEFA Champions League semi-final.
He also led Malaga into Europe’s premier club competition for the first time in 2012, taking them to the quarter-finals a year later.
“Real Betis has signed Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini to take up the reins of the first team next season. The contract between Pellegrini and the club is until June 2023,” the club said in a statement.
Pellegrini replaces coach Rubi who was sacked last month after Real Betis failed to win any of the first three matches in their return to action.
Sporting director Alexis Trujillo was placed in interim charge until the end of the season.
Pellegrini’s last job was with Premier League side West Ham United, who sacked him in December after a string of poor results.
One of Spain’s best-supported clubs with more than 50,000 season ticket-holders, Real Betis are currently 13th in the league with 41 points, 12 points above the relegation zone.