Some stories seem too good to be true and in the case of current Elche manager Alberto Gallego, he has certainly savoured various of life’s spices on offer.
After sacking Francisco last Monday, Gallego took charge of the first team, having been in charge of Elche Ilicitano, their B team. With no new manager appointed, Gallego will take charge of his first La Liga match this evening against Real Mallorca.
Gallego is used to showbusiness though. As detailed by Marca, Gallego once authored a promising singing career. Making his way as a youngster in the youth ranks at Lleida, Gallego also studied guitar at the time. As the 1990s approached, Gallego, performing under the name ‘Lanco’ was spotted by a talent agency for his song ‘Verte a cada momento’ [Seeing you every moment] and offered a music contract in Madrid.
At that point he put football aside and spent considerable time on tour in Argentina, as well as performing at the 1994 Benidorm festival.
Over ten years later, Gallego nearly made to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005. He made it to the final selection for Spain with the track ‘Nada para ti, nada para mi’ [Nothing for you, nothing for me].
Returning to football, he retired from the lower divisions in 2009. His management career took him around Spain, the United States of America and Greece, before eventually landing him a job at Elche Ilicitano this summer. On Monday evening, he takes to the big stage again.