Gustavo Alfaro

Gustavo Julio Alfaro (born 14 August 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former player who manages the Paraguay national football team.

Although Alfaro had a short career as a footballer, he was captain of the Atlético de Rafaela when they were promoted to the Argentine Primera División in 1989. Alfaro retired as a player from football in 1992 to concentrate on his coaching career. His first league title came with Arsenal de Sarandí in the 2012 Clausura.

At international level, he coached Ecuador at the 2022 FIFA World Cup before a stint in charge of Costa Rica. He was appointed as Paraguay coach in 2024 and led them to qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Managerial career

Alfaro started his career as a manager for Atlético de Rafaela and Patronato de Paraná in the early 1990s. He then had his first spell as manager of Quilmes and a second spell at Atlético de Rafaela.

In 2001, Alfaro became the manager of Olimpo and led them to the Primera B Nacional Apertura 2001 championship and promotion to the Primera.

In 2003, Alfaro led Quilmes to promotion. He stayed to manage the team for the following season (2003–04), achieving a 4th and a 6th-place finish which earned them qualification for the 2005 Copa Libertadores and 2004 Copa Sudamericana tournaments.

In his only shot at an important club, Alfaro had a disastrous spell in San Lorenzo before joining Arsenal de Sarandí in late 2006.

Alfaro helped Arsenal to two 5th-place finishes, allowing the club to qualify for the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history. They also earned qualification for the 2007 Copa Sudamericana, where they beat Argentine champions San Lorenzo in the qualifying round to earn a place in the round of 16. In that stage, they faced the Brazilian team Goiás. Arsenal won 3–2 in Brazil and recorded a 1–1 draw in the second leg to win the tie 4–3 on aggregate, their official first victory over foreign opposition. Arsenal eventually reached the final of the competition, leaving a wake of sacked managers in their path, including Daniel Passarella, who resigned from River Plate after their defeat by Arsenal in the semi-finals.

In the final of the competition, Arsenal drew 4–4 with Mexican América, winning the title on the Away goals rule. This was the first major championship in the history of Arsenal de Sarandí and Alfaro's first major title.

At the end of the 2007–08 season, he was replaced by Daniel Garnero as manager of Arsenal. In October 2008, he was named the manager of Rosario Central. In 2009, he went to Saudi Arabia to work in Al-Ahli (Jeddah); he came with high expectations from the fans. He stayed as the coach for four months; on 20 November, he resigned for personal reasons.

On 17 May 2010, Arsenal de Sarandí confirmed that the new manager for next season would be Alfaro, who arrived along with assistant coaches Sergio Chiarelli, Carlos González, and Claudio Cristofanelli. On 24 June 2012, Alfaro would achieve his first ever league title when Arsenal won its first league title in the club's history.

The Final Tournament of 2014 looked promising for Alfaro. He had an excellent team that would play at the Copa Libertadores. By April, the team had awful results, and he announced he would leave the club by the end of June. However, he was discharged by the club and replaced by Martín Palermo.

On 2 January 2019, Boca Juniors named Gustavo Alfaro their new head coach, having his official debut on 27 January 2019, drawing 1–1 against Newell's Old Boys for the 2018–19 Super League. In the national competition, he would finish third. On 2 May, he could lift the 2018 Argentine Super Cup after playing against Rosario Central, winning a penalty shootout by 6–5 after drawing 0–0 in the ninety minutes. On 2 June, he would lose 0–2 against Club Tigre in the final of the 2019 Super League Cup in Córdoba. Beyond the title obtained, the specialised press criticised Alfaro for lacking a clear game identity in his team.

2026 World Cup On 29 June 2026, Alfaro led the Paraguayan national team to the round of 16 after beating Germany in the round of 32 on a penalty shootout after extra time ended 1-1 between the two teams.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Manager Olimpo Primera B Nacional: 2001–02

Arsenal Primera División: 2012 Clausura Supercopa Argentina: 2012 Copa Argentina: 2012–13 Copa Sudamericana: 2007

Boca Juniors Supercopa Argentina: 2018