Manuel Pellegrini hired as Real Betis coach from next season

Manuel Pellegrini gestures during the English League Cup semifinal. (Jon Super/AP)

MADRID — Manuel Pellegrini agreed to coach Real Betis from next season on a two-year contract, the Spanish club said on Thursday.

The 66-year-old Chilean manager led Manchester City to the English Premier League title in 2014.

Betis fired coach Joan "Rubi" Ferrer last month after an up-and-down season and is under interim coach Alexis Trujillo. It is in 14th place with four rounds left.

After coaching in South America, Pellegrini made the leap to European soccer when he took over Spanish club Villarreal in 2004. He turned the team into a serious competitor, reaching the Champions League semifinals in 2006 and finishing the Spanish league in second place in 2008.

He’s also coached Real Madrid, Malaga, West Ham, and in China.

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