Pakistan appoint Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano as new head coach

Nolberto Solano will succeed Stephen Constantine as the Pakistan head coach.

The Pakistan Football Federation appear to be working hard in their attempts to find a quality new head coach for the Pakistan Football Team and the Pakistan U-23 national football team.

That is because the PFF have roped in Peruvian coach Nolberto Solano to take up the role of the head coach of their senior and U23 national teams.

Who is Nolberto Solano?

Solano was a versatile midfielder in his playing career, making over 500 appearances at the senior level for a range of different clubs. He made over 300 appearances in the Premier League, playing for the likes of Newcastle United, Aston Villa and West Ham United from 1998 to 2008.

Solano was also part of the Magpies’ squad that won the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, as well as winning the Newcastle United Player of the Year award in 2001-02 and having the most assists in the 1999-2000 Premier League season.

He made 95 appearances for the Peru national team in his career, taking part in multiple Copa America editions as a player.

Nolberto Solano’s coaching career so far

Nolberto retired from his playing career in 2012, after which he opted to transition into a coaching role. After spending the first few years coaching local Peruvian teams like Jose Galvaz and Internacional de Toronto, he gained a reputation as a quality football coach as an assistant coach for the Peru national football team, helping them qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Solano also managed the Peru U-23 Olympic football team and had stints in Sweden as AFC Eskilstuna’s manager and the National League in England as Blyth Spartans’ boss. The 50-year-old’s most recent stint was as the head coach of Santos FC Nazca, a team in the Peruvian second division, but now he seems ready to get back to coaching at the international level with Pakistan.

Nolberto helped Santos FC win five of the 12 matches under him before leaving the role in June 2025. Solano has a lot of experience in international football, having made so many appearances as a player and then having his coaching experience with the Peru national team.

He will take over a Pakistan team who are ranked in the 201st position in the FIFA World Rankings. Pakistan have not won both their 2027 AFC Asian Cup group games so far against Syria and Myanmar and will be facing Afghanistan in two must-win matches in October 2025.

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