Marcelo Michel Leano never played football professionally, but at just 31 years old he has a track record that many people would envy. The Mexican manager has served as a member of front office’s for Liga MX teams and has managed Ascenso MX teams and now Necaxa as well.

Leano is off to a promising start with Los Rayos with seven points from his first five games in charge. This includes a very impressive 2-1 win against Club America in Week 1 of the Liga MX 2018 Apertura.

The young boss will now try and take down one of the other “top four” teams in Mexico as Necaxa will face Chivas de Guadalajara away from home. Leano is a native of Guadalajara and has a history in the football around the area, including a past with Chivas.

Leano starting working with his family’s club Tecos UAG when he was just 16 years old in 2003 and stayed with them until 2011. What seemed like an act of nepotism at first helped shape the Mexican manager into the ambitious and intelligent person he is today.

In 2012 at the age of 25, Leano received his first big break as he strayed away from the family business to become a member of the Chivas’ front office. The Guadalajara native was part of a project led by the legendary Johan Cruyff, which was not that successful in truth.

Chivas did make the playoffs in the 2012 Apertura season, but were knocked out in the first round against Toluca by an embarrassing aggregate score of 5-2. The 2013 Clausura season was a complete disaster as Chivas finished in penultimate place with 16 points and just three wins.

Leano’s time at Chivas was not the most memorable, but it was one of his early ventures in his career that has helped him develop as one of the best young football minds in Mexico.