With famously long locks throughout his playing and coaching career, Matias Almeyda's nickname — Pelado (which translates to "Bald") — has always been said in an ironic vein. Well, until the Argentine coach of the San Jose Earthquakes found himself riding out the COVID-19 Pandemic at home like the rest of us.
Perhaps in a dramatic move to stave off cabin fever, Almeyda is now leaning into his once-ironic moniker. A family photo posted on instagram, presumably from an Easter Sunday meal, shows the 46-year-old like few of us have ever seen him before: hair completely shaven, face donning a substantial mustache.
Almeyda is also commandeering the Quakes' instagram account later on Monday, which could be very interesting and may offer the coach a much-needed outlet. As Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski told MLSsoccer.com last month, "I think that he is probably more bored than all of us.”
