Luigi "Lou" Macari (born 4 June 1949 in Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland to Italian immigrant parents) was a Scottish footballer and football manager.

Playing career

Macari played for Manchester United in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was bought from Celtic in 1973 for £200,000. His first game for the club came in January 1973 against West Ham in which he scored a point-saving goal in a 2-2 draw. In 1977, his shot deflected off team mate Jimmy Greenhoff to win the FA Cup final against Liverpool. He made 404 appearances for the club and scored 97 goals. He also played for the Scottish national team.

Macari's early career at Old Trafford was spent trying to lead an attack that struggled to achieve anything. Relegation to the 2nd division in 1974 was the low point but Macari blossomed as a midfielder in the following seasons under Tommy Docherty as United began to win back a large following with superb attacking football in which Macari enjoyed popularity alongside players such as Gordon Hill, Steve Coppell and the Greenhoff brothers.

Management career

After leaving United in 1984, he managed Swindon Town, West Ham, Stoke City (twice), Celtic, Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town.

His successes in management came with two promotions at Swindon Town (Fourth Division champions in 1986 and Third Division playoff winners in 1987) and a promotion with Stoke City (Division Two champions in 1993).

His sons Michael Macari and Paul Macari have played professionally with Stoke, when Macari was manager of the club. His youngest son Jonathan Macari committed suicide in 1999 after being released from his contract at Nottingham Forest.

Retirement from football

Macari currently lives in Stoke-on-Trent and works as a pundit for MUTV on several shows including a betting show called "Sing When You're Winning". He occasionally does punditry for Sky Sports and Setanta Sports.

Macari also owns the "Lou Macari Chip Shop" on Chester Road, near Old Trafford which is a popular takeaway on matchdays.

External links

• Lou Macari managerial statistics at soccerbase.com
• Lou Macari's Scotland record
• Football-Heroes.net profile