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Pellegrini returns to Spain to coach Real Betis next season

MADRID (AP) - Manuel Pellegrini has agreed to coach Real Betis starting next season on a three-year contract, the Spanish club said Thursday.

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

Betis fired coach Joan 'œRubi'ť Ferrer last month after an up-and-down season and is under interim coach Alexis Trujillo. The team is in 14th place with four matches left.

After coaching in South America, Pellegrini made the leap to European soccer when he took over at 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 has also coached Real Madrid, Málaga, West Ham, and in China.

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