Sergio Enrique Pardo Valenzuela (born 24 February 1948) is a Chilean football manager and former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
As a child Pardo was with Juventud San Rafael, then he joined Colo-Colo where he coincided with successful players such as Manuel Loco Araya [es] and Leonel Herrera[1] and made his professional debut in a match against O'Higgins at the age of 18. In Chile he also played for Deportes Ovalle, Lister Rossel and Naval.[2]
After the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, he moved to Guatemala and played for Aurora FC, Deportivo Zacapa, Universidad SC, Juventud Retalteca and Deportivo Pensamiento, what was his last club.[2] He won the titles of both the first and the second level of the Guatemalan football league system along with Aurora FC (1975) and Deportivo Pensamiento (1980), respectively. He also had a stint with CD Santiagueño in El Salvador.[1]
Pardo has had an extensive career, mainly in Guatemala.[3] He made his debut coaching Tipografía Nacional from 1984 to 1986. After a brief stint with Dely, a soccer team from the United States, he returned to Guatemala in 1996 to coach Deportivo Amatitlán,[1] with whom he won the Copa de Guatemala.[2]
In Guatemala, he has coached important clubs such as Xelajú, CSD Sacachispas, Deportivo Coatepeque,[4] Deportivo Zacapa, Universidad SC, Heredia,[5] among others. He has reached better seasons along with Deportivo Zacapa and Heredia,[1]
As an anecdote, he has coached some Chilean players in the Guatemalan football such as Claudio Chavarría, Fabián Muñoz and Héctor Suazo.[1]
He also had a stint with Belizean club Real Verdes.[2]
In 2019, he retired from the activity due to the fact that he suffered a heart attack while he worked for Deportivo Achuapa.[6] After being operated on, he joined Universidad SC.[7] In 2021, he returned to Deportivo Achuapa.[8]
In August 2013, he assumed as manager of the Guatemala national team for the friendly match against Japan on 6 September of the same year.[9]
Pardo is known by his nickname Chico Pardo (Little Pardo).[9]
He married Verónica Ordóñez, daughter of the former president of Deportivo Zacapa, David Alfonso Ordóñez Bardales, and has five children.[2]
After his first experience as manager of Tipografía Nacional, he worked as a sport teacher for different departments of Armed Forces of Guatemala and for Julio Verne School. In the United States, he also worked for a bakery and as a stone seller.[1]
