| Rubén Darío Insúa | |
| Fullname: | Rubén Darío Insúa Carballo |
| Height: | 1.80m |
| Birth Date: | 17 April 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder |
| Years1: | 1978–1985 |
| Clubs1: | San Lorenzo |
| Caps1: | 203 |
| Goals1: | 38 |
| Years2: | 1985–1986 |
| Clubs2: | Las Palmas |
| Caps2: | 10 |
| Goals2: | 4 |
| Years3: | 1986–1988 |
| Clubs3: | Estudiantes LP |
| Caps3: | 69 |
| Goals3: | 11 |
| Years4: | 1988–1991 |
| Clubs4: | Independiente |
| Caps4: | 87 |
| Goals4: | 23 |
| Years5: | 1990–1994 |
| Clubs5: | Barcelona SC |
| Caps5: | 80 |
| Goals5: | 30 |
| Years6: | 1994–1995 |
| Clubs6: | Deportivo Cali |
| Years7: | 1995–1996 |
| Clubs7: | Quilmes |
| Caps7: | 7 |
| Goals7: | 2 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1983–1984 |
| Nationalteam1: | Argentina |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Manageryears1: | 1997–1999 |
| Manageryears2: | 1999 |
| Manageryears3: | 2000 |
| Manageryears4: | 2002–2003 |
| Manageryears5: | 2004 |
| Manageryears6: | 2005 |
| Manageryears7: | 2007 |
| Manageryears8: | 2007–2008 |
| Manageryears9: | 2009–2010 |
| Manageryears10: | 2010–2011 |
| Manageryears11: | 2011–2012 |
| Manageryears12: | 2012–2013 |
| Manageryears13: | 2015 |
| Manageryears14: | 2016 |
| Manageryears15: | 2019–2020 |
| Manageryears16: | 2021 |
| Manageryears17: | 2022–2024 |
| Managerclubs1: | Barcelona SC |
| Managerclubs2: | Ferro Carril Oeste |
| Managerclubs3: | Barcelona SC |
| Managerclubs4: | San Lorenzo |
| Managerclubs5: | Barcelona SC |
| Managerclubs6: | Alianza Lima |
| Managerclubs7: | Wilstermann |
| Managerclubs8: | Talleres |
| Managerclubs9: | Deportivo Quito |
| Managerclubs10: | Barcelona SC |
| Managerclubs11: | Deportivo Cali |
| Managerclubs12: | Deportivo Quito |
| Managerclubs13: | El Nacional |
| Managerclubs14: | Bolívar |
| Managerclubs15: | LDU Portoviejo |
| Managerclubs16: | Binacional |
| Managerclubs17: | San Lorenzo |
Rubén Darío Insúa Carballo (born 17 April 1961) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
Insúa represented the Argentina national team several times. During his playing career, he earned the nickname "el Poeta del Futbol" (the Poet of Football).
Insúa was born in Buenos Aires. He played most of his career in the Argentine top league. He was part of the Independiente team that won the 1988–89 Primera title. He also played for Barcelona in Ecuador and Deportivo Cali in Colombia, and had a spell with Spanish side UD Las Palmas.
As a player, Insúa was regarded as a swift midfielder with an excellent touch and a penchant for scoring from free kicks. These qualities earned him his nicknames "el Poeta del Gol" (the Goal Poet) and "el Poeta del Futbol" (the Football Poet). Although he was primarily an attacking midfielder, he was also capable of playing as a striker.
Insúa coached for Ecuador's Barcelona to a national title in 1997, and the Copa Libertadores finals in 1998. He coached San Lorenzo de Almagro to the Copa Sudamericana 2002 title.
Insúa coached Ecuador's Deportivo Quito to the 2009 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A title.
On 1 October 2010, Insúa reached a verbal agreement with Barcelona's president Eduardo Maruri to return and coach the club that won his last national title achievement in 1997.[1] On 25 March 2011, he was fired from Barcelona and replaced with Alex Aguinaga.
Insúa was Deportivo Cali's manager since approximately October 2011[2] until 4 March 2012.[3]
He was the head coach of Argentine football club San Lorenzo de Almagro from end of 2023 to April 2024, when he was fired for poor results.[4]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona SC |  | 1 January 1997 | 31 December 1998 | ||||||||
| Ferro Carril Oeste |  | 1 January 1999 | 31 December 1999 | ||||||||
| Barcelona SC | | 1 January 2000 | 31 December 2000 | ||||||||
| San Lorenzo | | 1 July 2002 | 16 July 2003 | ||||||||
| Barcelona SC | | 1 January 2004 | 31 December 2004 | ||||||||
| Alianza Lima | 1 January 2005 | 12 May 2005 | |||||||||
| Jorge Wilstermann | 1 January 2007 | 30 June 2007 | |||||||||
| Talleres | | 1 July 2007 | 1 March 2008 | ||||||||
| Deportivo Quito | | 18 December 2008 | 12 August 2010 | ||||||||
| Barcelona SC | 2 October 2010 | 25 March 2011 | |||||||||
| Deportivo Cali |  | 1 October 2011 | 5 March 2012 | ||||||||
| Deportivo Quito | | 1 August 2012 | 31 December 2013 | ||||||||
| El Nacional | 29 May 2015 | 26 October 2015 | |||||||||
| Bolívar | 1 January 2016 | 25 April 2016 | |||||||||
| LDU Portoviejo | | 4 February 2019 | 6 November 2020 | ||||||||
| Binacional | 7 April 2021 | 9 May 2021 | |||||||||
| San Lorenzo | | 18 May 2022 | 11 April 2024 | ||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||
San Lorenzo
1982
Independiente
Barcelona Sporting Club
Barcelona Sporting Club
1997
San Lorenzo
Deportivo Quito