Cesar Luis Menotti: the coach who led Argentina to its first World Cup victory has died

Cesar Luis Menotti, the coach who led Argentina to victory in the first FIFA World Cup in 1978, died this Sunday at the age of 85 in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine Football Association AFA announced this on its X account:

“The Argentine Football Association is sad to announce the death of Cesar Luis Menotti, current director of national teams and former coach of world champion Argentina. Farewell, dear Flaco!“, the message says.

Menotti has served as AFA national team director in recent years following a successful career as a player and coach.

As a player, he was part of Rosario Central and other South American teams, but his work as a coach brought him worldwide fame.

His first achievement as a coach was with Huracán, a team he led to its first professional title in 1973.

For this reason, he was awarded the technical leadership of the Argentina national team.

His appointment would change the situation in a team that, despite having outstanding players, never lived up to its potential when it comes to winning tournaments.

At the 1978 World Cup, held on Argentine soil, Menotti led the local team to their first world title.

A triumph that ended decades of failure.

At the 1982 World Cup, he again led Argentina, but the team was eliminated in the second round, despite already having a young Diego Maradona in its ranks.

Menotti then left the Albiceleste team under the leadership of Carlos Bilardo, who, with his results-oriented playing style (completely opposite to Menotti’s), led the team to victory at the World Cup in 1986 and a runner-up finish in 1990.

Menotti’s commitment to attacking football has made him something of an icon for the sport’s romantics. and gave rise to a polarization of styles and a bitter rivalry between “Menottism” and “Billardism”.

But Flaco relied not only on attacking on the field, but also off it, which is why he made many enemies thanks to his frontal and direct statements.

His decisions have also not escaped controversy, including criticism he received for coaching Argentina during a military regime (1976-1983) known for abuses and human rights violations.

After his time at La Albiceleste, Menotti managed leading teams such as Barcelona, ​​Atlético Madrid, Boca Juniors and River Plate.

However, He was questioned for the few successes he achieved at the helm of these clubs..

Menotti had previously argued that long processes were necessary to achieve good results, but the patience of club managers was usually shorter than his.

Thus, when he was criticized for his poor performance, he defended himself by saying that it was impossible to achieve success in such a short time, and eventually left.

He had a love-hate relationship with Maradona.whom he made his senior Argentina debut at the age of 17 in 1977, but was left out of the 1978 World Cup-winning squad.

Maradona never forgave him, despite this, when asked who was the best coach he had to work with, he always mentioned Menotti.

Maradona, like Mario Kempes and Osvaldo Ardiles – two key players for Argentina at the 1978 and 1982 World Cups – was a staunch exponent of the offensive style of play promoted by Menotti.

El Flaco retired from coaching in Mexican football after spending time in Puebla and Tecos between 2006 and 2007.

In recent years, Menotti has devoted himself to his role as director of the AFA national team, where he was part of the team that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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