0:49
The wake of former Argentine player and coach César Luis Menotti was marked by applause and sobs that demonstrated the affection and admiration of the world of baseball towards the coach who put the first star on the Albiceleste shirt in 1978.
The ceremony held at the Argentine Football Association (AFA) property in Ezeiza (province of Buenos Aires) was attended by several relevant figures of national football, such as the former champion players of that edition Daniel Passarella or Ubaldo Matildo Fillol.
One of the proper names was that of the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, visibly moved carrying the coffin to the chapel located in the sports facilities. The final farewell to the Argentine soccer icon took place in the futsal stadium of the Lionel Andrés Messi complex.
Beyond the achievements obtained in his career as a player and as a coach, where he spent time on benches such as Huracán, Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona or Atlético de Madrid, the figure of the Rosario player changed completely by introducing a new tactical and aesthetic style, in which possession predominated.
The president of Huracán, Daniel Garzón, declared to the media present that he could only be grateful that El Flaco was part of the history of the Globe, and that the Parque Patricios entity was already thinking about the corresponding tributes.
See alsoThe Professional Football League tournament will be called César Luis Menotti “A great man has left us, but as Ángel Cappa – former Argentine footballer and coach – said, the greats never die and they will always continue to be with us,” said Garzón.
The Turk and the Beto. Julio Asad and Alberto Márcico also attended the AFA premises. The wake was also attended by big names in national football, such as the well-known former Independiente player, Ricardo Bochini, or the three-time U-20 World Champion with Argentina, José Pekerman.
The renowned Argentine journalist Horacio Pagani expressed that this austere and humble ceremony surrounded by his family is precisely what Menotti would have wanted because “although he was big, he was shy.”
See alsoMenotti, his phrases, that possible candidacy for governor and Colón Pagani also stated that the former coach defended that the Albiceleste were “Messi and 10 others”, when the figure of the Inter Miami star was criticized by national media.
One of those in attendance was the Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni, who along with part of his coaching staff arrived to pay their respects to the family.
Disciple of Flaco. The Englishman Carlos Babington, champion with Huracán in 1973 under Menotti. And Menotti was not only the first world champion coach with the Albiceleste, but also the architect of the team that built the Scaloneta, the national team champion in Qatar 2022.
In his role as general director of the National Teams, Flaco endorsed the arrival of Scaloni, who lacked experience leading large teams, to the bench of Argentina’s senior team, and ended up winning three titles in just a year and a half: the Copa América 2021, the Finalissima 2022 and the World Cup.
See alsoMenotti and Rosario: their “rogue” heart, their time at Newell’s and the place to which they always returned One of Menotti’s sons wanted to thank first of all those who shared life with him, and above all the president of the AFA for trusting his father in that position: “Claudio Tapia made my old man’s last years live in the place he always dreamed of, surely in the place he loved the most,” declared Alejandro Menotti.
He also thanked the national team’s coaching staff for allowing him for many years to return to live with passionate young people and get back to what he always loved.
