Argentine, South American and world football suffers an irreparable loss. At 85, César Luis Menotti, one of the most influential coaches ever born on this side of the world, dies. and who, in 1978, led Argentina to obtaining his first world title.
At 85 years of age, someone who, in addition, He is considered the generator of an authentic school in trans-Andean football.. A style that, like that of his mentor, privileged good play over results. In fact, he faced this concept with Carlos Bilardo, who in 1986 obtained the second planetary title of the Trans-Andeans, with a much more pragmatic and results-oriented view.. His greatness led him, in any case, to wish him recovery.
In recent months, as a result of his health condition, Menotti had stayed away from public roads. In fact, for example, he had stopped going to the café he went to every morning, in the heart of Buenos Aires..
However, he did not avoid getting involved in the last great discussion of trans-Andean football: that relating to the ownership of the clubsconsidering the initiative of the government of Javier Milei that seeks to transform them into sports corporations, like the prevailing model in Chile.
In the midst of that debate, Menotti set his position. “If clubs allow them to belong to companies, there will be no more members and football is a cultural fact. I am very afraid of deculturalization“, he explained in an interview with AM 770 radio, in a message that can be interpreted as his last legacy.
“Privatizing a club is like stealing a worker’s money. The clubs were made by the members with a lot of sacrifice from many people who passed through the club. It’s not about inventing things. I hope the members come out to fight so that the clubs belong to the members. This privatizing of the clubs and transforming them into a business only serves those who do the business,” he insisted.
“I was born in a club. Rosario Central has been mine since I was born, that’s why I insist that deculturalization destroys everything. I am surprised by the lack of fight that is proposed. The clubs belong to the members. They are neither from the president of the AFA nor from anyone, they are from the members,” he stated.
Much has been written about Menotti and, surely, will continue to be written. His contribution to the activity is immeasurable, due to its conceptual clarity and the consequence of his actions, even when he had to make complex decisions, such as marginalizing Diego Maradona from the World Cup that was held in trans-Andean lands. although reconciliation would occur a year later, in Japan, when both coincided in winning the Youth World Cup. Later, they were also together at Barcelona.
The transversality of your proposal It led him to direct Boca Juniors, River Plate, Rosario Central and Independiente, in his country. His career in banking had started at Newell’s and continued at Huracán.
Outside, it also shined. In addition to the Catalan team, he worked at Atlético de Madrid, Peñarol, in Uruguay, Sampdoria, in Italy and Puebla y Tecos, in Mexico.
He also served as manager of Independiente and as sports director of the Argentine national team. In this last position, for example, won the World Cup in Qatar 2022.
Menotti’s track record also includes: a title as a player with Boca Juniors, in 1965, one as a coach with Huracánin addition to a Copa del Rey, a League Cup, and a Spanish Super Cup, with Barcelona.
