RIP César Luis Menotti 22 October 1938 – 5 May 2024
Coached Argentina to their World Cup win in 1978.
But achieved stuff all afterwards.....
ENIGMA OF CESAR LUIS MENOTTI:
Argentina's 1978 World Cup winning manager passed away last week aged 85.
I'd assumed that he died a decade ago (when he was last in the news when he was sick with cancer)
Enigma?
Yes - after winning the Cup in 1978, he failed to win another major trophy at national team or club level (he won the 1979 FIFA u-20 World Cup and a couple of cups with Barcelona on 1982-83 - but that was all).
He was unusually young (youngest in history to this day) when he coached the Argies to the title in '78.
He was only 39 - crazy!
Menotti had scant club coaching experience when appointed Argentina manager in 1974 aged only 35.
The Argentina team was in crisis - their results had been mediocre for decades and they were totally eclipsed by a stellar Brazil.
Menotti had success in 1978 - with help in making the semi-final from alleged bribes paid by Argentina's dictatorship to the opposition team Peru to lose the last group game by at least 4 goals (they lost 6-0).
But that was the only major success in his senior coaching career.
After he left the Argentina job in 1983, Menotti had no major success in club football either in Argentina, Europe or Mexico.
He failed to win a single league title and the only trophies were a Spanish Cup, League Cup and Super Cup in his single season at Barcelona.
Not a single trophy of any kind after that 1984 - 84 season at Barcelona.
And he carried on coaching club sides (and less than a year as Mexico boss) for another 23 years till 2007.
In his club coaching career 1983- 2007, he never stayed at a club for more than two seasons:
At 12 clubs - he stayed one season or less before usually being fired (sometimes resigning)
He coached Mexico for less than one year.....
I agree with those who say that he was never really a very good coach and just got lucky with Argentina in 1978.
Argentina flopped under Menotti at the 1982 World Cup despite having Maradona.
He really achieved nothing in 24 years of (mostly) club coaching after 1983.
Honours: Manager
Huracán
Barcelona
Argentina
