 Menotti as manager of FC Barcelona in 1983 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1938-10-22)22 October 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rosario, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 5 May 2024(2024-05-05) (aged 85) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1960–1963 | Rosario Central | 86 | (47) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Racing Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1965–1966 | Boca Juniors | 18 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967–1968 | New York Generals | 29 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Santos | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1970 | Juventus-SP | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1968 | Argentina | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970 | Newell's Old Boys | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1971–1974 | Huracán | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1974–1983 | Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1979 | Argentina U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Atlético Madrid | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | River Plate | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Peñarol | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Boca Juniors | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Independiente | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Sampdoria | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Independiente | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Rosario Central | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Independiente | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Puebla | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Tecos | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Argentina (director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||
César Luis Menotti (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈsesaɾˈlwismeˈnoti]; 22 October 1938 – 5 May 2024), known asEl Flaco ("Slim"), was an Argentinefootball player andmanager who won the1978 FIFA World Cup as the head coach of theArgentina national team.
Menotti played as astriker, most notably for Argentine clubsRosario Central andBoca Juniors. As a manager, he won three cups withBarcelona and also ledAtlético Madrid inLa Liga in the 1980s, as well as leadingSuperclásico rivals Boca Juniors andRiver Plate. He was briefly the manager ofMexico and ItalianSerie A clubSampdoria in the 1990s.
During Menotti's tenure as manager of the Argentina national team (from 1974 to 1982), he carried out a project that differed from previous processes, bringing him to be recognised as one of the most influential managers in the history of Argentine football.[2][3][4]
After playing some games for the reserve team, Menotti debuted inPrimera División playing forRosario Central in1960. His first professional match was on 3 July versusBoca Juniors, a 3–1 victory.[5]
On 27 November 1963, Menotti played afriendly forRiver Plate againstJuventus. He scored in the 2–1 loss in Italy.[6] The following June, he scored in another exhibition defeat, 2–1 away toNacional in Montevideo, and was then approached by the host team.[7]
Menotti remained four seasons in Rosario Central prior to be transferred in 1964 toRacing, then moving to Boca Juniors in 1965, where he would win his first title as player, the1965 Primera División. Two years later Menotti arrived to theNorth American Soccer League to play for theNew York Generals. In 1968 Menotti was traded toSantos where he was teammate ofPelé and won theTorneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, a tournament later recognized as national championship of Brazil, of that year. Menotti signed withClube Atlético Juventus, where he retired from football in 1970 after playing games and scoring twice.[8]
After retiring from play, Menotti became friends with coachMiguel "Gitano" Juárez, with whom he traveled to the1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Fascinated by the Brazilian style of play led by his friendPelé, he decided to become a coach himself.[5] Menotti worked as coach assistant of Juárez inNewell's Old Boys.[9]
As manager, Menotti won his first title withHuracán, the1973Torneo Metropolitano with a side that included notable players such asCarlos Babington,[10]Miguel Brindisi,Roque Avallay and the outstandingRené Houseman. That squad was widely praised by the media due to their style of playing, being considered one of the best Argentine teams of all time.[9] Huracán played 32 matches, winning 19 with 5 losses. The squad scored 62 goals and conceded 30.[11]
Menotti was appointed the head coach of the Argentina national team in October 1974.[12] He led them to their firstFIFA World Cup in1978, defeating theNetherlands inthe final.[10] He had faced considerable criticism before the tournament when he excluded 17-year-oldDiego Maradona from the squad, believing him to be too young to cope with the pressure.[13]
After the World Cup triumph, Menotti demanded for a large raise from theArgentine Football Association, which complicated his contract negotiations. TheUruguayan Football Association offered him US$1.1 million to leadtheir national team for four years, but were unsuccessful in their approach.[7]
In 1979, Menotti led theArgentina U20 national team to success in theWorld Youth Championship in Japan, with Maradona the team's star player.[14] At the1982 World Cup, Menotti chose Maradona, who made his World Cup debut at age 21. He was unable to advance past the second round.[13]
In March 1983,Barcelona sackedUdo Lattek and brought in Menotti, who reunited with Maradona. In the final three months of the season, he led them to theCopa del Rey and theCopa de la Liga, both againstEl Clásico rivalsReal Madrid. In the following season, he won only the1983 Supercopa de España and his final game was the 1–0 loss toAthletic Bilbao in the1984 Copa del Rey final, after which he left and Maradona was sold toNapoli.[15]
After a brief spell back home with Boca Juniors,[6] Menotti returned to Spain in July 1987 to manageAtlético Madrid, who had gone a decade without a league title. He won 4–0 away at Real Madrid in theMadrid derby on 7 November. After 23 games of the season, Atlético were second to Real Madrid, but went on a six-game winless run culminating in a 3–1 home loss to their city rivals on 20 March 1988. ChairmanJesús Gil had already had talks with Menotti – including about the players' nightlife before their draw away toReal Sociedad in October – and subsequently dismissed him.[16]
Menotti returned toBuenos Aires in July 1988, taking over at Boca'sSuperclásico rivals River Plate. He brought in players such asJorge Higuaín, but was unable to make Paraguayan goalkeeperJosé Luis Chilavert a permanent signing after two weeks training at the club. TheMillonarios finished fourth in the1988–89.[6]
In July 1990, Menotti was hired atPeñarol, a Uruguayan club going through restructuring after selling most of their team that had won theCopa Libertadores in1987. After showing good form on a pre-season tour of Europe, the clubfinished third in theUruguayan Primera División and missed out on Libertadores qualification. In theSupercopa Libertadores, an event for teams that had previously won the continental tournament, they eliminated Santos and Boca before a 7–2 aggregate loss in the semi-finals to Paraguay'sOlimpia; his team had three players sent off in the 6–0 second-leg defeat inAsunción.[7]
In 1991, Menotti returned to international football when he was appointed byMexico, who were recovering from theCachirules scandal that had seen them banned from the1990 FIFA World Cup. He oversaw the opening qualifiers for the1994 FIFA World Cup but resigned in 1992 in solidarity with two associates who had left theMexican Football Federation.[17]
Menotti had a third spell in Europe when he ledSampdoria of the ItalianSerie A briefly in 1997. His squad included the likes ofSiniša Mihajlović,Vincenzo Montella,Jürgen Klinsmann andAlain Boghossian. He oversaw elimination from theUEFA Cup by Athletic Bilbao, and took 11 points from 8 games before being replaced by returning championship-winning coachVujadin Boškov.[18]
Before and after his short stint in Italy, Menotti was manager ofIndependiente. His team came runners-up in the1996–97 Argentine Primera División.[19]
In March 2002, Menotti was hired at Rosario Central, his hometown club where he had begun playing and had always supported.[20] On 1 September that year, he oversaw their first win away tocity rivalsNewell's Old Boys in 22 years, but that was followed by nine games without a win and his dismissal. He refused to leave and accused the board of cowardice, as he had learned of the decision from the newspapers.[21]
Menotti returned to Independiente for 2005, amidst financial problems at the club.[19] He resigned on 19 April, and criticised the club's establishment.[22]
Through his friendship withEmilio Maurer [de] – one of the executives he resigned from the Mexico national team in solidarity with – Menotti was hired byPuebla. He was due to be the coach, but could not fit this responsibility around a commitment to be an analyst forTV Azteca at the2006 FIFA World Cup. He instead worked as an advisor at the club and his coaching staff prepared Puebla in Argentina for a promotion play-off, lost 5–1 on aggregate toQuerétaro.[23]
In late August 2007, Menotti was hired by another Mexican team,Tecos of theLiga MX.[24] He took offence whenPumas UNAM hosted his team on a pitch that had just been used forAmerican football, likening it to having a woman sellingtacos in the crowd whileLuciano Pavarotti sang at the opera. He resigned in January 2008, between theApertura and Clausura tournaments, after a dispute with the board.[25]
On 3 February 2017,Guadalajara made a formal offer to sign him on as their academy director.[26] In January 2019, Menotti was named as the director of the Argentina national teams.[27]
Menotti was born on 22 October 1938 inRosario, Argentina.[28][29] At the time, his father was working inSan Miguel de Tucumán and the window of time to register his birth had already passed by the time he returned. Menotti was therefore registered as if he had been born on the day that his father went to the registry office, 5 November. While Menotti's documentation always carried the 5 November date, he always celebrated his birthday on 22 October.[5][28]
Menotti was the only child of Antonio Menotti and Olga Fasola, and grew up inBarrio Fisherton in Rosario. As a child he was nicknamedCito, a shortening ofCésarcito ("Little César"), though he believed it was a reference toRacing Club playerVicente Zito.[5] He was known asEl Flaco ("Slim") later in life.[5] Antonio Menotti, an accomplished boxer and footballer, died of cancer in 1955, aged 51. The elder Menotti was a heavy smoker, a habit that the younger was also known for.[28] César Luis Menotti had a growth removed from his right lung in 2011.[10]
Menotti died on 5 May 2024, at the age of 85, after being hospitalized for a month with severeanemia.[30][31][32] The cause of death wasstomach cancer.[33] His funeral was held two days later at the Argentine Football Association's complex in Rosario, attended by figures including 1978 captainDaniel Passarella and incumbent national managerLionel Scaloni.[34] ThePresident of Argentina,Javier Milei, described Menotti as a leader who had given "one of the biggest joys to the country".[35]
Menotti always displayed a rebellious streak and cultivated an image of coolness. He wore long hair, dressed casually, and used to drop references to cultural icons in his conversations, from writerErnesto Sabato to singerJoan Manuel Serrat. He was opinionated on politics, projecting a left-wingsocialist image that contrasted with his holding a very visible post during the right-wing military dictatorship.[36]
Menotti proclaimed:
There's a right-wing football and a left-wing football. Right-wing football wants to suggest that life is struggle. It demands sacrifices. We have to become of steel and win by any method... obey and function, that's what those with power want from the players. That's how they create retards, useful idiots that go with the system.[36]
Boca Juniors
Santos
Huracán
Barcelona
Argentina Youth
Argentina
Media related toCésar Luis Menotti at Wikimedia Commons
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