Cesar Luis Menotti, the coach of Argentina that won the 1978 FIFA World Cup, passed away at the age of 85 late on Sunday. Menotti led the Argentine team to glory as Mario Kempes, the player of the tournament in 1978, scored twice to help Menotti’s team defeat the Netherlands 3-1 in overtime.
“The Argentine Football Association regrets to report with great sadness the death of Cesar Luis Menotti, former world champion coach of Argentina,” said the AFA in a statement.
Early years
Menotti was a striker who won 11 caps for his country of Argentina also played for Santos alongside Pele. After that, he started a 37-year coaching career that included stints in Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, and Barcelona, where he won two trophies in a two-season span.
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Controversy with Argentina
He took over as Argentina’s manager in 1974, but the 1978 victory was marred by controversy when he chose not to include Diego Maradona, then 17 years old, in the squad despite having given him his debut on the international scene the year before.
1982 fiasco
However, Menotti led Argentina to the Under-20 World Cup the following year, defeating the Soviet Union 3-1 in the final, with Maradona in the squad. His reign came to an end during the 1982 World Cup in Spain, when Maradona was sent off and Argentina lost 3-1 to Brazil in the second round.
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