César Luis Menotti

César Luis Menotti, nicknamed El Flaco ("Slim"), was an Argentine footballer and manager. He was born on 22 October 1938 and died on 5 May 2024. As a striker, he played for Rosario Central and Boca Juniors, among other clubs. He won his first league title as a player with Boca in 1965. He later played in the North American Soccer League for the New York Generals, then joined Santos in Brazil, where he was teammates with Pelé and won a Brazilian national championship in 1968. He finished his playing career at Clube Atlético Juventus in 1970.

After retiring, Menotti was inspired by Brazil's style at the 1970 World Cup and decided to become a coach. He first worked as an assistant at Newell's Old Boys. His first managerial title came with Huracán, winning the 1973 Torneo Metropolitano with a team praised for its attacking play.

Menotti was appointed head coach of Argentina in October 1974. He led the national team to its first World Cup in 1978, beating the Netherlands in the final. Before the tournament, he faced criticism for leaving a 17-year-old Diego Maradona off the squad, believing the teenager wasn't ready for the pressure. After the win, he asked for a large raise from the Argentine Football Association, complicating contract talks. Uruguay offered him $1.1 million to coach their national team, but he turned it down. In 1979, he guided Argentina's under-20s to the World Youth Championship title, with Maradona as the star. At the 1982 World Cup, Menotti selected Maradona, but Argentina did not advance past the second round.

In March 1983, Barcelona hired Menotti to replace Udo Lattek, reuniting him with Maradona. He won the Copa del Rey and the Copa de la Liga, both against Real Madrid, in the final months of the season. The following season, he won only the Supercopa de España, and left after a 1–0 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the 1984 Copa del Rey final. Maradona was then sold to Napoli.

After a short stint at Boca Juniors, Menotti returned to Spain in July 1987 to manage Atlético Madrid, who had not won a league title in a decade. His team beat Real Madrid 4–0 away in the Madrid derby in November. Atlético sat second in the league after 23 games, but then went six matches without a win, including a 3–1 home loss to Real Madrid in March 1988. Chairman Jesús Gil, who had previously discussed the players' nightlife with Menotti, fired him.

In July 1988, Menotti took over at River Plate, Boca's Superclásico rival. He signed players like Jorge Higuaín but could not permanently acquire Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert after a two-week trial. River finished fourth in the 1988–89 season.

In July 1990, Menotti was hired at Peñarol in Uruguay, a club rebuilding after selling most of its 1987 Copa Libertadores-winning squad. After a strong pre-season tour of Europe, the team finished third in the Uruguayan league and missed Libertadores qualification. In the Supercopa Libertadores, they eliminated Santos and Boca before losing 7–2 on aggregate to Olimpia in the semi-finals, including a 6–0 second-leg defeat in Asunción where three of his players were sent off.