Carlos Bilardo

Lore & Background

Bilardo was born in the Buenos Aires La Paternal neighbourhood to Italian immigrants from Mazzarino. He was drawn to football from his childhood, but did not neglect study or work. He was a promising prospect in the youth divisions of San Lorenzo de Almagro, and was drafted to the junior Argentina national team that obtained the 1959 Pan-American title and took part in the 1960 Summer Olympic Games. In 1961, he was transferred to second-division side Deportivo Español, where he became the team's top scorer, but slowly gravitated to defensive midfielder. He continued his studies in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires. In 1965, he was transferred to Estudiantes de La Plata, where manager Osvaldo Zubeldía built a team based on the killer youth divisions and used Bilardo as a midfield anchor. Bilardo became Estudiantes' inside-the-pitch tactician, winning one Metropolitano title (1967), three Copa Libertadores titles (1968–1970), and one Intercontinental Cup in 1968. After graduating as a physician, he retired from play and accepted the job of Estudiantes coach in 1971. He divided his time between managing, his family, helping manage his father's furniture business, and practicing as a gynecologist until 1976. As manager of Argentina, he was renowned for successfully employing the 3–5–2 formation. He wrote a book called 'Así Ganamos' retelling the story of Argentina's 1986 FIFA World Cup win.

In Their Own Story

The dressing room at the Estadio Azteca, minutes before the 1986 final, smelled of deep heat and fear. Bilardo stood before the mirror, his blazer buttoned to the throat, and said only: "They will press you. You will not press them. You will wait. And when you wait, they will open a door. You walk through that door." He looked at Maradona, who was lacing his boots with the casual indifference of a boy who had already scored two goals against England four days earlier. "Diego," Bilardo said, "today you are not the team. Today you are one man among eleven. And that is enough." Maradona nodded, said nothing, and walked out into the roar of ninety thousand voices. Bilardo followed, his hands steady, his eyes fixed on the pitch where the green grass stretched out like a promise he had spent four years keeping.

Reader's Guide

Bilardo held the post of Argentina national team manager from 1983 until after the 1990 World Cup. Under his watch, Diego Maradona became the most dominant player of his age, and Argentina won the 1986 edition and reached the 1990 final. After 1990, he alternated teaching and journalism stints with managing, reuniting with Maradona in Sevilla FC and later in Boca Juniors, and had brief terms as national coach of Libya and Guatemala in 1998. He returned to Estudiantes LP for the 2003–2004 season. He covered the 2006 FIFA World Cup as a commentator for Argentine TV. Following the 2007 gubernatorial election, he was named Secretary of Sports of Buenos Aires province. When Maradona was named national team coach in October 2008, Bilardo was tapped for the post of Argentina General Manager, and he agreed to quit his Secretary post.

Did You Know?

• Bilardo is known by fans and the media as 'el narigón' ('the big nosed one').
• He researched rectal cancer and practiced as a gynecologist before retiring from medicine in 1976.
• During the 2003–2004 season, Bilardo sat next to the pitch during a game against River Plate and drank from a bottle that was later confirmed by forensic lab to contain Gatorade, not champagne.
• Bilardo's 'lucky' beige coat was given as a gift to him by coach Sabella at the 2009 Copa Libertadores final.