Carlos Bianchi
El Virrey: A prolific goalscorer and one of the most successful coaches of all time.
Carlos Bianchi (born 26 April 1949), nicknamed El Virrey (The Viceroy), is an Argentine former football player and manager. A prolific goalscorer, although he had a bright career as a forward in Argentina and France, Bianchi is best known as one of the most successful coaches of all time managing Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors to a great number of titles each. Bianchi is the only coach to win four Copa Libertadores. He is also the only coach to secure three Intercontinental Cups, and shares with Josep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti a joint record of three club world championship titles. He most recently served as manager of Boca Juniors.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Head Coach; Former Player
- Affiliation
- Club Atlético River Plate
- Copa libertadores titles
- 0 (won 3 with Boca Juniors and 1 with Vélez Sarsfield, but none with River Plate)
- Key philosophy
- Attacking Football; Tactical Flexibility
Lore & Background
Born in Buenos Aires, Bianchi was raised in a middle-class family. In 1972, he married Margaret Mary Pilla, and they had two children: Mauro Carlos and Brenda. Now has four grandchildren: Paul, Carlos and Louis (who are sons of Mauro) and Mateo (son of Brenda and Huracán defender Eduardo Dominguez). His father worked in a sales position in which Carlos regularly helped until he made his debut as a player in first-division football for Vélez Sarsfield, the club which he was a fan of.
During his tenure as coach of Vélez Sarsfield he was known as the 'Virrey' (viceroy, in Spanish), named by sports writer Victor Hugo Morales. The reason is based on footballing and historical grounds, as Bianchi obtained several titles as a player and coach with Vélez Sarsfield. The club is located in the neighbourhood of Liniers alluding to the Virrey Liniers, who was in command of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata by early 1800.
Reader's Guide
Bianchi made his debut with Vélez Sarsfield at age 18 in a 1–1 tie against Boca Juniors. He scored his first goal in Primera v Argentinos Juniors on July 7, 1968. He was part of the Vélez Sarsfield team that won the 1968 Nacional championship and was top scorer of the 1970 Nacional championship with 18 goals and 1971 Metropolitano with 36. In 1973, he was signed by Reims, where he was top scorer of Ligue 1 in 1974 (30 goals), 1976 (34 goals), and 1977 (28 goals).
He joined Paris Saint-Germain in 1977, scoring 37 goals in 38 matches in his first season and 27 goals in 1978–79. He played for Strasbourg in 1979–80, scoring eight goals. He returned to Vélez Sarsfield in 1980, becoming top scorer in the 1981 Nacional with 15 goals. He returned to Reims and retired in 1984.
He is the all-time top scorer of Vélez Sarsfield with 206 goals. He earned 14 caps for Argentina, scoring 7 goals, from 1970 to 1972. As a manager, he debuted with Reims in March 1985, then coached Nice in Ligue 1 between 1989 and 1990. He returned to Argentina in December 1992 to coach Vélez Sarsfield, winning the 1993 Clausura, the 1994 Copa Libertadores, and the 1994 Intercontinental Cup.
He later coached Boca Juniors, winning four league titles, three Copa Libertadores titles, and two Intercontinental Cup titles.
Did You Know?
- He scored six goals in a 6–1 win over Paris Saint-Germain while playing for Reims.
- Bianchi is recognized by FIFA as Argentina's top scorer in the history of first division tournaments of the world, with 385 goals.
More in Club History & Eras
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