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Cesar Luis Menotti

Cesar Luis Menotti

Name: Cesar Luis Menotti
Date of Birth: 5 November 1938

Strong-willed and with a flair for attacking football, Cesar Luis Menotti suffered slings and arrows for leaving Diego Maradona out of the 1978 Argentina squad. In the end, though, he had the last laugh as Kempes and co lifted the FIFA World Cup for a first time.

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He Was My Coach

"I remember a national team training session back in 1977 when I played particularly well. Menotti took me to one side to talk in private, and he said he was considering giving me my debut in a friendly against Hungary. Every time El Flaco spoke I went deathly quiet inside. That was because El Flaco was God!
Diego Maradona, who made his national team debut under Menotti

    Did You Know?

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    • Diego Maradona was among 25 players who trained for the 1978 finals but he was one of the three left out when Menotti cut the squad to 22.
    • Although remembered mainly for his coaching achievements, Menotti had success as a player as well. He lined up alongside the great Pele for Santos in 1968.
    • Menotti excelled as a writer and his book Futbol: Juego, deporte y profesion (“Football: Game, sport and profession”) was well received.
    • Menotti threatened to quit just before the 1978 finals when some clubs tried to remove players from a training camp but he won the dispute.
    • Cesar Luis Menotti was the first coach to lead Argentina to simultaneous FIFA World Cup™ and FIFA World Youth Championship successes.

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