El Graphic Public domain – Caption: Menotti and Pelé played together at Santos –
Photo: El Grão Public domain / Jogada10
The CBF mourned the death of Cesar Luis Menotti, one of the great legends of world football. The Director of the National Teams of the AFA (Argentine Football Association) died last Sunday (5), aged 85, after being hospitalized in March due to anemia. He led the Argentina team to win the 1978 World Cup, the first title in the country’s history. Furthermore, Menotti was a fan of Brazilian football and the 1970 Brazilian team.
“The CBF deeply regrets the death of Cesar Luis Menotti, one of the great personalities of world football. In addition to winning the 1978 World Cup title as a coach, he was an admirer of Brazilian football. Menotti deserves all the tributes and that his story will always be revered by world football fans”, said the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues.
Menotti was a player for the Argentine National Team and played for Rosario Central, Racing, Boca Juniors, teams from the United States, and two Brazilian clubs, Santos and Juventus-SP. At the same time, he was Argentine champion with Boca and Brazilian champion with Santos, in 1968.
Furthermore, the Argentine ended up being signed by Santos at Pelé’s request. In a friendly match on July 12, 1968, Menotti played for The New York Generals, his team, and was the big attraction. In this way, he scored five goals for the North American team in the 5-3 victory over Santos in New York. So, after the game, Pelé, who already knew him, invited him to play for the Santos club.
“I no longer cared about the money, I would have paid to leave because I already had the intention of being a coach and one of the best ways to learn was to live with those guys who won everything”, explained Menotti about his transfer to Santos.
Check out the CBF note:
Follow Jogada10 on social media: TwitterInstagram and Facebook.
