We are going to close the week with another of the numerous examples of great Argentine coaches in history, one that in my opinion would deserve greater recognition: Juan Carlos ‘Toto’ Lorenzo.
On October 27, 1922, Juan Carlos Lorenzo was born in Buenos Aires. He trained as a soccer player in the ranks of Nueva Chicago, but made his professional debut at the age of 18 in the ranks of Chacarita Juniors. Demarcation midfielderAfter five years at ‘Funebrero’, in 1945 he signed for Boca Juniors.
In 1947 he decided to cross the Atlantic and signed for Italian club Sampdoria, where he spent five seasons. After a year in French Nancy, in 1954 signs for Atlético de Madrida club to which he would return two decades later in a completely different role. After three years at Metropolitano, he spent a year at Rayo Vallecano and in 1958 he arrived at Mallorca, where he became a player-coach, and then only coach from 1959.
Thus began a career that gave him more fame than that of a footballer. Considered ahead of his time, Lorenzo began managing Mallorca, where he achieved two promotions in a row, taking the vermilion club from the third to the first division. These successes did not go unnoticed in his country and in 1961 San Lorenzo de Almagro hired him. The following year, he became the Argentine national coach, although the experience was short-lived.
He returned to Europe again to direct two seasons at Lazio, and one at Roma, a team with which he achieved a Coppa. In 1966, Argentina called him again to take charge of the national team for the World Cup that year. where the albiceleste finishes fifth.
After two brief spells at River Plate and Mallorca, he returned to Lazio, which was in Serie B, to take it back to the first category of Italian football. In 1972 he signed again for San Lorenzo, where he achieved a double, which opens the doors of Atlético de Madrid, which he arrived in 1973, almost 20 years after having been there as a player.
At Atleti he is very close to achieving his first great success as a coach, since it makes the team runner-up in Europe (that Schwarzenbeck goal…).
In 1975 he returned to his country to coach Unión de Santa Fe for a year, and in 1976 he signed for Boca Juniors, where he began his best period as a coach: in three years, the xeneizes They achieved the two-time championship in 1976 (Metropolitan Championship 1976 and National Championship 1976), two Copa Libertadores de América (1977 and 1978) and an Intercontinental Cupin 1977, after beating the German Borussia Mönchengladbach in the final.
After this successful stage began a period of brief experiences in teams such as Racing, Argentinos Juniors, San Lorenzo again, Atlante (in Mexico), Vélez Sarsfield, Atlanta, Independiente, Lazio again, once again San Lorenzo and finally Boca, in 1987, his last experience on the bench.
Juan Carlos Lorenzo died in Buenos Aires on November 14, 2001, at the age of 79, due to pneumonia. His ashes were scattered at the Boca stadium.the Bombonera, behind one of the goals.
Until next week.