A player from the Mexican National Team almost had a heart attack on the legendary César Luis Menotti

The recently deceased César Luis Menotti, one of the most inclusive coaches in the history of world football, Not only did he have a decisive impact on the growth of the Mexican National Team in the early 90s, but his impact was so great with the Mexican players that his seriousness and philosophy had to deal with the mischief and personality of the players of that time.

For that reason we should remember that occasion when the Mexican national team was preparing to tour Europe in 1991, They were concentrated in the facilities of the La Trinidad Vacation Center, located in the state of Tlaxcala, to carry out mountain work and where the legendary “Flaco” was on the verge of having a heart attack due to one of the players’ mischief, especially the hydroheat. of Chivas Luis Antonio Valdez.

Valdez, a player with an irreverent style who attracted attention for his performance on the field of the coaching staff headed by César Luis Menotti and his assistants Rogelio Poncini and the physical trainer Óscar Dean, made several pranks during his stay in the group made up of the prestigious Argentine coach who gradually gave him green gray hair.

In this group where players appeared such as Jorge Campos, Claudio Suárez, Alberto “Guamerú” García, Roberto Ruiz, Gonzalo Farfán, Marcelino Bernal, Juan De Dios Ramírez Perales, Joaquín “Quino” Hernández, Misael Espinoza, Octavio Becerril, Javier Aguirre, Juan Hernández, Guillermo Muñoz, José Manuel de la Torre, Miguel España, Raúl Gutiérrez, Ignacio Ambriz, Jaime Ordiales, Roberto Andrade, Luis García, Luis Roberto Alves, Jaime Ordiales, Francisco Uribe and the aforementioned Luis Antonio Valdez.

A group with too many figures and in the long run several of them disputed the 1994 World Cup, where Menotti had to know how to deal with his characters and the joking personality of several teamslike the case of Valdez, who on one occasion found it easy to take the place of the driver of the minibus that took the players from the hotel to the training field located about 500 meters from the accommodation area.

The players admired “Flaco” Menotti, they considered him an almost unreal entity due to his personality, for his philosophy, for the way he transmitted his knowledge and experience, but above all for the way he motivated them to respect the national shirt, but without losing its essence. Even Menotti always looked for a way to interact with the group and respect the personality of each player.

The “Corpse” joke

The “Corpse” in the first hours of concentration was showing the personality of Menotti and his collaborators, especially the almost military character of the physical trainer Óscar Dean, who was compared to the generals of the regime, due to his severity and discipline, but who little by little was entering into the style of the Mexicans.

Thus, around the third day of stay, Luis Antonio Valdez took control of the motor unit and without Menotti and his assistants realizing it, he transferred the team, but on one occasion “Flaco” realized and the prestigious Argentine coach practically had a heart attack, who shouted to the heavens, since this work had to be carried out by a specialized person.

But César Luis did not count on the player born in Aguascalientes, along with his growth as a player He had several jobs, including assistant to the minibuses in his hometown, where he learned street arts, fending for himself. The Chivas midfielder told him not to worry, that everything was under control, that he knew what he was doing.

But Menotti, scared and surprised, convinced him not to do that work again, Because in the transport he was in charge of all the other players and because of a joke an accident of incalculable dimensions could happen.

But while the joke lasted, all the selected players got a good jab from one of the most prankster players on the national team. and the famous Argentine coach’s heart almost stopped.

Like these jokes, many more arose during his stay at the head of the Mexican team, which did not last more than a year and a half, having to emigrate due to power struggles in Mexican soccer. between the businessmen who were against Televisa, those who brought Menotti to the Mexican national team and those who supported the Chapultepec television station 18 who ended up betting on Miguel Barón in the position as a replacement for the Argentine coach’s short process.

Keep reading:
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– The influential Argentine coach Menotti passed away