The coach of Argentine football club Boca Juniors, Miguel Angel Russo, has died at the age of 69, the Argentine Football Association announced Wednesday.
Russo’s health had deteriorated in recent weeks.
The last Boca Juniors game he attended was on September 21, when his team drew 2-2 with Central Cordoba in a league match at Boca’s home ground.
Boca Juniors never gave details of his health, but Argentine media reported that the coach, diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, had contracted a urinary tract infection.
Boca Juniors, in a statement, expressed “profound sadness” at Russo’s death.
“Miguel leaves an indelible mark on our club and will always be an example of joy, warmth, and dedication,” it said.
In his absence, his assistant Claudio Ubeda had been managing the club.
A man of few words, Russo was a coach for more than half his life and was talked up at one point as a potential manager for the national side after significant stints with Boca Juniors, Rosario Central and Estudiantes de la Plata.
He spent his own playing career entirely at Estudiantes, from 1975 to 1988, forming part of one of the most memorable midfields in Argentine football, along with Alejandro Sabella, Marcelo Trobbiani, and Jose Daniel “Bocha” Ponce.
He made the national team but wasn’t selected for the 1986 World Cup in which Diego Maradona famously captained Argentina to victory.
