Osvaldo Zubeldía

Zubeldía had a respectable playing career with Vélez Sársfield, Boca Juniors, Atlanta and Banfield and the Argentina national football team. He was known as an intelligent player who was always well positioned on the field. His legacy, however, would come from his career as a manager.

Early career

His managing career started at Atlanta between 1961 and 1963, he led the team to two respectable finishes in the league. He then had an unsuccessful stint on the managing team of the Argentina national team in 1965.

Estudiantes

His managerial career took off with Estudiantes de La Plata. He was hired by the club in 1965 to help the team stave off relegation; he combined many prospects from Estudiantes' la tercera que mata ("the killer juveniles") with a small number of outside talent, and built one of the most successful teams in the history of Argentine football. The first championship of the so-called "Golden Era" came in 1967, when Estudiantes became the first "small" team to win an Argentine championship. The team came back from three goals down to beat Platense in the semifinal 4–3, then took the crown with a convincing 3–0 victory over Racing Club. Estudiantes then took second place in the Nacional championship, qualifying for the 1968 Copa Libertadores, which Estudiantes won after defeating Brazilian side Palmeiras. In that year's Intercontinental Cup, Estudiantes defeated Bobby Charlton's Manchester United 1–0 in Buenos Aires, and achieved a 1–1 tie at Old Trafford on 16 October 1968. The Intercontinental title remains the highest achievement in Estudiantes' history. The team would go on to win the Copa Libertadores twice more, in 1969 against Nacional from Uruguay and in 1970 against Peñarol also from Uruguay. Estudiantes lost their…

Zubeldía's legacy was carried to fruition by the key tactical player of his Estudiantes, Carlos Bilardo, who went on to become one of the most successful coaches in Argentine history. Bilardo dedicated to his mentor both the 1982 Metropolitano title won by Estudiantes and the 1986 FIFA World Cup title won by Argentina.