Carlos Bianchi: The Libertadores Cup is ruthless and only a genius could bring home 4 of these and lead one of the greatest teams of all time. Join us to learn a bit about the career of this star both on and off the field.
Image: Trivela
Index
Biography and Career of Carlos Bianchi
Carlos Bianchi, born on April 26, 1949, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His career as a professional player began in 1967 at Vélez Sársfield, a traditional Argentine club. Carlos was an excellent goal scorer and is the top scorer in Vélez history with 206 goals.
After five seasons at Vélez, Bianchi moved to France, where he would remain until the end of his playing career, except for a brief return to Argentina, and it’s also where he would start his successful journey as a coach.
Image: Credits Bodog
His first destination in Europe was Stade de Reims, where he stayed from 1973 to 1977. Then, he moved to the newly-founded Paris Saint-Germain, playing two seasons.
Later, he transferred to Strasbourg, but he only stayed there for a year. Eventually, he felt the call of home and returned to Vélez in 1980, playing 159 games over four years.
He decided to wrap up his playing career in his first French home: Stade de Reims. His return was a way to show his gratitude; he played only 18 games. Nevertheless, even at 36, he remained hungry for goals and scored 8.
As a player, he had a record of 562 games and 393 goals, an impressive average. Besides individual awards and being a top scorer, he also lifted the Argentine Championship trophy in 1968 with Vélez. However, his list of titles as a coach was unmatched.
His coaching career began in 1985 at Stade de Reims in France, just after retiring as a player at the same club. He also coached Nice and PSG in France until he returned to Vélez in 1991, where he was already an idol as a player and would become one as a coach.
Bianchi’s Libertadores Cups
His first Libertadores Cup, with the club where he was already an idol and top scorer, was an immensely emotional moment.
An unlikely victory, but not for Bianchi and his team. The opponent was none other than the best team in the world at the time. In the final, Vélez faced São Paulo, which was in its third consecutive Libertadores final and had won the previous two editions as well as two Intercontinental Cups.
The team led by Raí faced a squad that, although traditionally a strong team in Argentina, reached its first (and so far only) Libertadores final.
Bianchi’s team won the first leg in Buenos Aires 1-0, with a goal from Asad, but São Paulo won the second leg at Morumbi with a goal from Müller. The decision went to penalties, and El Fortín won its first Libertadores Cup, and Bianchi earned the nickname of Mr. Libertadores.
Image: El Gráfico
In 1998, Mr. Libertadores became the coach of the mighty Boca Juniors. His initial years at Boca were marked by national titles, and in 2000, he won his first Libertadores Cup with them.
Once again, a formidable challenge awaited in the final. Palmeiras, the reigning champion, had won the Libertadores in 1999 and was riding high after defeating their arch-rival, Corinthians. The pattern continued, with a draw of 2-2 at La Bombonera and 0-0 at Morumbi. Boca triumphed in the penalty shootout with 4 perfect shots.
Bianchi’s success continued in 2001 as he led Boca Juniors to another Libertadores Cup victory, this time against Cruz Azul. And yes, you guessed it—another victory via penalties.
His final triumph came in 2003, this time against Santos. Despite Santos boasting star players like Robinho, Diego, Elano, and Alex, Boca Juniors won 2-0 at La Bombonera and 3-1 at Morumbi, in front of nearly 75,000 spectators.
Image: Reprodução Twitter
Bianchi’s Boca Juniors was a formidable team, a perfect blend of tenacity, technical skill, and flair. It featured unique players like Schelotto, Palermo, Tévez, Burdisso, Abbondanzieri, Samuel, Riquelme, Iarley, among others.
In addition to his Libertadores triumphs, Boca claimed two Intercontinental Cups (against Real Madrid in 2000 and Milan in 2003) and a World Cup (with Vélez against Milan).
After his third title, Boca Juniors’ fans honored him by dubbing him “Mr. Libertadores.”
As if that weren’t enough, Carlos Bianchi was named the world’s best coach in 2000 and 2003, an incredible feat for a South American coach.
Carlos Bianchi’s influence on the football world will resonate for generations to come.
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Written by João Felipe Miller and Vitor F L Miller.
