Experienced coach Miguel Ángel Russo, who led Argentina’s Boca Juniors, died this Wednesday (8), aged 69, in Buenos Aires. The information was released by the club.
The Argentine coach’s health has worsened in recent weeks. He has not been on the bench since September 21, when his team drew 2-2 with Central Córdoba, at La Bombonera, in the Argentine Championship.
In his public appearances, which alternated with hospital or home stays, he was seen thin, walking with difficulty and with a weak voice.
The popular Buenos Aires club never detailed his health situation, although it was known he had a urinary infection. In 2017, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
On October 7, the team limited itself to informing that Russo was confined to his home with a “poor prognosis”. And this Wednesday he announced his death.
“Miguel leaves an indelible mark on our institution and will always be an example of joy, cordiality and effort. We accompany his family and loved ones in this moment of pain. See you always, dear Miguel!”, Boca published on its social networks.
In his absence, Boca was managed by his assistant, Claudio Úbeda. His players and former teams even dedicated messages of support to him during his final days.
“He is the leader of our group, and seeing him go through this moment is not good at all. We send a lot of strength to him”, said midfielder Leandro Paredes, last Sunday (5), after the 5-0 defeat of Newell’s Old Boys.
From the field to the bank
A man of few words and direct phrases (“these are decisions”, he repeated when asked about his lineups and substitutions), Russo has been a coach for more than half his life.
He accumulated 36 seasons on the bench, in a vast trajectory that had his most relevant cycles in Argentina’s Boca, Rosario Central and Estudiantes de La Plata.
The first half of his life was marked by his history at Estudiantes, the club where he built his entire career as a player (1975 to 1988). He was a midfielder and defender and won two titles, the Metropolitano in 1982 and the Nacional in 1983.
Legendary coach Carlos Bilardo made him debut in the Argentine first division. And Russo was part of one of the most remembered midfields in Argentine football along with Alejandro Sabella, Marcelo Trobbiani and José Daniel “Bocha” Ponce.
His performances led him to the national team, and he was part of the squad that competed in the qualifiers in 1985, but Bilardo did not call him up for the 1986 World Cup, won by Argentina, with Diego Maradona. It was his biggest frustration.
Years later, Russo acknowledged his anger at Bilardo: “How can it not hurt me [não ir à Copa]? But Carlos told me a wise phrase: ‘The day you become a coach, you will understand me; before, never’. And then I understood.”
After his retirement, he began a career as a coach that saw him manage more than a thousand matches in Argentina, Chile, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Saudi Arabia.
Versatile trainer
Although he does not leave behind an extensive list of trophies, Russo is marked by symbolic achievements.
In his first experience as a coach, he promoted Lanús from division on two occasions (1990 and 1992).
In 1994, he took charge of his beloved Estudiantes, with a squad that included, among others, Juan Sebastián Verón and Martín Palermo.
His first title in the first division was won with Vélez Sarsfield in the Clausura (the Argentine of the second half) of 2005. Then, at Maradona’s request, he was called to manage Boca and led the team to win the Copa Libertadores 2007, his greatest triumph as a coach.
In Colombia, in 2017, he became champion with Millonarios one day after undergoing a chemotherapy session to treat cancer. In Bogotá, where he is an idol, he left a much-remembered phrase: “Everything can be cured with love.”
With Rosario Central, he won the Argentine League Cup in December 2023, his last title with the club, which he saved twice from relegation.
Throughout his career, Russo proved to be a versatile coach, who preferred balanced and orderly teams, with a good ability to adapt depending on the resources at his disposal.
His last adventure came in June, when he accepted Juan Román Riquelme’s proposal to lead a third cycle at Boca.
It had an unhappy start due to its early elimination from the Club World Cup and a weak start in Clausura. When the team began to improve, signs of deteriorating health became evident, and he was unable to continue.
