Playing with your team and becoming a World Cup champion is something that all footballers dream of, from the youngest to the oldest. Although the younger generations may not be familiar with the name we will mention below, the protagonist of today’s history is in the most glorious pages of our country’s football. By saying that he knows how much the World Cup weighs, we are referring to a great man.
Born in Córdoba on October 12, 1950, Miguel Ángel “Cata” Oviedo He was one of the members of the historic Argentine team that won the Soccer World Cup in 1978. For more than 20 years, Cata has led a life away from the spotlight of the world of baseball. Oviedo, a legend of the Talleres de Córdoba, He currently works as a receptionist at the Carlos Cerutti Municipal Sports Center. from his native province.
What was the football career of Miguel Ángel Oviedo, world champion with Argentina?
Miguel Ángel Oviedo began his football career at the Palermo de Córdoba club. Later, he went through Racing de Nueva Italia and He made his professional debut at Instituto in 1973 in a match against Newell’s. His performance on the field led him to Workshops in 1974, a club that lived one of its golden eras.
In Talleres, Oviedo established himself as a key player, being part of the team that reached the final of the National Championship in 1977, where they faced Independiente de Avellaneda. His outstanding performance earned him the call-up to César Luis Menotti to be part of the Argentine National Team that would compete in the 1978 World Cup.
During the 1978 World Cup, Oviedo was part of a historic squad that He led Argentina to its first world titlel. Although he only played a handful of minutes in the semifinals against Peru, the controversial match in which Argentina beat its rival 6-0, Cata entered the great history of national sports.
Oviedo is one of the five people from Córdoba who were part of the world champion team in 1978, along with figures such as Osvaldo Ardiles, Américo Gallego, Rubén Galván and Mario Kempes. Despite his sporting feat, he is not always recognized on the streets of his province. “The greats recognize me, the young people don’t understand what it means to be a world champion”explained Oviedo in an interview with Infobae, who highlights the transience of collective memory in the sports field.
Returning to the club level, in the 83/84 season Cata began to wear the colors of Independent of Avellaneda where he belonged to the squad champion of the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental of ’84.
Between 1986 and 1994, the world champion returned to Talleres (where he established himself as the player with the most appearances in the club with 453 games played), Deportivo Armenian and Los Ándesclub where he retired.
What happened to the life of Miguel Ángel Oviedo after his retirement from football?
After his retirement he was coach of Racing de Córdoba and other teams in the provincial league. However, he later went to work in the state sports area. Despite his success in football, Miguel Ángel Oviedo chose to lead a life away from the spotlight after his retirement.
For more than 20 years Cata has worked as a public employee at the Carlos Cerutti Municipal Sports Center in Córdoba, where she works as a receptionist and administrator. “I worked my whole life doing what I had, without asking anyone for privileges.“stated Oviedo.
“It gives me peace of mind to know that I have a secure salary at the end of the month”, said the former world champion about his job, highlighting that he enjoys the stability that this job provides him. Oviedo was called to work in the Sports Directorate of Córdoba during the management of Luis Juez, who called him to join his team in the Sports area. “The idea was to bring more people to the sport”, explains about his incorporation into the municipality. Likewise, Oviedo receives the prize that AFA gives to all the footballers who became world champions with the National Team.
In addition to his administrative work, Oviedo continues to be linked to sports, especially basketball, since the Cerutti Sports Center is the headquarters of the Atenas club’s official matches.
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Despite having achieved glory in football, he has managed to keep his feet on the ground and lead a quiet life with his wife Gladys, who organizes his life and manages the household finances. “There’s not enough, but I don’t lack it either. I’m living well, working in a public entity. I do not complain and I live as our entire society lives; fighting, fighting and so on. Thank God I’m fine,” Oviedo said.
In turn, Oviedo told of the economic problems that some of his teammates faced after becoming world champions. Every consecrated player of that World Cup received 35 thousand dollars, a not very significant sum for what players currently earn. However, many of them could not make a big economic difference as soccer players and have managed to sell very valuable objects: “There are colleagues who had to sell their shirts out of necessity”assured the former player.
However, Oviedo always wanted to keep his jerseys, which he still keeps and which are also exhibited in two museums: in the Mario Alberto Kemper Stadium and in the Netherlands. “I received proposals and there were people interested, but I never sold them. People came from Central America and Europe interested in buying them and they offered me 15 thousand dollars, but no, we will never have t-shirts like these again,” says Oviedo about the offers. that he received.
Despite the economic challenges, Oviedo has managed to remain steadfast and continue with his life, always remembering with pride his participation in the world champion team.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
