Football: Argentina’s goalkeeper legend Gatti died

Argentine football mourns the loss of the legendary goalkeeper Hugo Gatti. The former international had died in Buenos Aires at the age of 80, the Argentine Association AFA and the South American continental association Conmebol said.

According to Argentine media reports, Gatti suffered a hip fracture in a fall almost two months ago and had come to the hospital. There he pulled pneumonia and suffered from kidney failure. According to a communication by the municipal health authority, he died of multiple organ failure.

765 league games in Argentina

During his 25 -year career, Gatti received the nickname El Loco, the crazy, and achieved cult status because of his charisma and extroverted play style. He believed that fans who went to the stadium should take more than just a result, the newspaper “La Nación” wrote about him. Gatti was also asked as a advertising medium, he made an advertisement for gin, among other things.

Gatti played 765 games in the first Argentine league and is the professional with the most missions. With the Boca Juniors, he won the Copa Libertadores, the South American counterpart to the Champions League. In the final of the 1977 World Cup, he prevailed with the club from Buenos Aires against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

With 26 parried penalty, Gatti still holds the record in the first Argentine league together with Ubaldo Fillol. “His unmistakable style survived and made him one of the best goalkeepers in Argentine football,” wrote Conmebol for his appreciation.