José María Minella

José María Minella
	Minella playing for River Plate in 1937
Personal information
Date of birth	9 August 1909
Place of birth	Mar del Plata, Argentina
Date of death	13 August 1981
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Independiente (Mar del Plata)
Senior career*
Years	Team
1928–1934	Gimnasia La Plata
1935–1942	River Plate
1942–1943	Peñarol
1944	Green Cross
International career
1933–1941	Argentina
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

José María Minella (1909–1981) was an Argentine football player and manager. He played for and managed Argentina's national team.

Club career[edit]

A midfielder, Minella started playing at local club Independiente of Mar del Plata. On 23 August 1925, he was part of the local league team that achieved a 1–0 win over a team made of battleship HMS Repulse´s crewmembers during the Prince of Wales visit to Argentina.^[1] In 1928 he was signed by Gimnasia La Plata who won the amateur Argentine championship in 1929. He played in the team nicknamed El Expreso ("The Express") that nearly won the championship in 1933.

In 1935 he moved to River Plate where he was part of three championship's winning teams in 1936, 1937 and 1941.

Towards the end of his playing career he played in Uruguay with Peñarol and in Chile with Green Cross.

International career[edit]

Minella made his international debut in 1933, he played three times in the Copa América, in 1935, 1937 and 1941. Argentina won the 1937 and 1941 editions. He played a total of 24 games for his country netting one goal.

Managerial career[edit]

Minella took over as manager of River Plate in 1945, he led the team through one of the most successful eras in their history. Between 1952 and 1957 they won five championships in six years, including the club's second treble in the professional era (1955, 1956 and 1957). He also won the Copa Aldao in 1947.

Minella had a spell as manager of the Argentina national team between 1964 and 1965, he returned as caretaker manager for one game in 1968. As national coach, he won the Taça das Nações played in Brazil in 1964.

Legacy[edit]

In preparation for the 1978 FIFA World Cup a football stadium was built in Mar del Plata and named Estadio José María Minella after his death in 1981 to honour Mar del Plata's most significant football talent.

Honours[edit]

As a player[edit]

Club[edit]

Gimnasia La Plata

Argentine championship: 1929

River Plate

Primera División Argentina: 1936, 1937, 1941
Copa Aldao: 1937

International[edit]

Argentina

Copa América: 1937, 1941

As a manager[edit]

Club[edit]

River Plate

Primera División Argentina: 1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957
Copa Aldao: 1947
Copa Ibarguren: 1952

Argentina

Taça das Nações: 1964

References[edit]

^ Fuselli, Armando (19 August 2010). "El Repulse conmocionó la ciudad de Mar del Plata". El Atlántico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

[1] Fuselli, Armando (19 August 2010). "El Repulse conmocionó la ciudad de Mar del Plata". El Atlántico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

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