Xabier Azkargorta: Bolivian football legend who led World Cup run dies | OneFootball

FOOTBALL IS IN MOURNING over the passing this Friday of Xabier Azkargorta, the 72-year-old Spanish coach who became a hero of Bolivian football for being the man who led their national team to the only World Cup they have ever played in in their history.

The death of the Azpeitia-born coach, born in 1953, occurred in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where he resided. “For several years I have suffered from a heart condition, but I am stable under the constant care of my wife and son,” he emphasized on October 22, in one of his last public appearances.

The club Oriente Petrolero, where the Basque coach left his mark, stated in a press release: “We deeply regret the sensitive passing of Professor Xabier Azkargorta, former head coach of our institution and a symbol of Bolivian football, who led our national team to the 1994 World Cup. We stand with his family and friends in this moment of sorrow as they say goodbye to a true legend. Thank you for your legacy, Professor.”

After his dream of being a footballer was cut short by a serious injury, Azkargorta began his coaching career at the age of 25 and started to gain recognition for his work at Espanyol (1983-86), where at 29 he became the youngest first division coach, Sevilla (1987-88), and Tenerife (1990).

After the historic World Cup appearance with Bolivia in the United States in 1994, he went on to coach Chile (1995-96), Yokohama Marinos (1997-98), Chivas (2005) until he returned to the Altiplano national team between 2012 and 2014.

After that came Bolívar (2014-15), Oriente Petrolero (2015-16), Sport Boys (2016-17), Atlético Palmaflor (2020), and a final stint in Bolivia as an assistant in 2023.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.