Carlos Bianchi

Carlos Bianchi (Buenos Aires, April 26, 1949) is an Argentine former soccer player, former coach and former sports director. Bianchi stood out as one of the most prolific Argentine forwards of his time, setting records in Argentina and France, but he would be even better recognized for his career as a technical director, largely coaching the Vélez Sársfield and Boca Juniors clubs, and becoming one of the most successful in the history of South American football.

As a player, he played as a center forward. After training in football in Vélez, he would make his debut at Fortín in 1967. After winning the 1968 National Tournament, Bianchi would have an impressive scoring breakthrough, being crowned top scorer at the Nacional in 1970 and the Metropolitano in 1971. Due to his impressive performances in Argentina, Bianchi would emigrate to France, specifically to the Stade de Reims, where he was the top scorer in Ligue 1 in three of the four seasons he played. After a short spell at Racing Strambourg, Bianchi signed for Paris Saint-Germain, where he would once again become the league's top scorer in the two seasons he was with the Parisian team. In 1980 he would return to Vélez, where he would be the top scorer for Nacional in 1981, before retiring in Reims in 1985.

As a coach, nicknamed "The Viceroy", Bianchi began coaching Reims and Nice in France before arriving at Vélez Sarsfield in 1993, where the club experienced the most successful period in its history, obtaining a total of six titles officials: three of them local (Apertura 1995, and Clausuras 1993 and 1996) and three international (Copa Libertadores 1994, Copa Intercontinental 1994 and Copa Interamericana 1996). After a failed spell at Roma in Italy, in 1998 he came to the bench of Club Atlético Boca Juniors, where he remained in two successful stages (1998-2001 and 2003-2004), in which the club won nine titles: four local (Aperturas 1998, 2000 and 2003, and Clausura 1999) and five international ones (Copas Libertadores 2000, 2001 and 2003, and Intercontinental Cups 2000 and 2003). Due to his impressive successes in Argentina, where he led two clubs to be world champions, Bianchi He is considered one of the best technical directors of all time, in addition to being the second most winning Argentine technical director, with 15 titles (only behind Helenio Herrera with 16). Bianchi would have a short spell as coach of Atlético de Madrid before returning to Boca Juniors for a third cycle in 2013. However, this spell would not be as successful as the previous two, which forced his dismissal in 2014. He is the coach most successful in the history of the xeneize club, with nine titles won.

He is the second Argentine footballer who has scored the most goals in First Division tournaments (only behind Lionel Messi), with 385 goals in 546 games, in addition to being Vélez's all-time top scorer. He was recognized as the coach of the year in South America on 5 occasions (1994, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003). He is the winningest coach in Argentina's First Division, winning it seven times, and in the Copa Libertadores de América, winning it in four editions. In addition, he holds the record for most undefeated games in the league, directing 40 games without a loss between 1998 and 1999.

Biography

Raised in a middle-class family, his father worked in a newspaper sales position in which Carlos helped him, until he debuted as a player in the first division of Vélez Sarsfield. During his childhood and adolescence, Carlos attended to a Catholic school. He has two siblings, Eduardo Ruben (13 years younger than him) and María Alicia (5 years younger than him). In 1972 he married Margarita María Pilla, with whom he had his children Mauro Carlos and Brenda, the latter married to the former soccer player and coach Eduardo Domínguez.

Since his time as a coach at Vélez Sarsfield, he has been known by the nickname "Virrey de Liniers", named after the sports journalist Víctor Hugo Morales. The reason is based on having emerged in football and obtained important titles as a player and coach at "El Fortín" (nickname given to the Vélez Sarsfield Athletic Club), located in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Liniers, alluding to Viceroy Liniers, who was in command of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata around the beginning of 1800.

Football career

Beginnings in Vélez Sarsfield (1967-1973)

Like many professional Argentine soccer players, Carlos Bianchi's origins were in baby soccer. Bianchi started playing for the Ciclón de Jonte club. This club served as a branch for Vélez Sarsfield. While Carlos was in the pre-ninth team, Osvaldo Bottini discovered the young forward and took him to the lower categories of Fortin. Carlos's rise during the Vélez juniors was rapid, reaching third at the age of 16.

His debut with the professional team occurred at the age of 18, thanks to coach Victorio Spinetto, on July 23, 1967, in a draw with Club Atlético Boca Juniors (1-1). He failed to convert and continued the remainder of the Metropolitan Championship as a substitute.

A year later, with Manuel Giúdice as coach, he managed to convert his first goal against Argentinos Juniors in a 4-2 win on July 7, 1968 on the Atlanta field, against goalkeeper Luis López. A week later, he scored the tying goal against River Plate at the Monumental, which also broke the mark of 769 minutes without conceding a goal by Amadeo Carrizo.

"Amadeo will always be a benchmark. He's the biggest football player I've ever seen in my life." Bianchi on Carrizo after the game.

At just 19 years old he was part of the professional team that won the historic 1968 National Tournament, the first championship in the history of Vélez, in a triangular match that Fortín played against Racing Club and River. Despite not being a frequent starter, El Virrey played in 11 of the 17 games that were played, with 7 goals scored. He also played the final 45 minutes in the championship victory over Racing on December 29. Despite having qualified for the Copa Libertadores, both Vélez and River decided not to participate in the Cup because it caused losses in terms of money income. Due to this, Giúdice resigned as coach and the historic Vélez team was dismantled..

His good performances and a serious injury to Omar Wehbe opened the doors for him to take permanent ownership in the first team. In the 1970 National Tournament he was crowned for the first time as the top scorer in a championship, with 18 goals. In the 1971 Metropolitan Championship he had the historic mark of 36 goals in 36 games.

Arrival in France and years at Reims (1973-1977)

In 1971, Robert Marion, one of the historic leaders of the Stade de Reims, took Delio Onnis to Reims after a trip to Argentina and two years later, it was Bianchi's turn to emigrate to France. Not speaking French, the agreement between the two men was made blank and the next day Vélez beat the defending champions of Argentina, San Lorenzo, with a score of 4 to 1, including a hat-trick from Carlos Bianchi. The Frenchman believed that the arrival of the Argentine would increase the stakes for the team for the season. Bianchi remembers this episode by declaring: "I had given my word. The Spanish clubs, however, offered me three or four times more.”

Bianchi arrives at a Reims that had suffered a relegation to the second division in the 1960s and is no longer the "Grand Reims" by Just Fontaine or Raymond Kopa. However, the club has a good enough level to allow it to regularly be at the top of the First Division standings, without qualifying for the main competitions. The Argentine's first season ends with a sixth place collectively but personally, with a crowning of the championship's top scorer with 30 achievements. In August 1974, during the second round of the championship, he scored the 6 goals in Stade de Reims' victory against PSG (6-1). He was the victim, during his second season at the club, of a tibia-fibula fracture during a friendly match at the Parc des Princes in a Reims-Paris FC against Barcelona, a match 'organized for journalists'.; according to Carlos Bianchi himself, while the Stade de Reims occupied first place in the first division championship. His replacement, Ove Eklund, could only score one goal. In the 1975-76 season, Bianchi again finished as top scorer with 34 goals. The 1976-77 season was painful for the club, which had long known the fears of the second half of the table, to finally finish eleventh, as well as the disappointment of a defeat in the French Cup final in which Bianchi I do not participate. Despite everything, he wins a third crowning of the top scorer with 28 goals. As the club is not in good financial health, Bianchi is transferred to Paris Saint-Germain.

Twice top scorer of the championship (1977-1979)

He crossed the banks of the Seine River in the summer of 1977 to make his debut with PSG. His first season was memorable as he scored 37 goals in 38 league games and became the fourth highest scorer. He is also designated as 'Best Player of the Championship'. The following season is an exact replica in which he is once again crowned the best player and top scorer with 27 goals.

Individually the Viceroy was crowned with success, however his record in Cups does not expand in Paris. This was due to the fact that PSG was not even ten years old and was a club under construction that could not win trophies, as demonstrated by its eleventh and thirteenth positions in the championship. For these reasons, Bianchi left Paris to play for the defending champion, Racing Club de Strasbourg in 1979.

"The Paris of the time I played was more modest and endowed with less offensive power; but I made 37 goals in 38 league games in my first season. I had smell, I knew where the ball was going to fall. It's just that being a treat was my life." Bianchi on the PSG of that time.

A bad season (1979-1980)

Bianchi signs for Racing Strasbourg, where curiously he coincides with Arsène Wenger and Raymond Domenech. However, he does not return to his usual performance during this season in Alsace, due to a misunderstanding with coach Gilbert Gress. He scored 8 goals in 22 league games and finished fifth for his club at the end of the season. The course in the 1979-80 European Champions Cup, during which he scored three goals in three games, ends in the quarterfinals.

El retorno a Vélez Sarsfield (1980-1984)

At the end of the season, he returned to his country in 1980 to play for Vélez Sarsfield, becoming top scorer in the Argentine league for the third time, in the 1981 Nacional, with 15 conquests. His last games at Vélez Sarsfield were played at the Metropolitano in 1984, and he would retire permanently on July 1, 1984 in a 2-1 defeat against Boca Juniors at the José Amalfitani. "Carlitos" Bianchi played 324 games and scored 206 goals with the shirt he loved, becoming the all-time top scorer for Fortín.

Retirement in the French Second Division (1985)

Five years after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, Bianchi returns to France for the start of the 1984-1985 season at the French club where he was born: Stade de Reims. President Bazelaire wanted to leave the second division and the return reinforces the optimism in the environment. Despite an impressive start in the league, the Reims club and its star scorer show limitations. Bianchi is no longer as efficient and, despite his defensive solidity, the team remains in the middle of the standings. The Argentine ends his career in D2 after a season with 8 goals for him, a modest 12th place and four months as a player-coach.

The following season, Bianchi becomes the full team coach and begins a new page in his career.

Argentine National Team

After his good participation in the Argentine championship, Juan José Pizzuti, the coach of the Argentine National Team at that time, called up Bianchi for the first time on October 22, 1970 in a draw against Paraguay in Asunción. From there He would only play 14 games for the national team, scoring 7 goals.

Style of play and numbers as a footballer

Bianchi is considered one of the best Argentine forwards of all time, due to his impressive scoring records that he obtained in both France and Argentina. He is the top scorer in the history of Vélez Sarsfield, with 209 goals, and 10th in Argentine football. With his 179 goals, he is also the 9th highest scorer in the history of the French League. After his retirement, Bianchi is recognized by FIFA as the second highest scoring Argentine footballer in the history of First Division tournaments in the world. score 385 goals (209 in Argentina, 179 in France, only surpassed by Lionel Messi (more than 400 goals) still active, but surpassing Di Stefano (377 goals), Onnis (363 goals) and Labruna (296 goals).

As a player, Bianchi was notable mainly for his excellent positioning and technique inside the area, added to his powerful shooting with both legs and his incredible precision when shooting on goal, which made him one of the most lethal forwards of his time. His role was described as an area gunner, where his main function was to play in the rival area, create spaces for his teammates, and score almost all the balls that came to him. El Grafico described him as a forward who had courage, dedication, and professionalism, something that Bianchi himself would later try to convey to his players as a coach.

Career as technical director

Beginnings in France (1985-1990)

Bianchi made his debut as a coach in March 1985 at Stade de Reims and spent three seasons in D2, without achieving promotion and with the results of two places in fourth position. However, he managed to get the team to the semi-finals of the French Cup twice, in 1987 and 1988, already demonstrating his virtues in head-to-head matches. Then came his opportunity in Ligue 1 when he was named to the OGC Nice bench for 24 league games between October 1989 and June 1990, in which he managed to save them from relegation by finishing in eighteenth place in the championship. tiebreaker, Bianchi met again against his former club Racing de Strasbourg, who had in their ranks two players who would later become champions in the 1998 World Cup in France, Youri Djorkaeff and Frank Leboeuf. In the first leg, Nice lost 3-1. In the second leg, Bianchi prepared a skilled Yugoslavian winger named Milos Djelmas, who had very few minutes this season, to play in the second leg. In the first half, Nice already led 4 to 0. At halftime, Bianchi warned the team that they had to continue attacking since qualification was not yet assured. Nice ended up winning the tiebreaker 6-0 and secured their place in the First Division. After announcing to the president that he was not going to continue in office, despite having signed a 3-year contract, Bianchi returned to Paris to emerge as sporting director at Paris FC, a position he held between 1991 and 1992.

Return to Argentina and Vélez as coach (1993-1996)

Champion after 25 years and conquest of America and the world (1993-1994)

After his years of experience in France, on December 29, 1992 he returned to his country again to direct the club of his roots. Carlos Bianchi debuted as coach of Vélez Sarsfield on February 21, 1993 for the first date of the 1993 Clausura Tournament of the Argentine First Division, with a 2-0 victory over Deportivo Español with two goals from Omar "Turco" Assad. Replacing Eduardo Luján Manera, he inherited a team that had acquired reinforcements such as José Luis Chilavert, Roberto Trotta and José Basualdo. Added to his commitment to youth talents such as Turco Asad and Marcelo Gómez, Vélez ended up being crowned Clausura champion, after a 1-1 draw against Estudiantes de La Plata on the penultimate date, and Bianchi participated again in a title at the club after 25 years of drought. For the following season and with a much more formed team, Bianchi proposed the 1994 Copa Libertadores as his main objective, but starting only the following year, he played the Apertura against River Plate inch by inch. However, due to the delay of the tournament and the dispute over the last dates in the first months of 1994, and as the team debuted in Libertadores, Bianchi decided to put substitutes and ended up losing the tournament, a controversial decision but one that later ended up giving him the right to the coach.

In its return to international competition after 14 years, Vélez faced a tough group stage as it faced Boca Juniors, Palmeiras and Cruzeiro. Although many thought that Fortín was the main candidate to be eliminated, Vélez won the area with total authority, qualifying as the head of the group. On the way to the final they left Defensor Sporting, Minervén, and Atlético Junior in a distressing semifinal that ended up being decided by penalties and with Vélez making history by reaching its first final in the competition. In the grand final, they ended up running into the legendary São Paulo of Telé Santana, two-time champion of America and the world. In the first leg, Vélez won at home with a solitary goal from Asad. In the return, and despite the last-minute injury to Víctor Sotomayor, a stronghold of the defense, Bianchi stood with five defenders and forced the penalties, in which Chilavert was a figure in saving one. Roberto Pompei scored the decisive goal and gave Vélez the first international title in its history, crowning it as the best team in America and leading it to compete in the legendary Intercontinental Cup in Japan. Bianchi ended up expelled in that same match, complaining about the card red to Raúl Cardozo and insulting the referee saying "you are the only Uruguayan I know who doesn't have balls" (in reference to him having no courage/boldness).

In the second semester, with the team already crowned as one of the best in the world, it had the best start in its history for the 1994 Apertura Tournament, winning 7 games out of 8 dates, with 5 consecutive victories in the first 5 games. However, due to the preparations for the world final, the team's performance declined and they finished 3rd. Prior to the Intercontinental match, Bianchi analyzed his rival, the fearsome Milan of Fabio Capello led by Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi, who had just overwhelmed Johan Cruyff's Barcelona for the old European Cup with a 4-0. "It's better that they're not going to play that game" It was the first conclusion of the Veleza coach. During the match, Vélez withstood the attacks of the Italians and, in the second half, an unexpected penalty converted by Trotta and, seven minutes later, a great goal from Asad, gave the advantage to the Argentines 2-0, who ended up sustaining the result and becoming the new world champions.

Two-time national champion and marching (1995-1996)

After being elected coach of the year in South America, Bianchi continued to command the Argentine team in search of expanding the club's glory. He had a great start in the 1995 Clausura, but after losing the Recopa Sudamericana against Independiente, added to the exhaustion of traveling to Japan again, he tired the team and finished 3rd again. For the 1995/96 season, Bianchi signed Marcelo Herrera from Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta and strengthened several youth players such as Claudio Husain and Fernando Pandolfi to strengthen the team. In the 1995 Apertura, he had another great start with four victories in the first five days, but then he lost three games in a row and Boca took away his leadership. In search of defining the lead, Vélez recovered, but lost 1-0 at La Bombonera and Boca pulled away. At that moment Carlos declared: "we have to make a full cardboard box" and his players did not disappoint him. El Fortín triumphed in the last six games and achieved leadership, added to the decline of Boca. On December 17, with a resounding 3-0 victory over Independiente, Vélez once again became champion of Argentine soccer, marking the fourth title during Bianchi's stay at the club.

In February 1996, Vélez and Bianchi once again won another international title by winning the Inter-American Cup against Sport Cartaginés of Costa Rica, with two goals from José Flores. In the Clausura 1996; After a regular start, Vélez swept the tournament with memorable victories such as the 3-2 victory over River in the last minute (where Chilavert previously scored a great goal from a 60-meter free kick), or the 5-1 defeats of Boca and Lanús (who fought the tournament). On the 15th, Bianchi was hired by Roma in Italy to become their new coach, and he had an emotional farewell to him at the José Amalfitani Stadium, filled with 50,000 people. The last four dates, directed by Osvaldo Piazza, crowned Vélez as the first two-time champion team in the history of short tournaments, and the sixth and last title of Bianchi's stay in Liniers. In total he directed 164 games, with 82 victories, 50 draws and 32 losses.

He is considered one of the greatest idols in the centenary history of Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield, for what he has achieved as a "fan", player and technical director of the institution.

I said it was Velez's swollen. I was born there, I know how much I want it, and I know I don't have to be wrong about feelings, too. The professional has to know that it doesn't have to be confused. I, the day I stop working, I'll keep going to see Velez. It's my neighborhood, it gives me pleasure when I go." (Carlos Bianchi, Press Conference, 2013)

First viceroyalty in Boca Juniors (1998-2001)

Bianchi made his final move to Europe in Italy when he signed for Roma for the 1996/97 season. However, the Viceroy would not fare well. He tried to reinforce the team with one of his key players during his time in Vélez, Roberto Trotta, but he only played 6 games with La Loba. Bianchi did not finish the season in Italy, finishing in 12th place in the table.

After dedicating himself as a commentator for the 1998 World Cup in France, Bianchi prepared to return to Argentina to coach Boca Juniors, a direction that had previously been rejected by Daniel Passarella - the favorite of President Mauricio Macri - and who came from a black time with many disappointments. During his first preseason in Tandil, Bianchi had the heavy task of rebuilding a team that had been having many locker room problems. With much controversy, Bianchi got rid of Claudio Cannigia, Néstor Fabbri and Diego Latorre. Except for the sale of Nolberto Solano, which disrupted his plans, the Viceroy signed an unknown Hugo Ibarra, and asked for the return of José Basualdo, whom he had directed in Vélez. With them, Antonio Barijho, Walter Samuel and José Pereda joined to fill out the squad.

Two-time national champion and return to the Libertadores (1998-1999)

Willing to lead Boca back to conquer the national league after six years of drought, Bianchi had already decided on his starting 11 for the season: Colombian goalkeeper Óscar Córdoba -who had just been much discussed-, the central defense with Walter Samuel and Jorge Bérmudez, the full-backs Rodolfo Arruabarrena and Hugo Ibarra; the midfield with the "5" Mauricio Serna, the midfielders Basualdo and Diego Cagna, and the offensive trident composed of a young Juan Román Riquelme - whom Bianchi placed as the main commander of the game and to whom he assigned the number 10 -, the winger Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the forward Martín Palermo. Bianchi told the three attackers: " For the 1998 Apertura Tournament, Boca swept, being crowned undefeated champion. In the Clausura, despite suffering some losses due to injury, the club achieved a record of 40 undefeated games. (a record for Boca, not Bianchi's personal one, since he directed 35 games and García Cambón -his predecessor-, another 5. He himself belongs to coach Juan José Pizzutti directing Racing Club, with 39 games) and once again achieved the two-time national championship after a defeat by his pursuer, River.

First Triple Crown (2000)

Boca returned to the Libertadores after six years of absence, and in its debut it was a surprising defeat against Blooming of Bolivia. However, the team would improve and advance to the next round. Meanwhile, in the Clausura Tournament, the team rotation means that River del Tolo Gallego, led by Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola, ends up taking the championship. In the quarterfinals, Boca must face the Millonarios for a place in the semifinals, in an anticipated final in every sense. The first match at El Monumental was a 2-1 defeat. The second leg, played on May 24, would become one of the most legendary matches in Boca's history. After tying in the first half, Bianchi encourages the team to continue attacking, while River, who had used the starting players a few days before, began to notice fatigue. The first goal came after a pass from Riquelme and a goal from Marcelo Delgado, signed at the beginning of the year, at 59 minutes. Needing to convert another to achieve classification, Bianchi makes Martín Palermo return to the fields after six months of absence due to injury. After his call was made public, Gallego commented at a press conference that, if Bianchi put the striker on, he would bring in Enzo Francescoli (a legendary River player who retired years ago). With six minutes left in the game, River commits a penalty on Sebastián Battaglia that Riquelme converts. Just two minutes later, Palermo manages to score the third goal that seals Boca's qualification to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Boca collides with the Mexican América of Cuauhtémoc Blanco and José Calderón. In La Bombonera the Argentines beat 4 to 1, but even so Bianchi knew that the game in Mexico was going to be complicated. In the second leg, this time with the presence of Blanco, he made the Mexicans attack in a rush and when Boca was already losing 3 to 0 and with the series tied, a header from Samuel after a corner from Riquelme, with seven minutes remaining Finally, Boca returns to the final after 22 years of absence. The final against Palmeiras, played on June 14 and 21, ended in a 2:2 draw; In the penalty shootout, Córdoba was key in saving two penalties. Bermúdez's definition gave Boca its third Copa Libertadores after 22 years without being able to win it, and the second in the personal record of Bianchi, who was going to compete again in Tokyo for the world championship.

Already in the second semester, Boca won the Apertura Tournament after beating San Lorenzo 1 to 0 in La Bombonera. On November 28, Boca went to play the Intercontinental Cup, against none other than Vicente del Bosque's Real Madrid and led by Ballon d'Or winner Luís Figo. Already experienced in this instance, Bianchi prepared a team more motivated than ever, and in just 6 minutes Boca took a 2-0 lead with two goals from Martín Palermo. The Madrid team's discount came from Roberto Carlos just a few minutes later. But Boca held on to the result the entire game and Riquelme's presence was essential to protect the result. Thus, Boca once again became world champion and Bianchi led another club to become the best team in the world.

Campeón de Libertadores, derrota en Intercontinental y primera marcha (2001)

After the team's perfect year, Bianchi sought to compete again in the Copa Libertadores. However, the departure of Palermo, Arruabarrena, Cagna and Samuel weakened the team. Because of this, Boca was far from the fight for the Clausura Tournament, although they beat River 3 to 0 in La Bombonera with the mythical celebration of the "Topo Gigio" by Riquelme. In the Libertadores Boca managed to reach the final again, after leaving Junior, Vasco Da Gama and the last finalist, Palmeiras, on the way. In the final Boca faced Francisco Palencia's Cruz Azul. In the first leg, xeneize barely won 1-0 with a goal from Delgado in the final minutes. In the return this time the result was in favor of the Mexicans and the match ended in penalties where Boca once again ended up winning thanks to the extraordinary performance of Óscar Córdoba. This meant the fourth Libertadores for the Argentine team, and the third for Carlos Bianchi. For the second consecutive time, Bianchi led another Argentine team to compete in the world championship, becoming the Argentine coach with the most presences in the competition, with three.

On November 27, Boca returned to compete in the final of the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo. This time, Oliver Kahn's Bayern Munich was in front. In a match in which the German team's constant fouls stood out, and the expulsion of Chelo Delgado, Bayern managed to take the advantage with a confusing goal by Samuel Kuffour, and Bianchi could not repeat the feat. Blame of the team's disappointing campaigns at the local level, and the sale of several key pieces of the team, several rumored that Bianchi was not going to continue in Boca since his contract was ending at the end of the year. The turning point in this case was when the coach was giving a regular post-match press conference, when the club president, Mauricio Macri, appeared in the room and sat down to talk with the coach in front of the journalists who were present.. After several exchanges in which Macri insisted that he explain why he had made that decision, Bianchi simply left the room and said goodbye to the journalists, clearly frustrated by the president's attitude. At the end of the Closing, Bianchi He did not continue in charge of the club and was replaced by Óscar Tabárez.

“Grace for having given me so many allies in three years and I mean the tea of Bo­ca Juniors, in the cua­les we won three titles of the nation and three institutions. Another tea will come, but you're irreplaceable. And it was true that in 2003 it would be again to ask for the law of Bomboénera. ” Letter from a Boca fan after Bianchi's departure. 2001.

Second viceroyalty at Boca Juniors (2003-2004)

After leaving the Ribera club, Bianchi received many offers from teams, both from national teams such as Mexico or Chile, or clubs such as F. C. Barcelona, PSG or Palmeiras. However, the coach decided to spend the entire year 2002 with his family, commentating on the Korea-Japan World Cup for Mexican television. Meanwhile, Boca Juniors suffered from the absence of the technical director, being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. and failing at the local level, losing the two tournaments of the year in recent dates against River and Independiente, respectively. In between, the signing of Juan Román Riquelme to Barcelona was finalized.

Second Triple Crown (2003)

In the holidays of 2003, Bianchi agreed to return to Boca Juniors after Macri listened to the constant demands of the xeneize fans for the award-winning coach to return. Along with him was the return of Diego Cagna, stronghold and captain of his first cycle. He made his official debut on February 16 for the Clausura in a 2-0 victory over Nueva Chicago. During the first semester, Bianchi was determined to reconquer the Copa Libertadores. He fought in the local tournament but at the last minute the team faltered and River ended up winning it. At the international level, they won the first three games, but then a couple of draws and a fall on the hour mark unexpectedly saw the team finish second in the group. And on top of that, in the round of 16 the humble Brazilian Paysandú wins at La Bombonera. However, in Brazil, with a hat trick from Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Boca wins 4-1 and from then on becomes unstoppable: it eliminates Cobreloa and América de Cali and repeats the 1963 final against Santos. The team devastates the Brazilian team with a magnificent 5-1 and Boca is once again crowned as the best team in America in an overwhelming way.

For the second semester, Bianchi takes on the Brazilian Pedro Iarley, coming from that Paysandú that surprised the Argentine coach when he won in La Bombonera. Despite the departure of Ibarra and Delgado, the team wins the Apertura Tournament from start to finish, dedicating a couple of dates before on the Racing field. On the eve of repeating a perfect year, Bianchi once again prepared a competitive team in Yokohama against Carlo Ancelotti's Milan, led by Andriy Shevchenko and Andrea Pirlo. The Italians struck first with a goal from Jon Dahl Tomasson, but the Xeneize quickly equalized through Matías Donnet. In another perfect tactical approach by Bianchi, Boca forces penalties, a specialty during the Virrey's cycle. i>. Roberto Abbondanzieri shines in the shootout, saving Pirlo and Alessandro Costacurta, added to a missed penalty by Clarence Seedorf. Raúl Cascini scores the final goal and gives the third Intercontinental Cup to Boca, who becomes the team with the most world championships along with Real Madrid, Peñarol, Nacional and Milan. Bianchi becomes the winningest coach in the history of the Copa Libertadores, with 4 editions won (1994, 2000, 2001 2003).

Return to the Libertadores final and second march (2004)

Bianchi aims to maintain the performance obtained the previous year. However, in the Clausura Tournament, he did not achieve the two-time championship due to the wear and tear of the Cup and a defeat against River, who ended up winning the tournament. Even so, Bianchi maintains his mystique in the Libertadores, which despite debuting with a loss, manages to top the group. In the round of 16 they leave Sporting Cristal on their way, and in the quarterfinals they leave Sao Caetano. In the semifinals, an early final against River is repeated, this time directed by Leonardo Astrada and led by Marcelo Gallardo. In the first leg at La Bombonera, the match becomes very controversial and Gallardo and Cascini are prematurely expelled, increasing tension and fights between the players. Boca wins fairly, through a header from Rolando Schiavi. In the second leg at El Monumental, one of the most legendary matches in the history of Argentine football takes place. In the first half, Boca manages to hold out. River storm attack. In the second half, the Colombian Fabián Vargas is sent off and Boca is at a disadvantage with a River goal by Luis González. With just a few minutes left, the performance of Guillermo Barros Schelotto becomes fundamental, achieving the expulsion of Rubens Sambueza, added to the injury of Ricardo Rojas, leaving River with 9 players. Bianchi brings in the youth player Franco Cángele, who gives a pass to Carlos Tévez to tie the game and give the xeneizes a place in the final. However, a late goal by Cristian Nasuti forces penalties. Again, the "Duck" Abbondanzieri is a figure and manages to save a penalty from Maximiliano López, with Javier Villarreal converting the final penalty and sealing Boca's pass to the final, and making Bianchi the coach with the most finals played in the history of the Copa Libertadores. Despite the hope of achieving another two-time championship, Boca falls against all odds against a historic Once Caldas, who manages to win on penalties (which had been a specialty for the entire Bianchi cycle) against a Boca team that failed to hit any. In In a post-match conference, Bianchi hinted that he could leave the team:

"We have the logical dislike of not having won, and those who practice sports know that you cannot always win. Los Angeles Lakers' technician (NBA team) Phil Jackson lost his first final and seems to want to leave. "

Likewise, Bianchi admitted not having received the runner-up medal, since he did not know that there were medals for runners-up because it was the first time he had lost a Cup final.

Disillusioned by not having achieved another two-time championship, and mentally tired by everything he had achieved, Carlos Bianchi decided to resign from his position in the winter of 2004, citing as an excuse that it was "the best thing for the club." Thus, he ended his second cycle in Boca having coached 277 games, with 153 wins, 78 draws and 56 losses, and with the conquest of 9 titles, placing him as the most successful coach in the history of Club Atlético Boca Juniors.

Return to Boca as Manager (2010)

Previously he spent in the technical leadership of Atlético de Madrid in Spain in the 2005/06 season, in January 2009 he returned to the Boca Juniors club as Manager. He had already held this position at Paris FC in 1991 and 1992.

His job was to be in charge of the club's Football Department and therefore, all its divisions. Given the resignation of Alfio Basile, on January 22, 2010, the Xeneize club proposed that he take over as coach, but Bianchi would decline the proposal; At the same time, a rumor arose in the media that Bianchi could leave his position due to the personal problems the team was going through and the negative results in the matches. Bianchi declared that his position had to be respected and that he would remain until June 2010. However, due to alleged insistence from the Boca leadership - including an apparent ultimatum -, Bianchi decided to resign on January 25, 2010. which was communicated by the president of the Club, Jorge Amor Ameal.

His third cycle as coach of Boca Juniors (2013-2014)

Every time a helmsman was fired, resigned or his contract ended, the Viceroy appeared in the portfolio, but for unknown reasons he rejected the position several times, finally, after the president of Boca Juniors, Daniel Angelici, decided to listen to the demand of the fans, announced on December 10, 2012 the non-renewal of the contract of the then coach Julio César Falcioni to search for the return of the most successful coach in Xeneize history, an event that would occur on December 17, 2012. After several meetings, he would accept the offer from Club Atlético Boca Juniors that will tie him to the club for 3 years, beginning, on January 5, 2013, his third cycle in the institution.

The first official match, which also marked their return to La Bombonera, took place on February 9, 2013 with a 3 - 2 victory for Boca over Quilmes, turning around a result that began as adverse. Then it would not add 3 points for the next 12 games, and would finish second to last, 1 point behind Union in the Final Tournament, adding only 18 units. Despite the poor performance in the 2013 Final Tournament, the xeneize club, in command of Bianchi, would manage to place itself among the 8 best teams on the continent, by reaching the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores by beating the Brazilian Corinthians, defending champion, in the duel corresponding to the Round of 16, by a score of 1 to 0 and achieving a valuable draw in the return leg, as a visitor. Despite eliminating the strongest candidate that the competition had at that time, the riverside team could not advance to the Semifinals as they would fall against Newell's Old Boys in the penalty shootout after the round-trip results that ended 0-0.

Despite having been a semester without titles and the fact that he came second to last, Carlos Bianchi continued in his position with the unanimous popular support of the Xeneize public, thus beginning a semester where he would have only one competition, the Initial Tournament 2013, on matchday 10, they beat River Plate 1-0 at the "Monumental". His team would not be champions and would finish the tournament in 7th position, thus closing the first half of the season and preparing to face a new short tournament, the 2014 Final Tournament.

In the 2014 Final Tournament it finished in 2nd place, placing itself below River Plate. Due to the good campaign, he obtained a ticket for the next Copa Sudamericana 2014, and finished in 2nd place in the general table of the 2013/14 First Division Championship.

On August 28, 2014, after 3 defeats and a narrow victory, he was fired by unanimous decision of the Board of Directors.

Tactical style

The main thing about most of the teams led by Bianchi was that they were tactically organized and compact in all lines. Their formations varied between the number of midfielders, since sometimes they stopped a rocky 4-4-2 with two midfielders on the outside, or a 4-3-1-2, with a player who acted as a hook to give the team more flow of play. He was an excellent set-piece setup, which became one of his most lethal weapons for the offense.

In Vélez he primarily played a 4-4-2, with a direct attacking style. Pompei stood out as one of the best throwers during his time, who filtered several balls from the left so that his double striker, made up mostly of Turco Asad and Turu Flores, managed to connect through constant unmarking. The attack was primarily on the wings, while the defense dared to withdraw, forming two rigid lines of four compact players to neutralize the rival's play and reduce scoring opportunities.

During his first stage at Boca Juniors, Bianchi implemented a 4-3-1-2 to take advantage of the figure of his young star, the hooker Juan Román Riquelme, who would become the team's driver for the attack. The rest of the midfielders were made up of a defensive midfielder as a stopper (El Chicho Serna), and two midfielders who maintained the balance of the team by being tactically intelligent and self-sacrificing players (Sebastián Battaglia and Diego Cagna). The attack was mainly made up of a nine in the area (Martín Palermo) and a skilled winger who constantly unmarked himself and centered for the central striker's shot (Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Marcelo Delgado). In the defensive aspect, Boca retreated using the help of its midfielders on the wings and its blocking midfielder in the center. The center forward and the second striker put pressure on the rest, while the number 10 prowled the midfield to be able to launch forwards or keep the team playing by regaining possession. This is how Boca stood up to Real Madrid during the final of the 2000 Intercontinental Cup and how they managed to beat them 2 to 1. Already in his second stage, and without Riquelme, Bianchi opted more between the 4-4-2 and the 4 -3-3, forming an attacking trio made up of Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Chelo Delgado, and the young promise Carlos Tévez, who could play either as a hook, as a second striker or as a winger.

One of Bianchi's greatest strengths as a coach was his great team and group management. His main philosophy was "tell things to the players in a simple way and without complicating their lives." ^{[citation required]} He had a strong personality in the locker room that conveyed peace of mind to his players in important appointments. Riquelme described him years later, saying that "The player who was a substitute was happier than the one who played. He managed to keep everyone in the squad happy. ^{[ citation needed ]} He was an excellent motivator, and he had curious methods to get the best out of his abilities. players in key matches.

Statistics

As a player

Clubs

Club	Div	Season	League		Cups (1)		International (2)		Total (3)		Media Shotgun
			Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles	Part.	Goles
Vélez Sarsfield Argentina	1. a	M-1967	2	0	-	-	-	-	2	0	0.00
		N-1967	1	0	-	-	-	-	1	0	0.00
		M-1968	7	2	-	-	-	-	7	2	0.28
		N-1968	11	7	-	-	-	-	11	7	0.63
		M-1969	15	5	-	-	-	-	15	5	0.33
		N-1969	12	12	-	-	-	-	12	12	1.00
		M-1970	3	2	-	-	-	-	3	2	0.67
		N-1970	20	18	-	-	-	-	20	18	0.90
		M-1971	36	36	-	-	-	-	36	36	1.00
		N-1971	10	6	-	-	-	-	10	6	0.60
		M-1972	26	16	-	-	-	-	26	16	0.61
		N-1972	11	11	-	-	-	-	11	11	1.00
		M-1973	11	6	-	-	-	-	11	6	0.54
		N-1980	9	5	-	-	-	-	9	5	0.56
		M-1981	27	6	-	-	-	-	27	6	0.22
		N-1981	17	15	-	-	-	-	17	15	0.88
		N-1982	16	13	-	-	-	-	16	13	0.81
		M-1982	34	16	-	-	-	-	34	16	0.47
		N-1983	9	2	-	-	-	-	9	2	0.22
		M-1983	30	22	-	-	-	-	30	22	0.73
		N-1984	6	2	-	-	-	-	6	2	0.33
		M-1984	11	4	-	-	-	-	11	4	0.36
	Total club		324	206	0	0	0	0	324	206	0.63
Stade de Reims France	1. a	1973-74	33	30	8	8	-	-	41	38	0.92
		1974-75	16	15	-	-	-	-	16	15	0.93
		1975-76	38	34	5	5	-	-	43	39	0.90
		1976-77	37	28	7	10	-	-	44	38	0.86
	2. a	1984-85	18	9	2	0	-	-	20	9	0.45
	Total club		142	116	22	23	0	0	164	139	0.84
Paris Saint-Germain France	1. a	1977-78	38	37	3	2	-	-	41	39	0.95
		1978-79	36	27	3	5	-	-	39	32	0.82
	Total club		74	64	6	7	0	0	80	71	0.88
Racing Strasbourg France	1. a	1979-80	22	8	-	-	3	3	25	11	0.44
	Total club		22	8	0	0	3	3	25	11	0.44
Total career			562	394	28	30	3	3	593	427	0.72
(1) Includes France Cup data. (2) Includes European Champions Cup data. (3) They are not considered goals in friendly encounters.

National team

Selection	Year	Friendly		Total
		PJ	G	PJ	G
Argentina Argentina
	1970	1	0	1	0
	1971	9	3	9	3
	1972	3	3	3	3
Total		13	6	13	6

As a coach

Equipment	Div.	Season	League Tournament						Cup Tournament*					International Tournaments**						Other competitions***					Totals
			PJ	PG	PE	P	Pos.		PJ	PG	PE	P		PJ	PG	PE	P	Pos.		PJ	PG	PE	P		PJ	PG	PE	P	Points	Performance	GF	GC	Dif.
Stade de Reims France	2. a	1985-86	34	17	9	8	5°		1	0	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		35	17	9	9	43/70	61.43%	50	39	+11
		1986-87	34	18	7	9	8°		9	5	0	4		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		43	23	7	13	53/86	61.63%	62	44	+18
		1987-88	34	12	11	11	13°		9	6	1	2		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		43	18	12	13	48/86	55.81%	59	51	+8
	Total		102.	47	27	28	-		19	11	1	7		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		121	58	28	35	144/242	59.5%	171	134	+37
OGC Nice France	1. a	1989-90	22	7	5	10	18°		1	0	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		2	1	0	1		25	8	5	12	21/50	42%	23	27	-4
	Total		22	7	5	10	-		1	0	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		2	1	0	1		25	8	5	12	21/50	42%	23	27	-4
Vélez Sársfield Argentina	1. a	1993-C	19	10	7	2	1		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		19	10	7	2	27/38	71.05%	23	7	+16
		1993-A	19	8	7	4	2°		4	1	1	2		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		23	9	8	6	26/46	56.52%	33	22	+11
		1994-C	19	4	7	8	18°		-	-	-	-		14	6	5	3	1		-	-	-	-		33	10	12	11	32/66	48.48%	38	42	+4
		1994-A	19	9	6	4	3°		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		1	1	0	0		20	10	6	4	26/40	65 per cent	30	16	+14
		1995-C	19	12	4	3	3°		-	-	-	-		4	1	3	0	1/4		1	0	0	1		24	13	7	4	33/48	68.75%	37	18	+19
		1995-A	19	13	2	4	1		-	-	-	-		2	0	0	2	1/8		-	-	-	-		21	13	2	6	41/63	65.08%	31	19	+12
		1996-C	19	11	7	1	1		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		2	1	1	0		21	12	8	1	44/63	69.84%	42	18	+24
	Total		133	67	40	26	-		4	1	1	2		20	7	8	5	-		4	2	1	1		161	77	50	34	229/364	62.91%	234	142	+92
AS Roma ItalyItaly	1. a	1996-97	26	9	9	8	12°		1	0	0	1		4	3	0	1	1/16		-	-	-	-		31	12	9	10	45/93	48.39 per cent	48	44	+4
	Total		26	9	9	8	-		1	0	0	1		4	3	0	1	-		-	-	-	-		31	12	9	10	45/93	48.39 per cent	48	44	+4
Boca Juniors Argentina	1. a	1998-A	19	13	6	0	1		-	-	-	-		8	3	1	4	1/4		-	-	-	-		27	16	7	4	55/81	67.9%	58	29	+29
		1999-C	19	13	5	1	1		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		19	13	5	1	44/57	77.19%	35	11	+24
		1999-A	19	12	5	2	3°		-	-	-	-		6	3	1	2	FG		-	-	-	-		25	15	6	4	51/75	68%	46	20	+26
		2000-C	19	10	6	3	7°		-	-	-	-		14	7	4	3	1		-	-	-	-		33	17	10	6	61/99	61.62%	68	33	+35
		2000-A	19	12	5	2	1		-	-	-	-		8	3	4	1	1/4		1	1	0	0		28	16	9	3	57/84	67.86%	54	32	+22
		2001-C	19	8	6	5	3°		-	-	-	-		14	9	3	2	1		-	-	-	-		33	17	9	7	60/99	60.61%	49	39	+10
		2001-A	18	9	5	4	3°		-	-	-	-		6	1	3	2	FG		1	0	0	1		25	10	8	7	38/75	50.67%	48	36	+12
		2003-C	19	12	3	4	2°		-	-	-	-		14	10	2	2	1		-	-	-	-		33	22	5	6	71/99	71.72%	65	36	+29
		2003-A	19	11	6	2	1		-	-	-	-		4	1	1	2	1/4		1	0	1	0		24	12	8	4	44/72	61.11%	36	19	+17
		2004-C	19	10	6	3	2°		-	-	-	-		14	7	4	3	2°		-	-	-	-		33	17	10	6	61/99	61.62%	53	28	+25
		2013-F	19	3	9	7	19°		2	1	0	1		10	4	3	3	1/4		-	-	-	-		31	8	12	11	36/93	38.71%	19	36	- 17
		2013-I	19	8	5	6	7°		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		19	8	5	6	29/57	50.88%	25	24	+1
		2014-F	19	9	5	5	2°		-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		19	9	5	5	32/57	56.14%	25	15	+10
		2014	4	1	0	3	Inc.		1	0	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		5	1	0	4	3/15	20%	2	9	-7
	Total		250	131	72	47	-		3	1	0	2		98	48	26	24	-		3	1	1	1		354	181	99	74	642/1062	60.45%	591	371	+220
Atletico de Madrid SpainSpain	1. a	2005-06	18	4	8	6	Inc.		3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		21	6	8	7	26/63	41.27%	20	20	0
	Total		18	4	8	6	-		3	2	0	1		-	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-		21	6	8	7	26/63	41.27%	20	20	0
Total in your career			551	265	161	125	-		31	15	2	14		122	58	34	30	-		9	4	2	3		713	342	199	172	1107/1874	59.07%	1087	738	+349
P = Parties; G = Winners; E = Empatized; P = Lost; Pos = Position; GF = Anotated goals; GC = Received goals; DG = Variance of goals (*) Includes France Cup, AFA Centenary Cup, Italy Cup, King Cup and Argentina Cup. (**) Includes Copa Libertadores, Supercopa Sudamericana, Copa de la UEFA, Copa Mercosur and Copa Sudamericana. (***) Includes Promotion, Intercontinental Cup, South American Cup and Inter-American Cup. Updated on August 27, 2014.

Palmarés

As a player

National Championships

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
First Division	Vélez Sarsfield	Argentina	1968-N

Individual distinctions

As a coach

National Championships

Title	Equipment	Country	Year
First Division	Vélez Sarsfield	Argentina	1993-C
First Division			1995-A
First Division			1996-C
First Division	Boca Juniors		1998-A
First Division			1999-C
First Division			2000-A
First Division			2003-A

International championships

Title	Equipment	Headquarters	Year
Copa Libertadores	Vélez Sarsfield	BrazilBrazil	1994
Intercontinental Cup		Tokyo	1994
Inter-American Cup		Argentina	1996
Copa Libertadores	Boca Juniors	BrazilBrazil	2000
Intercontinental Cup		Tokyo	2000
Copa Libertadores		Argentina	2001
Copa Libertadores		BrazilBrazil	2003
Intercontinental Cup		Yokohama	2003

Individual distinctions