Argentina named new coach Edgardo Bauza

MNA Sports Desk: Argentina named the new coach Edgardo Bauza to run the national team, as the nation seeks to regain its football prowess and persuade superstar Lionel Messi to return from early retirement.

Bauza, 58-year-old, takes on the job after a solid season at Brazilian club Sao Paulo, which he coached to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

“We hope he will have the success we all need. We were in talks with a lot of people, and it seems Mr. Bauza is the best.” said Armando Perez, the president of Argentine Football Association (AFA).

He told to a press conference that Bauza would be in Buenos Aires on Friday to give more information on his plans for the team. The new coach faces the shame of being the default choice.

A thread of possible coaches including Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid, Jorge Sampaoli of Sevilla and Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur declined the job.

Edgardo Bauza is an Argentine former footballer. Before taking up management, he played over 300 games for Rosario Central, a club he went on to manage. He also played for Independiente in Argentina, Atletico Junior in Colombia and Veracruz in Mexico. He returned to Rosario Central in 1986.

During his playing career, Bauza spent most of his career playing for Rosario Central from 1977 to 1982, where he found his most successful achievement in club football. He won two Primera División and scored 80 league goals in 310 league appearances for Rosario Central, making him one of the highest scoring defenders in the history of Argentine football.

Bauza has also won two Copa Libertadores — one in 2014 with Pope Francis’s favorite team, San Lorenzo, the other in 2008 with Ecuadoran side LDU Quito.

He takes over an Argentina smarting from Barcelona star Messi’s abrupt retirement announcement, the departure of coach Gerardo Martino and a series of disappointing losses in big tournaments — most recently in the Copa America final, the catalyst for Messi’s exit.

“He’s coming to Argentina on Friday (to sign). We know there are a lot of problems to deal with at the AFA … but first we had to resolve the matter of the coach.”Perez later added.

Bauza, expected to sign until Russia 2018, has little time to decide on his squad for the September qualifiers. Former central defender Bauza comes highly recommended and has built a reputation as one of the top coaches in South America.