Osvaldo Ardiles facts for kids
![]() Ardiles with Tottenham Hotspur in 1981
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Osvaldo César Ardiles | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 3 August 1952 | |||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Córdoba, Argentina | |||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Central midfielder | |||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
Instituto | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
1973 | Instituto | 14 | (3) | |||||||||||||
1974 | Belgrano | 16 | (2) | |||||||||||||
1975–1978 | Huracán | 109 | (11) | |||||||||||||
1978–1988 | Tottenham Hotspur | 238 | (16) | |||||||||||||
1982–1983 | → Paris Saint-Germain (loan) | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||
1985 | → St George Budapest (loan) | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
1988 | Blackburn Rovers | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
1988–1989 | Queens Park Rangers | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
1989 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 5 | (1) | |||||||||||||
1989–1991 | Swindon Town | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
Total | 412 | (34) | ||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||
1975–1982 | Argentina | 51 | (8) | |||||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
1989–1991 | Swindon Town | |||||||||||||||
1991–1992 | Newcastle United | |||||||||||||||
1992–1993 | West Bromwich Albion | |||||||||||||||
1993–1994 | Tottenham Hotspur | |||||||||||||||
1995 | Guadalajara | |||||||||||||||
1996–1998 | Shimizu S-Pulse | |||||||||||||||
1999 | Croatia Zagreb | |||||||||||||||
2000–2001 | Yokohama F. Marinos | |||||||||||||||
2001 | Al-Ittihad | |||||||||||||||
2002–2003 | Racing Club | |||||||||||||||
2003–2005 | Tokyo Verdy | |||||||||||||||
2006 | Beitar Jerusalem | |||||||||||||||
2007 | Huracán | |||||||||||||||
2008 | Cerro Porteño | |||||||||||||||
2012 | Machida Zelvia | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Osvaldo César Ardiles (born 3 August 1952), known as Ossie Ardiles, is a famous Argentine football player and manager. He was also a pundit, which means he shared his expert opinions on football.
Ossie was a very competitive and skilled midfielder. He became a fan favorite in England, especially when he played for Tottenham Hotspur. He won the 1978 FIFA World Cup with the Argentina national team.
After he stopped playing, Ardiles became a manager. He coached several teams in England, including Swindon Town and Newcastle United. He later returned to manage Tottenham. He even tried a unique tactic with five forwards, which was very unusual for English football at the time!
Ossie has coached teams in many countries, like Mexico, Japan, and his home country, Argentina. Today, he is a football expert for RTÉ Sport in Ireland.
Contents
Ossie's Playing Career
Ossie Ardiles was born in Córdoba. He started playing football at a young age for Instituto de Córdoba. When he was a boy, he played football in the streets. His brother gave him the nickname Pitón (python) because of his amazing dribbling skills. He was so good that he stopped studying law to become a professional footballer.
He also played for Club Atlético Belgrano and Huracán in Argentina. After the 1978 World Cup, he moved to England. He joined Tottenham Hotspur and played there for ten seasons.
Winning the FA Cup
Ossie helped Tottenham win the FA Cup in 1981. This is a very important football competition in England. He even helped create a popular song called "Ossie's Dream" with the pop duo Chas & Dave and his teammates.
He was also part of another FA Cup win the next year. However, he did not play in the final because he had to join Argentina's team for the 1982 World Cup.
Playing for Paris Saint-Germain
After the 1982 World Cup, Ossie went to play for Paris Saint-Germain in France for one season. He then returned to Tottenham. He helped the club win the UEFA Cup in 1984. This was another big European competition.
Ossie left Tottenham in 1988. He then played for Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, and Swindon Town. In 2008, Ossie Ardiles and his friend Ricardo Villa were honored. They were added to the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame.
International Football for Argentina
Ossie Ardiles joined the Argentina senior team in 1975. He was a key player in the team that won the 1978 FIFA World Cup! This was a huge achievement for Argentina.
At the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Ossie wore the number 1 shirt. This was unusual because goalkeepers usually wear number 1. But Argentina's team at the time numbered players alphabetically by their last name. The only exception was Diego Maradona, who got to wear his favorite number 10.
Ossie's Management Career
In July 1989, Ossie Ardiles started his career as a football manager. He took charge of Swindon Town. He changed their playing style to a more attacking "Samba style." He also used a special "diamond formation" with different types of midfielders.
Swindon Town's Journey
Ten months after joining, Ardiles led Swindon to their highest league position ever. They finished fourth in the second division. They even won a play-off final to get promoted to the top league for the first time! However, the promotion was taken away due to some payment issues.
The next season was tough for Swindon. Ardiles had to sell players. He then moved to Newcastle United as their new manager. He was the first foreign manager for the club. But his time there was short, and he left after 12 months.
Managing West Brom and Tottenham
In 1992, Ardiles became the manager of West Bromwich Albion. He led them to victory in the Division Two playoff final in 1993. This meant they were promoted!
Soon after, he returned to manage his old club, Tottenham. However, his time as manager was not as successful as his playing days. Tottenham finished 15th in the Premier League. Even with new star players like Jürgen Klinsmann, Ardiles was sacked in October 1994.
Coaching Around the World
Ardiles continued his coaching journey in many different countries. He coached J. League Division 1 teams like Yokohama F. Marinos and Tokyo Verdy in Japan. With Tokyo Verdy, he won the 2004 Emperor's Cup.
He also coached Beitar Jerusalem in Israel and Club Atlético Huracán in Argentina. In 2008, he managed Cerro Porteño in Paraguay. His last known coaching role was with FC Machida Zelvia in Japan in 2012.
Media and Film Appearances
Ossie Ardiles has also worked in the media. He was a football expert for RTÉ Sport during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He also appeared in the 1981 World War II film Escape to Victory. In the movie, he played a character named Carlos Rey.
Ossie's Personal Life
Ossie Ardiles married Silvia Navarro in December 1973. His son, Pablo, also played and managed football for Hertford Town.
In 2014, Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa were in a car accident in the Falkland Islands. This happened while they were filming a documentary. Ossie had some minor injuries and needed stitches.
Images for kids
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Ardiles with teammate Ricardo Villa posing with the FA Cup trophy, May 1981
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Ardiles (center) with Daniel Bertoni (left) and Mario Kempes (right) in 1981
Honours and Achievements
As a Player
Huracán
- Primera División runner-up: 1976
Tottenham Hotspur
- FA Cup: 1981, 1982
- FA Charity Shield: 1981 (shared)
- UEFA Cup: 1984
- Football League Cup runner-up: 1982
Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 1978
Individual Awards
- World Soccer World 11: 1978, 1982, 1983
- Football League 100 Legends list (he was the only Argentinian on it!)
- Football League First Division PFA Team of the Year: 1979
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Hall of Fame
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2009
- Golden Foot: 2013
- IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team: 2021
As a Manager
Swindon Town
- Football League Second Division play-offs: 1990
West Bromwich Albion
- Football League Second Division play-offs: 1993
Shimizu S-Pulse
- J.League Cup: 1996
Tokyo Verdy
- Emperor's Cup: 2004
Individual Awards
- J. League Manager of the Year: 1998
See also
In Spanish: Osvaldo Ardiles para niños