Ramón Díaz facts for kids
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Díaz as Paraguay manager in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ramón Ángel Díaz | ||
| Date of birth | 29 August 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | La Rioja, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1982 | River Plate | 123 | (57) |
| 1982–1983 | Napoli | 25 | (3) |
| 1983–1986 | Avellino | 78 | (22) |
| 1986–1989 | Fiorentina | 53 | (17) |
| 1988–1989 | → Internazionale (loan) | 33 | (12) |
| 1989–1991 | Monaco | 60 | (24) |
| 1991–1993 | River Plate | 52 | (27) |
| 1993–1995 | Yokohama Marinos | 75 | (52) |
| Total | 499 | (215) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1979 | Argentina U20 | 6 | (8) |
| 1979–1982 | Argentina | 22 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1995–2000 | River Plate | ||
| 2001–2002 | River Plate | ||
| 2004–2005 | Oxford United | ||
| 2007–2008 | San Lorenzo | ||
| 2008–2009 | América | ||
| 2010–2011 | San Lorenzo | ||
| 2011–2012 | Independiente | ||
| 2012–2014 | River Plate | ||
| 2014–2016 | Paraguay | ||
| 2016–2018 | Al Hilal | ||
| 2018 | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 2019 | Pyramids | ||
| 2020 | Libertad | ||
| 2020 | Botafogo | ||
| 2021–2022 | Al Nasr | ||
| 2022–2023 | Al Hilal | ||
| 2023–2024 | Vasco da Gama | ||
| 2024–2025 | Corinthians | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Ramón Ángel Díaz (born on August 29, 1959) is an Argentine football manager and former player. He was a talented striker who played for famous clubs like River Plate. He also coached River Plate three times, winning many titles. People often call him El Pelado, which means "The Baldy".
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at River Plate
Ramón Díaz was born in La Rioja. He started playing football at a young age for River Plate. He made his first team debut on August 13, 1978. Soon after, on August 30, 1978, he scored his first goal. He quickly became a key player for the club. In the 1980 season, he scored an impressive 22 goals in the league.
Playing in Italy
In 1982, Ramón Díaz moved to Italy to play for Napoli in Serie A. He was their top scorer in his first season with eight goals. In 1983, he joined Avellino and played there for three seasons.
Later, in 1988, he played for Internazionale on loan. He scored 15 goals for Inter, being their second-best scorer that season.
Monaco and Return to River Plate
In 1989, Díaz moved to France to play for Monaco. He helped them win the 1990–91 Coupe de France (French Cup). In 1991, he returned to his first club, River Plate. He was the top scorer in the 1991 Apertura Tournament.
Towards the end of his playing career, Díaz played for Yokohama Marinos in Japan. In 1993, he was the top scorer in the J.League. He also holds the record for scoring the most goals (8) in the local Yokohama derby matches.
International Football
Ramón Díaz was part of the Argentina under-20 team that won the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship (now called the FIFA U-20 World Cup). He played alongside the legendary Diego Maradona. Díaz and Maradona were a powerful attacking duo, scoring 14 of the team's 20 goals. Díaz scored 8 goals, winning the Golden Boot award as the top scorer. Maradona scored 6 goals and was named the Best Player.
Díaz also played for the senior Argentina in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal against Brazil in a 3–1 defeat. There were rumors that he and Maradona had a disagreement, which supposedly kept Díaz from playing in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. However, Maradona later said this was not true in his autobiography.
Managerial Career
Leading River Plate
In 1995, Ramón Díaz became the manager of his former club, River Plate. He quickly found success, winning the 1996 Copa Libertadores (South America's biggest club competition) and the 1997 Supercopa Libertadores. He also led River Plate to win four league titles during his first time as manager. He left the club in February 2000.
He returned to River Plate in 2001 and won another league title in 2002. His third time managing River Plate began in 2012. He won the Torneo Final in 2014 and also the Superfinal against San Lorenzo. He left River Plate in May 2014.
Managing Oxford United
In December 2004, Díaz took over as manager of Oxford United, an English team in League Two. He said he wanted to experience English football firsthand. He resigned in May 2005 after contract talks did not work out.
Coaching San Lorenzo
Díaz became the head coach of San Lorenzo in December 2006. He helped them win the 2007 Clausura Tournament, which was their first title in six years. He resigned in May 2008. He returned for a second time to San Lorenzo in May 2010 but resigned in April 2011.
Managing Club América
In May 2008, Díaz was confirmed as the new coach for Club América in Mexico. However, after a few losses, he was dismissed in February 2009.
Coaching Independiente
In September 2011, Independiente hired Díaz. He resigned in March 2012 as the team was struggling.
Managing Paraguay National Team
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On December 5, 2014, Ramón Díaz became the manager of the Paraguay national team. He called it "one of the biggest challenges" of his career. His first big tournament was the 2015 Copa América. Paraguay performed well, reaching the semifinals after beating Brazil on penalties. They finished fourth in the tournament.
He also managed Paraguay in the Copa América Centenario in 2016, where they were eliminated in the group stage. He resigned as manager of Paraguay in June 2016.
Success with Al-Hilal
In October 2016, Ramón Díaz was appointed manager of Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He had a very successful first season (2016–17).
- He led Al-Hilal to win the Saudi Professional League title.
- He also won the King's Cup.
- He guided Al-Hilal to the AFC Champions League final, where they finished as runners-up.
In the 2017–18 season, Al-Hilal continued to perform well under Díaz. They reached the AFC Champions League final again but lost to Urawa Red Diamonds. In February 2018, Al-Hilal decided to part ways with Díaz.
Other Coaching Roles
After Al-Hilal, Díaz managed several other clubs:
- Pyramids in Egypt (2019).
- Libertad in Paraguay (2019–2020).
- Botafogo in Brazil (2020), though he did not manage a single match due to health reasons.
- Al Nasr in Dubai (2021–2022).
Return to Al-Hilal and Recent Career
In February 2022, Díaz returned to Al-Hilal. He led them to an amazing run in the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup. They defeated Flamengo 3–2 in the semifinals before losing 3–5 to Real Madrid in the final.
In the 2022 AFC Champions League final, his team lost to Urawa Red Diamonds again. After winning the King Cup final in May 2023, Díaz decided to leave Al-Hilal to be with his family after a personal tragedy.
In July 2023, Díaz became the head coach of Vasco da Gama in Brazil. He helped them avoid relegation in the last match of the 2023 season. He was sacked by Vasco in April 2024.
On July 10, 2024, Díaz was announced as the head coach of Corinthians in Brazil. He led them to win the 2025 Campeonato Paulista title. This was his 17th trophy as a manager, making him the most successful Argentine coach in history, surpassing Helenio Herrera. However, he was dismissed by Corinthians in April 2025.
Career Statistics
Club Playing Record
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1978 | River Plate | Primera División | 14 | 5 | 14 | 5 | ||||
| 1979 | 22 | 12 | 22 | 12 | ||||||
| 1980 | 40 | 22 | 40 | 22 | ||||||
| 1981 | 47 | 18 | 47 | 18 | ||||||
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1982–83 | Napoli | Serie A | 25 | 3 | 25 | 3 | ||||
| 1983–84 | Avellino | Serie A | 24 | 7 | 24 | 7 | ||||
| 1984–85 | 27 | 5 | 27 | 5 | ||||||
| 1985–86 | 27 | 10 | 27 | 10 | ||||||
| 1986–87 | Fiorentina | Serie A | 29 | 10 | 29 | 10 | ||||
| 1987–88 | 24 | 7 | 24 | 7 | ||||||
| 1988–89 | Internazionale | Serie A | 33 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 15 |
| France | League | Coupe de France | Coupe de la Ligue | Total | ||||||
| 1989–90 | Monaco | Division 1 | 28 | 15 | 28 | 15 | ||||
| 1990–91 | 32 | 9 | 32 | 9 | ||||||
| Argentina | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1991–92 | River Plate | Primera División | 31 | 20 | 31 | 20 | ||||
| 1992–93 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 7 | ||||||
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1993 | Yokohama Marinos | J1 League | 32 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 32 |
| 1994 | 37 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 26 | ||
| 1995 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 6 | 1 | |||
| Country | Argentina | 175 | 84 | 175 | 84 | |||||
| Italy | 189 | 54 | 189 | 54 | ||||||
| France | 60 | 24 | 60 | 24 | ||||||
| Japan | 75 | 52 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 90 | 59 | ||
| Total | 499 | 214 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 514 | 221 | ||
International Playing Record
| Argentina national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 |
| 1980 | 9 | 4 |
| 1981 | 4 | 1 |
| 1982 | 8 | 4 |
| Total | 22 | 10 |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| River Plate |  |
8 July 1995 | 11 February 2000 | 252 | 126 | 66 | 60 | 451 | 303 | +148 | 50.00 | |
| River Plate | |
1 July 2001 | 30 June 2002 | 52 | 29 | 14 | 9 | 111 | 49 | +62 | 55.77 | |
| Oxford United |  |
9 December 2004 | 4 May 2005 | 25 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 40.00 | |
| San Lorenzo | |
24 December 2006 | 12 June 2008 | 68 | 37 | 14 | 17 | 104 | 77 | +27 | 54.41 | |
| América |  |
25 June 2008 | 12 February 2009 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 32 | 36 | −4 | 29.17 | |
| San Lorenzo | |
25 May 2010 | 24 April 2011 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 29 | 29 | +0 | 33.33 | |
| Independiente | |
12 September 2011 | 5 March 2012 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 35.00 | |
| River Plate | |
30 November 2012 | 27 May 2014 | 66 | 30 | 17 | 19 | 76 | 57 | +19 | 45.45 | |
| Paraguay |  |
4 December 2014 | 12 June 2016 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 15.00 | |
| Al-Hilal |  |
15 October 2016 | 20 February 2018 | 65 | 41 | 18 | 6 | 126 | 58 | +68 | 63.08 | |
| Al-Ittihad | |
1 July 2018 | 15 September 2018 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0.00 | |
| Pyramids |  |
14 February 2019 | 27 May 2019 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 61.54 | |
| Libertad | |
20 December 2019 | 24 September 2020 | 24 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 29 | +16 | 58.33 | |
| Botafogo |  |
4 November 2020 | 27 November 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | — | |
| Al Nasr |  |
4 February 2021 | 7 February 2022 | 37 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 56 | 46 | +10 | 37.84 | |
| Al-Hilal | |
14 February 2022 | 14 May 2023 | 60 | 39 | 12 | 9 | 123 | 53 | +70 | 65.00 | |
| Vasco da Gama | |
15 July 2023 | 27 April 2024 | 41 | 17 | 11 | 13 | 58 | 52 | +6 | 41.46 | |
| Corinthians | |
10 July 2024 | 17 April 2025 | 60 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 94 | 62 | +32 | 51.67 | |
| Total | 861 | 423 | 223 | 215 | 1,402 | 951 | +451 | 49.13 | — | |||
Awards and Achievements
As a Player
- River Plate
* Primera División Argentina: 1979 Metropolitano, 1979 Nacional, 1980 Metropolitano, 1981 Nacional, 1991 Apertura
- Internazionale
* Serie A: 1988–89
- Monaco
* Coupe de France: 1990–91
- Yokohama Marinos
* J1 League: 1995
- Argentina U20
* FIFA World Youth Championship: 1979
- Individual Awards
* FIFA World Youth Championship Golden Boot: 1979 * Primera División Argentina Top Scorer: 1991 Apertura * J.League Top Scorer: 1993 * J.League Best XI: 1993
As a Manager
- River Plate
* Primera División Argentina: 1996 Apertura, 1997 Clausura, 1997 Apertura, 1999 Apertura, 2002 Clausura, 2014 Final * Superfinal: 2013–14 * Copa Libertadores: 1996 * Supercopa Libertadores: 1997
- San Lorenzo
* Primera División Argentina: 2007 Clausura
- Al-Hilal
* Saudi Professional League: 2016–17 * King's Cup: 2017, 2022–23 * AFC Champions League runner-up: 2017, 2022 * FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2022
- Corinthians
* Campeonato Paulista: 2025
- Individual Awards
* EFL League Two Manager of the Month: January 2005 * Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: March 2022, May & June 2022
See also
In Spanish: Ramón Díaz (entrenador argentino) para niños
