Sportsmanship is in mourning. Arsenio Iglesias, legendary coach who guided Deportivo in its glory years, has died at the age of 92. He had been suffering from health problems for several years that worsened.
Leader of what is known as ‘Superdépor’, he led Deportivo in four stages between the 1970s and 1990s. With him on the bench, the club’s first official title was won, the 1995 Copa del Rey, and a year earlier he was on the verge of winning. win the league He also directed Real Madrid.
As soon as the sad news has been known, the reactions of the world of football have not been long in coming. The first has been Deportivo, which has published a video with historical images announcing the loss of one of its legends: “Arsenio Iglesias, legend of sportsmanship, passes away. RIP, mister1 All our strength for family and friends and for all sportsmanship” , He has written. The message has received a response from the entire football community and clubs from all over Spain have shown their condolences.
Born on December 24, 1930 in Arteixo, his life has always been linked to the blue and white club, with which he made his debut as a player in the 1951-52 season against FC Barcelona at the old Les Corts ground. Also on the Deportivo bench he would make his debut as a coach after hanging up his boots.
As a footballer, he wore the Deportivo shirts, where he was in the First Division between 1952 and 1957, went through Sevilla in the 1957/58 season, played for Granada between 1958 and 1964 and defended the Oviedo shirt between 1963 and 1965. He played, in total, 238 matches in the top flight and another 63 between the Second Division and the promotion.
In his career on the bench, he went through Deportivo in a first stage between 1970 and 1973 with a promotion to the First Division and a relegation to the Second Division, he later went up to Hércules in 1974, a team he led for another three seasons, until 1977 at the top. category, and also directed Zaragoza, Burgos, Elche, AlmerÃa and Real Madrid, with other stages in the A Coruña team.
He directed Deportivo between 1982 and 1985 in the Second Division, again between 1988 and 1991, the year in which he achieved promotion to the First Division, and months later he returned to the bench to be the coach of ‘Superdépor’.
He was left at the gates of the League title in 1994, the one that escaped him with the famous ‘Djukic penalty’, but he won the Copa del Rey in 1995, the first in the club’s history, although they have recently been awarded the Cup Spain of 1912.
Arsenio ended his career in professional football at Real Madrid in the 1995/96 season, when he replaced Argentine Jorge Valdano midway through that season, and later also managed the Galician team.
Arsenio Iglesias was one of the most beloved men in A Coruña, a city that named him an adoptive son three years ago. In addition, he was also recognized as the favorite son of Arteixo, his hometown. Affectionately nicknamed the ‘bruxo’ or the ‘fox’ of Arteixo, Deportivo de La Coruña awarded him the Gold and Diamonds insignia in 2016 and recognized him as the great legend of the club that he is. The City Council named the La Torre sports city after him and also has a statue in his honor in the vicinity of the Riazor stadium.
