César Luis Menotti (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsesaɾ ˈlwis meˈnoti]; 22 October 1938 – 5 May 2024), known as El Flaco ("Slim"), was an Argentine football player and manager who won the 1978 FIFA World Cup as the head coach of the Argentina national team.

As a manager, he won three cups with Barcelona and also led Atlético Madrid in La Liga in the 1980s, as well as leading Superclásico rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate.

[7] Menotti remained four seasons in Rosario Central prior to be transferred in 1964 to Racing, then moving to Boca Juniors in 1965, where he would win his first title as player, the 1965 Primera División.

In 1968 Menotti was traded to Santos where he was teammate of Pelé and won the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, a tournament later recognized as national championship of Brazil, of that year.

[8] After retiring from play, Menotti became friends with coach Miguel "Gitano" Juárez, with whom he traveled to the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.

[9] As manager, Menotti won his first title with Huracán, the 1973 Torneo Metropolitano with a side that included notable players such as Carlos Babington,[10] Miguel Brindisi, Roque Avallay and the outstanding René Houseman.

[13] After the World Cup triumph, Menotti demanded for a large raise from the Argentine Football Association, which complicated his contract negotiations.

[15] After a brief spell back home with Boca Juniors,[6] Menotti returned to Spain in July 1987 to manage Atlético Madrid, who had gone a decade without a league title.

After 23 games of the season, Atlético were second to Real Madrid, but went on a six-game winless run culminating in a 3–1 home loss to their city rivals on 20 March 1988.

Chairman Jesús Gil had already had talks with Menotti – including about the players' nightlife before their draw away to Real Sociedad in October – and subsequently dismissed him.

He brought in players such as Jorge Higuaín, but was unable to make Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert a permanent signing after two weeks training at the club.

After showing good form on a pre-season tour of Europe, the club finished third in the Uruguayan Primera División and missed out on Libertadores qualification.

He oversaw elimination from the UEFA Cup by Athletic Bilbao, and took 11 points from 8 games before being replaced by returning championship-winning coach Vujadin Boškov.

He instead worked as an advisor at the club and his coaching staff prepared Puebla in Argentina for a promotion play-off, lost 5–1 on aggregate to Querétaro.

[24] He took offence when Pumas UNAM hosted his team on a pitch that had just been used for American football, likening it to having a woman selling tacos in the crowd while Luciano Pavarotti sang at the opera.

[33] His funeral was held two days later at the Argentine Football Association's complex in Rosario, attended by figures including 1978 captain Daniel Passarella and incumbent national manager Lionel Scaloni.

He wore long hair, dressed casually, and used to drop references to cultural icons in his conversations, from writer Ernesto Sabato to singer Joan Manuel Serrat.