Osvaldo César Ardiles (born 3 August 1952), often referred to in Britain as Ossie Ardiles, is a football manager, pundit and former midfielder who won the 1978 FIFA World Cup as part of the Argentine national team. He now runs his own football school in the UK called the Ossie Ardiles Soccer School.
A competitive and skilled midfielder, Ardiles became a cult hero in England, along with Glenn Hoddle and compatriot Ricardo Villa, as a player for Tottenham Hotspur. He left England for a period on loan as a result of the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982, thus missing most of the 1982–83 English season.
After retirement, Ardiles began his management career in England, coaching Swindon Town, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion, before returning to Tottenham to become the first Premier League manager from Argentina. As manager of Spurs in the mid-1990s, he played several matches utilizing a formation that had five forwards, a formation that hadn't been used in English football since the 1950s. During his career, Ardiles has also coached in Mexico, Croatia, Japan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Paraguay and his native Argentina.
English FA Cup 1983-1984 Tottenham | English FA Community Shield 1981 Tottenham | English FA Cup 1980-1981 Tottenham | FIFA World Cup 1978 Argentina |
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1973 |
1974 |
1975-1978 |
1975-1982 |
1978-1988 |
1982-1983 (Loan) |
1988 |
1988-1989 |
1989-1991 |
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