He played three World Cups, scored lots of goals in Premier League and Serie A and has won his first title as a coach
After a prolific career of more than 10 years playing in Europe's top leagues like Serie A and Premier League, he became a coach and has just won his first title in the bench.
Many soccer players have great careers in the field and then can't replicate the success when they become coaches. Some others live the opposite life and after an average career as professionals or even less than that they win lots of trophies coaching teams. And very few can achieve both things. An outstanding goal scorer has just won his first title coaching a club.
He appeared in three World Cups: France 1998, Korea-Japan 2002 and Germany 2006. He scored four goals among them and has scored a brace in a well-remembered UEFA Champions League. It was in 2005.
Argentina’s Hernán Crespo retired from football in 2010 playing for Italy’s Genoa. But he scored over 150 goals in Serie A, having been part of Parma, Milan, Inter and Lazio. In 2000, this last club acquired him in what then was soccer’s highest transfer ever. He also netter 20 times in a season with Chelsea in 2006/07.
After retiring he became coach, after a spell in Modena and working in Parma’s board, Crespo recently took charge of Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia. On Saturday his club won the Copa Sudamericana against fellow league rivals Lanús. This trophy is the South American equal of the UEFA Europa League.
His club
Defensa y Justicia belongs to Florencio Varela, a suburb at the south of Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires. The modest club arrived to the country’s top division only in 2014 and has grown persistently, having already achieved a vice-championship in 2018-2019. After being defeated in Copa Libertadores’ group stage, they entered the Copa Sudamericana.
