Francisco Olazar

Francisco Olazar ( July 10, 1885 – September 21, 1958) was an Argentine football player and later coach. His position on the field was central midfielder.

Francisco Olazar
Personal information
Full name Francisco Olazar
Date of birth (1885-07-10)July 10, 1885
Place of birth Quilmes, Argentina
Date of death September 21, 1958(1958-09-21) (aged 73)
Place of death Lomas de Zamora, Argentina
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
1900–10 Racing Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1910–22 Racing Club 225 (37)
National team
1916–21 Argentina 18 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

At club level, he spent his entire career playing for Racing Club, where he won eight Primera División league titles and eight National cups. Olazar also played for the Argentina national team, being the team coach at the 1930 FIFA World Cup.

Career
Olazar jumping to head the ball in a match v. San Isidro, 1919

Olazar was born in Quilmes.[1] He first played at Club Mariano Moreno, a small institution in Avellaneda, Greater Buenos Aires. In 1908 he joined Racing Club, where he started playing at 4th. division.[1]

Playing as central midfielder ("number 5") Olazar was part of the Racing Club team that became legendary for their playing style and success, winning seven consecutive Primera División titles from 1913 to 1919, a landmark that still is a record in Argentine football and originated the Academy nickname for Racing Club that has identified the institution since then.[2] Racing Club is considered successor of another legendary team, Alumni (dissolved in 1911), the most winning team of the first years of organised football in the country.[3]

In my times, football was better played. The Racing squad of 1913 is much better to any team that can be formed nowadays. It is no posible to form such a team like that, which line-up was Muttoni, Ochoa, Reyes; Bethular, me, Pepe; Viazzi, Ohaco, Marcovecchio, Hopital, Perinetti. That team won the championship undefeated.[4]

Olazar was one of the Racing Club most notable players because of his technique and his strength to recover the ball. He also captained the team during all those successful years. He scored a total of 37 goals playing for Racing Club.[1]

As a key player of the Racing Club that won seven consecutive Primera División championships, Olazar was regarded as the best Argentine centre-half in those years. He was idolised by Racing Club supporters, and often compared with Uruguayan star José Piendibene, with whom he shared mutual respect.[4]

He played for the Argentina national team on 18 occasions including appearances at the first two Copa América tournaments in 1916 and 1917.

After retiring as a player Olazar turned to coaching, and managed the Argentina team that won a Copa América trophy in 1929. He was also the coach of the team that took part of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, where he and technical director Juan José Tramutola managed the albicelestes to second-place behind hosts Uruguay.[5]

Honours

Player

Racing Club

Coach

Argentina

References
  1. Ídolos: Francisco Olazar on Racing Club website
  2. Racing Club, a 100 años de su apodo histórico: la Academia on Día a Día website, 31 Aug 2015
  3. El primer grande del fútbol argentino by Daniel Guiñazú on Página/12, 15 Dec 2014
  4. FRANCISCO OLAZAR, EL CENTRE HALF ARGENTINO QUE AÚN NO HA SIDO SUPERADO by Ricardo L. Rodríguez (Borocotó) on El Gráfico (originally published in 1927)
  5. 95 historias de la selección en los mundiales, El Gráfico, 30 May 2014
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