Argentina: Angels with Dirty Faces with Di Stefano at the WC Finals 1958

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

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Argentina South American Champion 1957

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Argentina World Cup 1946

Hungary World Cup 1950
Sweden World Cup 1950
Austria-Hungary 1954
Scotland World Cup 1970
United Kingdom World Cup 1970
England World Cup 1974
United Kingdom World Cup1982
Yugoslavia World Cup 1994
France World Cup 1994
Germany World Cup 2002
Netherlands World Cup 2002

Catalonia World Cup 2010
USA World Cup 2010
What if Ronaldo and Messi played for Australia in 2006
All Diegos Team
Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina All-Time Team
Provincia de Santa  Fe, Argentina All-Time Team
The City of Buenos Aires
Provincia de Buenos Aires 

USSR World Cup 2018 

Yugoslavia World Cup 2018

Ghana World Cup 2022

This is my alternative team for Argentina at the 1958 World Cup Finals. The team only has 22 members because it was the official number of players in 1958.

Background

The forties and fifties are widely recognized as the Golden Years of Argentine football, during which the country won most of the continental tournaments. However, due to non-sporting reasons, Argentina missed out on participating in the World Cups organized between 1934 and 1958. 

In 1958, Argentina made a long-awaited return to the World Cup finals after a 24-year absence. Unfortunately, their performance in the tournament was lackluster and is remembered as "El desastre de Suecia" ("The Sweden disaster").   In the actual World Cup, Argentina managed to beat North Ireland 3-1, but losing to West Germany 3-1 and Czechoslovakia 6-1.  The defeat against Czechoslovakia was Argentina's biggest ever at that time.

Just a year prior, in 1957, Argentina had dominated and won the South American championship. They defeated second-place Brazil 3-0 and third-place Uruguay 4-0, cementing their status as one of the greatest South American teams in history. The team's offensive line, nicknamed "Angels with Dirty Faces," was widely regarded as Argentina's greatest ever line.

However, shortly after their success, the team suffered a significant loss as three of their offensive stars, Omar Sivori, Antonio Angelillo, and Humberto Maschio, left Argentina to play in the Serie A. In addition, goalkeeper Rogelio Dominguez joined Real Madrid. To add to the team's woes, the 1957 squad was also missing Alfredo Di Stefano, who was widely regarded as the best player in the world during the late 1950s. 

During this era, most countries prohibited overseas-based players from their national teams, which prevented Di Stefano and other European-based Argentine players from participating in the 1958 World Cup. If Argentina had been able to include these players in their squad, they may have had a better chance of success in the tournament.

Alfredo di Stefano

Tournament
The host Sweden banned professional players from its national team prior to the World Cup Finals, but decided to lift the professional ban for the Finals. The professional players made the difference and Sweden reached the Final, but most of them had passed their prime. The tournament was also weakened by various events in the world. England suffered from the Munich Air Disaster 4 months before the start of the tournament. Hungary was also disbanded after the Soviet invasion of 1956.  Many of its players were in exiles. That left Brazil of Pele, Garrincha and Didi as the true force at the World Cup Finals. Pele was only 17 years old in 1958. Of course, France who came third featured Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine.  Please see the blog World Cup 1958 Finals Missing Players.

Players Added: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Omar Sivori, Antonio Angelillo, Humberto Maschio, Rogelio Domínguez, Ernesto Grillo and Miguel Montuori.

Players Dropped: José Varacka, Norberto Boggio, Julio Musimessi, Eliseo Prado, Norberto Menéndez, Alfredo Rojas, Ludovico Avio.

Prediction

Argentina's absence from the World Cup Finals between 1938 and 1958 was a significant setback for the country's footballing reputation. Some historians argue that their tactics had stagnated during this period, with the team relying too heavily on the natural talents of their attackers and neglecting their defense. In contrast, European teams were developing new tactics to counter the successful Hungarian teams of the early 1950s.  Meanwhile, Bela Guttmann moved to coach Sao Paulo in Brazil and guided them to the 1957 Campeonato Paulista, where some said created a tactic revolution over there.

Argentina won the 1957 South American Championship with ease, but they arrived in Sweden for the 1958 World Cup without some of their most talented players, such as Enrique Omar Sívori, Antonio Valentín Angelillo, and Humberto Maschio. The team lacked imagination, and their defense was particularly weak, conceding 10 goals in the tournament - the second-highest number after Paraguay. In contrast, in the 1957 South American Championship, they only gave up six goals in six games, with a goal difference of plus 19.

In 1958, Brazil won the World Cup with a combination of brilliant footballers and a new tactical system, the 4-2-4, developed by Vicente Feola, which was inspired by the tactics used by Bela Guttmann's Sao Paulo team. The system involved dropping both halfs and putting together a four-man fixed defensive line, with defensive midfielder Zito protecting their flanks. The fullbacks, Djalma Santos and Nilton Santos, were required to move forward, turning the formation into a 2-4-4 when Brazil had possession. With eight players in attack, Brazil controlled the pace of the game and had two fantastic attacking weapons in Pelé and Garrincha, with Didi arguably their best player.

Could the individual talents of this team overcame Brazil in 1958?

Aftermath

The disaster of 1958 had a profound and lasting impact on Argentine football, triggering a new school of coaches and transforming the game forever. Victorio Spinetto, who managed the 1959 South American Championship-winning team, stressed the importance of winning over a romanticized view of football. His style was less attractive but more focused on winning, which was a departure from the style of Argentine football in that era. Spinetto coached Osvaldo Zubeldia at Vélez Sársfield, who went on to lead Estudiantes de La Plata to win the Copa Libertadores three years in a row (1968, 1969, and 1970). Estudiantes was known for its uncompromising style, and some of its players were criticized for their thuggish plays. Carlos Bilardo, who played under Zubeldia, later credited his influence for Argentina's 1986 World Cup victory. Diego Simeone also came from Vélez Sársfield, where Spinetto shaped the club's youth program.

Boca Juniors would installed the 4-2-4 formation in the 1960's.  Their championship winning team in that era changed the paradigm of success.  For the first time,  their fans remembered a defense over an attack.  Antonio Roma, Jose Maria Silvero, Orlindo (Brazil), Camerlo Simone, Silvio Marzolini and Antonio Rattín were the idols of the days.

Team
GK: Amadeo Carrizo
Amadeo Carrizo was the young goalkeeper for River Plate's "La Máquina" in 1940's.  For them, he won five Championship trophies in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1957.  He was considered one of the greatest keeper from South America. Despite his greatness, Argentina constantly refused to select him.  He only earned 20 caps between 1954 and 1964. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1958. He also played for Millonarios in Colombia.

Amadeo Carrizo

GK:  Rogelio Dominguez (not on the original team)
Rogelio Dominguez played around the same time as Carrizo.  He earned 59 caps.  He missed the 1958 World Cup Finals because he moved to Real Madrid in 1957, and Argentina did not select overseas players.  He was Argentina's 1962 World Cup team. With Real Madrid, he won two European Cups.  Before Real Madrid, he played for Racing Club in Argentina.

RB: Francisco Lombardo
Lombardo started his career with Newell's Old Boys. In 1952, he joined Boca Juniors where he played 196 games. In 1960 Lombardo left Boca on a free transfer to join their hated rivals River Plate, but he only made 9 appearances for the club before retiring later that year.  Lombardo made 37 appearances for Argentina. He played in 4 Copa Américas; 1955, 1956, and 2 in 1959. He also played in the 1958 World Cup.

RB: David Acevedo 
Acevedo played for Independiente, where he won two Copa Libertadores in 1964 and 1965.  He was a member of Argentina's 1958 World Cup, but did not play in any of the matches. He also participated in the Copa America of 1967, where he played all five matches. He played briefly for Banfield before his retirement.

CB: Pedro Dellacha 
Dellacha joined Quilmes Atlético Club in 1945. In 1952, Dellacha joined Racing Club where he went on to make 184 appearances and help the club to win the 1958 league championship. Dellacha played 35 times for Argentina. He played in three editions of the Copa América winning the tournament twice in 1955 and 1957. In 1957, he was the captain of the team and was awarded the Olimpia de Oro for his role in leading them to victory. He also played in the 1958 World Cup.

Pedro Dellacha 

CB: José Ramos Delgado 
Born in Argentina of the Cape Verdean ancestry, he started his playing career in 1956 with Lanús. He soon earned a move to River Plate where he played 172 games in seven seasons with the club. After a short spell with Banfield, he moved to Brazil to play for Santos, where he played alongside Pelé, Coutinho and Pepe in the club's golden years.  He continued playing for Santos until the age of 38.  Capped 25 times.  He went to the 1958 and 1962 WC Finals.

CB: Federico Edwards
Edwards started with Union of Santa Fe, but only played there for two seasons. He was transferred to Boca Juniors in 1951.  In 1960 he continued his career in Independiente de Avellaneda. He also played for Temuco Sports Club from 1961 to 1963 in Chile. For Argentina, he went to the 1958 World Cup Finals.

CB: Alfredo Pérez 
Perez  came to the River Plate in 1951 from Rosario Central, and remained there until 1960. With River Plate, he won 5 League titles and played 196 games without scoring goals.  He went to the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden, but did not play a single match in the Finals.  He played against Bolivia in the World Cup Qualifiers. He had 3 caps in total.

LB:  Federico Vairo
Vairo started his career at Rosario Central in 1947, he played for the club for 8 seasons before moving to River Plate. River won three consecutive league titles between 1955 and 1957. Vairo played for the Argentine National team at the World Cup held in Sweden in 1958. At onetime he was the player with the most games played for the national team. His record was not broken until the 1990s.

DM: Nestor Rossi
Nestor Rossi is one of Argentina's greatest defensive midfielders.  Nicknamed "Pipo", he started his career at River Plate, playing from 1945 to 1949, and then again from 1955 to 1958, winning a total of 5 Argentine leagues. He played with La Maquina, but at the end of their peak.  He also won 6 more with Millonarios in Colombia. He played in the 1958 World Cup Finals and was a part of their 1957 Copa America winning team.

Nestor Rossi vs West Germany, World Cup Finals 1958

DM: Eliseo Mouriño
Eliseo Mouriño began his career at Club Atlético Banfield before moving to join Boca Juniors with whom he won an Argentine league title in 1954. He played as a holding midfielder for the early part of his career before converting to centre-back and was part of the Argentina squad at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He died in a plane crash in 1961.

RW: Omar Oreste Corbatta
Corbatta is one of Argentina's greatest right wingers.  He played mainly for Racing Club and Boca Juniors, winning four major titles and scoring 86 official goals with both teams combined. He lost the Copa Libertadores to Pele's Santos in 1963. Capped over 40 times. He was part of the Copa América-winning team in 1957 and 1959. Corbatta also played in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, contributing with three goals in three games in an eventual group stage exit.

Omar Oreste Corbatta

FW/AM: Miguel Montuorl (not on the original team)
Miguel Montuori is regarded as one of Foirentina's greatest footballers.  Started his career in Chile. He joined Fiorentina in 1955, winning one scudetto, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1961.  Born in Argentna, he was the first non-Italian born player to captain Italy.  He was also regarded as an "unfortunate" player, due to his many runner-up medals, and his injuries, which forced him to retire during the prime of his career.

FW/AM: José SanFilippo 
During his club career he played for San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Banfield in Argentina, Nacional in Uruguay, and Bangu and SC Bahia in Brazil. He is the 5th highest scoring player in Argentine football.  At the international level, Sanfilippo played for the Argentina in the 1958 and 1962 World Cup Finals. He was also part of the Argentina squads that won the 1955 Pan American Games and the 1957 South American Championship.

CM/AM/FW: Alfredo Di Stefano (not on the original team)
The best player in the world before the emerge of Pele and Maradona. He was one of the younger member of the great River Plate in the 1940's.  In 1949, he moved to play in Colombia before moving to Europe in 1953.  He won 5 straight European Cups with Real Madrid. He was credited in turning Real Madrid into a legendary club. His international career was limited to the fact that Argentina did not select overseas players.  He played for Argentina, Colombia and Spain.

FW: Ernesto Grillo  (not on the original team)
Grillo started with Indpendiente before moving to play for AC Milan, winning 1958-1958 Serie A title. He returned to Argentina in 1960 to play for Boca Juniors, where won league titles in 1962, 1964 and 1965.  Capped 21 times. The highlight of Grillo's career came in a 1953 match versus England, when he scored a legendary goal for Argentina. He also helped Argentina winning the 1955 South American Championship.

SS/FW:  Omar Sivori (not on the original team)
Sivori is remembered one of the greatest ever player from Argentina. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1961. After Argentina won the Copa America in 1957, he joined Juventus where he enjoyed 8 successful years.  He was credited with the resurgence of the club.  With John Charles and Giampiero Boniperti, he formed "the Magical Trio" with the club.  In Argentina, he played for River Plate.  After Juventus, he joined Napoli.

Omar Sivori (R)

LW: Osvaldo Héctor Cruz
For Argentina, Osvaldo Héctor Cruz was capped 21 times. He went to the 1958 World Cup Finals in Sweden. He was also a member of Argentina's Copa America winning team in 1955 and 1957.  For his club career, he played for Independiente in Argentina. Overseas, he played for Palmeiras in Brazil and Union Espanola in Chile.

CF: Antonio Angelillo (not on the original team)
Antonio Angelillo was a member of the "Angeles With Dirty Faces". He moved to Italy after Argentina won the Copa America in 1957.  He scored 31 goals in 31 matches for Inter Milan in the 1958-59 season, the second highest record at the time.  He was considered to be one of Inter Milan's greatest players.  He also played with Roma, Genoa, Lecce and AC Milan. He earned 2 caps for Italy.

ST: Ricardo Infante
Ricardo Infante was the 2nd highest scoring player in the history of Estudiantes de La Plata and the 6th highest scoring player in the professional era of the Primera División Argentina.  Against Rosario Central in 1948, he scored a goal using rabona from 31 meters out. In 1958, Infante was part of the Argentina squad that played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

FW: Humberto Maschio (not on the original team)
With Omar Sivori and Antonio Angelillo, Maschio earned the nickname "Angels with Dirty faces" collectively as a group. In 1957, he moved to Italy to play for Bologna after Argentina won the 1957 Copa America.  However, it was in Atalanta where he became a star and earned a bigger move to Inter Milan.  For Argentina, he scored 12 goals in 12 games.  Later he played twice for Italy.

ST/FW: Ángel Labruna 
Ángel Labruna is the second top scorer of the Argentine First Division with 293  goals. Labruna was also part of the celebrated River Plate offense, nicknamed La Máquina (The Machine), and he was considered one of the best South-American footballers of his generation.  He played 37 matches for Argentina, scoring 17 goals. He also won two South American Championships (1946 and 1955) and as a nearly 40-year-old he played in the final phase of 1958 FIFA World Cup held in Sweden.

Ángel Labruna 

Players Pool
Antonio Roma, Jorge Griffa, Norberto Boggio, Julio Musimessi, Eliseo Prado, Norberto Menéndez, Alfredo Rojas, Ludovico Avio,

José Varacka, Santiago Vernazza, Héctor Rial, Bruno Pesaola, Francisco Lojacono, Ernesto Cucchiaroni.

Squad Explanation
-- I do not believe the additional of better players would have changed much.  It takes more than just better players to win a World Cup.  This is just a fun blog.

 -- I was obviously not born in 1958.  I do not understand Spanish.  The topic was something that I really did not know well.  Basically, I put together a group of famous names.

-- In 1958, only 22 players were on the World Cup squads.

-- I added seven European-based players to the 1958 squad, namely Alfredo Di Stéfano, Omar Sivori, Antonio Angelillo, Humberto Mashi, Rogelio Domínguez, Ernesto Grillo and Miguel Montuori.  They were all big name players in the late 1950's.

-- I dropped the following 7 players from the original team: José Varacka, Norberto Boggio, Julio Musimessi, Eliseo Prado, Norberto Menéndez, Alfredo Rojas and Ludovico Avio.  

-- In 1958, there were also several other Argentine of note playing their trade in Europe, namely Ernesto Cucchiaroni, Eduardo Ricagni, Bruno Pesaola, Santiago Vernazza, Héctor Rial and Francisco Lojacono. They were not selected to my team because Argentina had so much talents in 1958.

Goalkeepers

-- Before he moved to Europe, Rogelio Domínguez was voted as the best goalkeeper in South America in 1956 and 1957.  In Europe, he established himself as the starting goalkeeper for Real Madrid, where he won two European Cups.  However, the 1958 team would not be missing him too much.  The starting keeper in 1958 was none other than the great Amadeo Carrizo.  Amadeo Carrizo is ranked the greatest goalkeeper of all-time by IFFHS.
-- From 1951 to 1963, Rogelio Domínguez earned 58 caps while Amadeo Carrizo who was 5 years older only played 20 times between 1954 to 1964.  So Rogelio Domínguez played more for the national team than Carrizo. I do not know the reason why Carrizo was snubbed.  On the 1962-1963 season, the pair would play for the same team with River Plate.  Domínguez was brought into the club to replace the aging Carrizo.  However, Carrizo kept his starting position and Domínguez left after a single season.

Pedro Dellacha, Rogelio Domínguez and Federico Vairo

-- In the 1950's, only two goalkeepers were selected.  Antonio Roma was on the 1957 Copa America team, but did not make it to the actual 1958 World Cup Finals.  He would become a big idol with Boca Juniors. He was my number one keeper for my Boca Junior All-Time Team.  In 1958, Roma was playing with Ferro Carril Oeste.
-- The backup keeper at the World Cup Finals was Julio Musimessi. He started for Boca Juniors in 1958. Jorge Griffa was not considered on the 1958 team even through he was playing at home that year.

Defenders

--  I did not know much about Argentine defenders in the 1950's.  So I did not alter the defensive corps. Pedro Dellacha and José Ramos Delgado were the more famous defenders on this team.  Delgado later played with Pele and Santos, but in 1958, I did not know much about his career.  

-- I learned of Federico Pizarro. who did not go to the World Cup Finals. He was a part of the South American Champion team in 1957. I did not know his status in 1958.  Jose Maria Silvero was another name I came across.  He played in the great defensive unit of Boca Juniors in the early 1960's.  That defensive unit of Boca Juniors also consisted of Camerlo Simone and Silvio Marzolini.  Simone's international career did not started until 1959.   Marzolini was only 18 years old without senior football experience in 1958.  Of course, I did not add them.

-- I looked into other areas where I could improve the team's defense. Argentine-born Helenio Herrera was building a career in Europe, but he had left Argentina as a boy in the 1920's.  So his association with Argentina was limited.  As a player, he represented France.  In 1958, he was working with Lisbon side Os Belenenses.  By then, he already had a long career in Europe, especially in Spain, where he led Atlético Madrid to La Liga titles in 1950 and 1951 with the help of Larbi Benbarek.  That team was attack-oriented with the average of 3 goals per game.  And from 1958 to 1960, he was with Barcelona FC.  This team also did not play the same style as La Grande Inter.  His defensive tactical system was not fashionable until the 1960's after Inter Milan's wins in the European Cup. Besides, Catenaccio was not invented by him. So it would be too far-fetched to introduce him to this imaginary team as the manager.  

Midfielders

 -- Nestor Rossi was known as Argentina's greatest defensive midfielder.  He was 33 years old in 1958 on his last year with River Plate. I admitted not knowing his fitness level, but he was on the original team.

-- Antonio Rattin made his professional debut against River Plate in 1956 replacing injured Eliseo Mouriño.  In 1958, he was only 21 years old.  So I kept Mouriño.

-- Oreste Corbatta was considered the greatest right wing.  At 22 years of age in 1958, Corbatta was at the prime of his career.  He was the star of the team in the actual World Cup Finals. His goal against Chile in 1957 is sometimes described as Argentina's greatest goal.
-- Angel Labruna at age 39 had passed his prime, but I could not leave out this legendary player from La Maquina. He was on the real 1958 team.

-- From 1958 to 1961, José Sanfilippo was the top scorer in Argentina.  He was a forward or attack midfielder.

-- Both Ernesto Grillo and Miguel Montuori were making impacts in Serie A in 1958.  Grillo would won a Serie A title in the 1958-1959 season.  Montuori helped Fiorentina to reach the 1957 European Cup Final.  

-- Miguel Montuori's eligibility was questioned.  He never played for Argentina, but he earned 12 caps for Italy from 1956 to 1960.  Born in Argentina to an Italian father and an Afro-Argentinian mother, he should be Italy's first Black international player.  He also did not play much club football in Argentina.  He started with the Racing Avellaneda, where he made his debut at the age of nineteen in 1951, but due to a lack of opportunities, he went to play for the Universidad Católica de Chile before heading to Italy.  He was later voted into Fiorentina Hall of Flame.  His birth right made him an Aergentine through and through. His early football developement was entirely from Argentina.    Lionel Messi actually left Argentina much younger than him. 

-- Alfredo Di Stéfano needed no introduction.  In 1958, he was at the peak of his career.  He just won his third European Cups and also the top scorer in that edition.  He was the reigning Ballon d'or winner at the time of the World Cup Finals.  He would have arrived in Sweden at the top of his game. 

Forwards

-- As mentioned in the introduction, Argentina won the 1957 South American Championship by beating their opponents by a large margin.  The Brazilian team of 1957 was before the emerge of Pele and Garrincha. However, Didi, Evaristo, Djalma Santos and Zizinho played on that game.  However, Argentina's front five, namely Osmar Oreste Corbatta, Humberto Maschio, Omar Sivori, Antonio Angelillo and Osvaldo Cruz, were considered one of the greatest in South American history.  They were better known as "Angels with Dirty Faces".  Unfortunately, this was the only tournament, where the five of them played together.  At the time of the Championship in 1957, all five were very young: Cruz (26), Maschio (24),  Sivori (21), Corbatta (21) and Angelillo (19). 

 -- When Omar Sivori, Antonio Angelillo and Humberto Mashio arrived in Italy in 1957.  They quickly earned the nickname "Il Trio del la Muerte"(the deadly Trio) for their South American flair, their fearless playing style and clinical finishing. 
-- Juventus paid a world record transfer fee for Omar Sivori in 1957.  He was the South America Player of the Year that year.  He immediately established a formidable partnership with John Charles.  In his first year with the club, he brought the scudetto back to Turin.   -- Antonio Angelillo's second year (1958-59) in Italy would be his best season.  He scored 33 goals in 33 matches, a record for a single season. No one managed to match his goal total until Gonzalo Higuaín finished the 2015–16 Serie A season with 36 goals
-- Humberto Maschio had a 100% scoring rate with Argentina.  He scored 12 goals in 12 appearances.  He was top scorer at the 1957 Copa America.  However, he failed to settle down with his first Italian club, Bologna.  He did not become a star until he joined Atalanta in 1960.  I selected him to my 1958 team because of his reputation with the national team in 1957.  Any coach would gamble on such a talented player.

Omar Corbatta, Humberto Maschio, Antonio Angelillo, Omar Sívori, Osvaldo Cruz

-- Osmar Oreste Corbatta and Osvaldo Cruz were the only members of the original front five who went to play in the World Cup Finals.  Jose Sanfilippo was the 6th member of the 1957 team's offensive line also went to the World Cup Finals, but he did not play.  I do not know the reason.

-- Héctor Rial is a household name in Europe because he was playing with Alfredo Di Stefano's Real Madrid, but I preferred the players whom I selected.  The talents in Argentina were very deep in 1950's.
-- The other national teams could also field better teams. Please see the blog World Cup 1958 Finals Missing Players.

Formation
In 1958, Argentina used the WM formation.  This lineup might not be the best.   I just put the best eleven players on the field.  Sivori moved to the left forward as he could be a left wing forward.  Alfredo Di Stefano could play everywhere.  He had played in this position, but I might be wasting his talents.  Starting Miguel Montuori might be interesting since he never played for Argentina.

Alfredo Di Stefano's talents would be of better usage if he played here.  Eliseo Mouriño was one of the least famous players on the team.