Boca Juniors coach Russo dies at age 69

Boca Juniors coach Miguel Angel Russo died on Wednesday at the age of 69 after a long battle with cancer, the club said.

Russo, who was being cared for at home after several hospital stays in recent months, was forced to step down from his day-to-day management duties due to his illness.

He had, however, been actively involved with the team despite his deteriorating health, maintaining close contact with his coaching colleagues and the club hierarchy.

Russo had three spells in charge at Boca, leading them to the Copa Libertadores trophy in 2007 and securing the Argentine title with the club in 2020 before guiding them at the Club World Cup this year.

Outside Argentina, Russo had managerial stints at Universidad de Chile, Spain’s Salamanca, Mexico’s Morelia, as well as roles at Alianza Lima, Cerro Porteno, Millonarios and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr.

A former player with Estudiantes, Russo made more than 400 appearances for the club, winning two national titles.