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Argentina's 1978 World Cup winner Galvan dies

Argentina's 1978 World Cup winner Galvan dies

France 2406-05-2025

Galvan had been in hospital in Cordoba for several weeks with kidney problems.
Galvan formed a rock hard central defensive partnership with captain Daniel Passarella that laid the foundations for the Argentina side that lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time.
Two goals from the tournament's leading scorer Mario Kempes and one from Daniel Bertoni saw off the Netherlands 3-1 after extra-time in Buenos Aires.
"The Argentine Football Association, through its President, Claudio Tapia, mourns the passing of Luis Galvan, a defender who won a World Cup with the Argentine national team in 1978, and expresses its condolences to his family and loved ones," read an AFA statement.
Galvan, who played the majority of his club career for Talleres de Cordoba, making over 250 appearances for them, also played at the 1982 finals.
Like many of the 1978 side, age had caught up with him in the 1982 title defence -- Diego Maradona about the only new face in the line-up -- his 34-year-old legs unable to cope with second round opponents Brazil and Italy, who beat the champions 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.
Ubaldo Fillol, goalkeeper in 1978 and 1982, paid his former team-mate a handsome tribute.
"An excellent defender and an even better person," said Fillol.
"It was a true pleasure to play alongside you. My heartfelt hug to all your family and close friends."
Galvan's death follows just over two weeks after that of another Argentine football icon, goalkeeper Hugo Gatti, aged 80.
Gatti -- whose nickname was 'El Loco,' or 'The mad man' -- would have been in goal instead of Fillol for the 1978 World Cup but a knee injury months before the tournament sidelined him.
He held the record for most number of games played in Argentina's top football division, with 765. He played from 1962 to 1988.

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