Marcelo Antonio Trobbiani Ughetto (born 17 February 1955 in

Casilda Casilda is a city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe, Argentina. It is the head town of the Caseros Department, and lies about west of Rosario and 202 km south-southwest of the provincial capital Santa Fe, ...

, Santa Fe) is an

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and a former player, who played as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He currently works as the manager of River Ecuador in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

Playing career

, Trobbiani was one of the promising young stars to rise in Boca Juniors during the early 1970s. As a juvenile, he debuted in 1973 with the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

when

Omar Sivori Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muh ...

drafted him for the "phantom squad" that had to play

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

for a ticket to the

1974 World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the 10th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the ...

. Following the exit of

Reinaldo Merlo Reinaldo Carlos Merlo (born 20 May 1950) is an Argentine association football, football coach and former player, who played as a midfielder. Playing career Known as ''Mostaza'' (mustard) because of his off-blond hair, Merlo played his entire ca ...

, he wore the national colours, before Boca's then coach

Rogelio Domínguez Rogelio Antonio Domínguez López (9 March 1931 – 23 July 2004) was an Argentine football goalkeeper who played for Real Madrid and was part of their European Cup victories in 1958, 1959 and 1960. He was in Argentina's squad for the 1962 FIFA ...

was aware of his existence. In 1975, Trobbiani shared Boca's midfield with Benítez, Suñé and Potente, and was criticized for hogging the ball, to the point that fans called him ''calesita'' (merry-go-round). After the 1976 season, Trobbiani was sold to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1976. Boca used the money to buy many players in the local market, starting a major winning streak with coach

Juan Carlos Lorenzo Juan Carlos "Toto" Lorenzo (; 27 October 1922 – 14 November 2001) was an Argentine football player and coach. He became an icon for Boca Juniors fans after he coached the club to its first two Copa Libertadores titles. Biography In his teens, ...

. Trobbiani played for Spanish sides

Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,

and

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system. Zarag ...

, and acquired

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an discipline and tactical depth. Trobbiani arrived at Elche with the club playing in

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

, but after narrowly avoiding relegation in his first season the club was relegated after his second season. He clashed with Elche coaches

Roque Olsen Roque Germán Olsen Fontana (9 September 1925 – 15 June 1992), commonly known as Roque Olsen, was an Argentina, Argentine football (soccer), football player and manager. Playing career Olsen started his playing career in the local leagues of ...

and

Heriberto Herrera Heriberto Herrera Udrizar (24 April 1926 – 26 July 1996) was a footballer and manager who played international football for both Paraguay and Spain as a defender. Career Herrera played for Club Nacional of Paraguay and for several Spanish t ...

while the club struggled to gain promotion back to La Liga. After Elche missed out on promotion in the last match of the 1979–80 season, Trobbiani left for Real Zaragoza. When he returned to play for Boca in 1981 alongside

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

, fans saw a more effective player. The team won the 1981

Metropolitano Metropolitano S.A. was a privately owned consortium formed in 1994 to take over concessions granted by the Argentine government as part of railway privatisation during the presidency of Carlos Menem for the operation of commuter rail services i ...

. In mid-1982, Trobbiani was transferred to

Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "La Plata Students"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its histo ...

. Coach

Carlos Bilardo Dr. Carlos Salvador Bilardo (born 16 March 1938) is an Argentine former physician, football player, and manager. Bilardo achieved worldwide renown as a player with Estudiantes de La Plata in the 1960s, and as the manager of the Argentina side t ...

made Trobbiani play as a deep-lying centre-forward linking the strong midfield (

Russo Russo may refer to: * Russo (surname) * Russo (footballer, 1915–1980), full name Adolpho Milman, Brazilian football forward and manager * Russo (footballer, born 1976), full name Ricardo Soares Florêncio, Brazilian football defender * Russo brot ...

, Ponce and Sabella) to strikers Trama and Gottardi. The team won two back-to-back championships. After the

1986 World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...

in Mexico, Trobbiani was again playing for

Elche CF Elche Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Elche, Province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Spain. Founded in 1923, the club will compete in La Liga for the 2025–26 season, holding home matches at ...

. National coach Bilardo called Trobbiani for the tournament, making it clear that he would mainly be used for tactical practice games. He worked tirelessly during the month-long stay in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, where he was

Jorge Valdano Jorge Alberto Francisco Valdano Castellanos (born 4 October 1955) is an Argentine former football player, coach, and the former general manager of Real Madrid. He is currently working as a commentator for beIN Sports. Nicknamed "The Philosophe ...

's roommate, and was rewarded with exactly two minutes of play—the last two minutes of the final match against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. His only touch of the ball was a back-heel pass. Before retirement, Trobbiani showed his class at

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an side

Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a professional Chilean football league system, Chilean football club based in Calama, Chile, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. They compete in the Primera B de Ch ...

ian side

Barcelona SC Barcelona Sporting Club (), internationally known as Barcelona de Guayaquil, is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of fo ...

(with whom he reached the Copa Libertadores finals in 1990) and back in Argentina with

Talleres de Córdoba Club Atlético Talleres (; ), mostly known simply as Talleres ( in Rioplatense Spanish, Rioplatense accent and or in Cordobés Spanish, Cordobés accent; ), is an Football in Argentina, Argentine professional sports club based in the city of C ...

Managerial career

Trobbiani went on to coach several teams in South America, with little success. He was sacked from

Universitario de Deportes Club Universitario de Deportes is a Peruvian sports club based in Lima, which has Association football, soccer as its main activity. It also has women's football, volleyball and basketball sections. The football team, popularly known as Universi ...

from

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

at the end of 2004. Between 2006 and 2008, he worked as Russo's assistant coach at Boca Juniors, together with former teammate Gottardi. Between 2008 and 2009 he returned to Chilean football to work as the manager of

, where he had played in the late 1980s. In 2009, he was appointed as the manager of Peruvian side

Cienciano Club Cienciano, more commonly known as Cienciano, is a Peru, Peruvian professional association football, football club based in Cusco, that currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División. It gained worldwide recognition after defeating Club At ...

. On March 20, 2011, he was involved in a bitter dispute with fellow Argentine manager

Guillermo Rivarola Guillermo Daniel Rivarola (born April 28, 1967, in Villa Huidobro, Argentina) is an Argentine former footballer. He played as a defender for many clubs in Argentina and Mexico such as River Plate, San Lorenzo, Racing Club. He retired playing ...

Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...

after the ex-River player complained to the referee in order to get Trobbiani sent off. Trobbiani managed the

Argentina national under-20 football team The Argentina national under-20 Association football, football team is the representative of Argentina in FIFA-sponsored tournaments that pertain to that age level. Argentina is the most successful nation in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, winning the c ...

at the

2013 South American Youth Football Championship The 2013 South American Youth Football Championship (, ) was an association football competition for national under-20 teams in the South America (CONMEBOL). The tournament was held in Argentina from 9 January to 3 February 2013 and was won by Col ...

, where the team failed to progress from the group stage. On September 18, 2013, as coach of

Sport Huancayo Club Sport Huancayo, more commonly known as Sport Huancayo, is a Peruvian professional Association football, football club based in Huancayo, Junín. It was founded in 2007 by Raúl Rojas and Édgar Araníbar. The club has been playing in the Per ...

, he was accused of racism and discrimination by three Brazilian players, Rafael Da Silva, Andrey Nunes y Kleyr Vieira, who played in the team.

Honours

Domestic

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

* Primera División (2): 1976 Metropolitano, 1981 Metropolitano Estudiantes (LP) * Primera División (2): 1982 Metropolitano, 1983 Nacional

Millonarios F.C. Millonarios Fútbol Club, known simply as Millonarios, is a Colombian professional football club based in Bogotá, that competes in the Categoría Primera A, top flight of football in Colombia. It is one of the most successful and iconic clubs i ...

Categoría Primera A The Categoría Primera A (), commonly referred to as Liga BetPlay Dimayor due to Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is a professional association football league in Colombia and the highest level of the Colombian ...

runner-up: 1984

* Primera División (1): 1988 Barcelona (Ecu) *

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

(1): 1991 *

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

runner-up:

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

International

Argentina Youth *

Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...

(1): 1975

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

(1):

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

References

External links

* *
Boca Juniors profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trobbiani, Marcelo 1955 births Living people Footballers from Casilda Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent Argentine football managers Argentine men's footballers Argentina men's international footballers Argentine expatriate men's footballers Boca Juniors footballers Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Millonarios F.C. players Talleres de Córdoba footballers C.D. Cobreloa footballers Barcelona S.C. footballers Club Universitario de Deportes managers 1986 FIFA World Cup players FIFA World Cup–winning players La Liga players Real Zaragoza players Elche CF players CD Badajoz players Argentine Primera División players Categoría Primera A players Chilean Primera División players Ecuadorian Serie A players Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Colombia Expatriate men's footballers in Ecuador Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Ecuador Expatriate men's footballers in Chile Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Chile Expatriate football managers in Chile CD San Fernando players C.D. Cobreloa managers Cienciano managers Provincial Osorno managers Men's association football midfielders Argentina national under-20 football team managers Guayaquil City F.C. managers Expatriate men's footballers in Spain 20th-century Argentine sportsmen