1986 WC winning former Argentina manager tests positive for COVID-19

Carlos Bilardo, the former Argentina manager who led the team to victory in the 1986 World Cup, has tested positive for coronavirus. According to reports in the Argentine media, the 82-year-old Bilardo is asymptomatic and lives in a nursing home where 10 other occupants have tested positive for the virus. He suffers from a brain disorder.

Estudiantes La Plata, the club where he played and managed later, sent a message of encouragement for him on their Twitter page. "We are in this match with you Carlos!" they tweeted on Friday.

Bilardo was famous for bringing the 3-5-2 formation to mainstream success with his world champion Argentina side that featured the legendary Diego Maradona. Apart from leading the team to the title in 1986, he also led them to the final in 1990.

In Europe, he managed Spanish side Sevilla after leaving Argentina. He then went on to manage Argentine giants Boca Juniors before spending brief periods as manager of Guatamela and Libya. He returned to Estudiantes to lead them for a year between 2003 and 2004.

Bilardo was admitted to intensive care in July 2019 with Hakim-Adams syndrome. Since his discharge, he has been residing in the nursing home.