Argentina's goalkeeper icon Hugo Gatti is dead. © APA/afp / AIZAR RALDES

Argentina's goalkeeper legend Gatti is dead

Argentine football is mourning the loss of legendary goalkeeper Hugo Gatti. The former international player died in Buenos Aires at the age of 80, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the South American football association (CONMEBOL) announced.

21 April 2025

From: dpa

According to Argentine media reports, Gatti suffered a hip fracture in a fall almost two months ago and was hospitalized. There, he contracted pneumonia and suffered kidney failure. According to a statement from the city's health authority, he died of multiple organ failure.

765 league games in Argentina

During his 25-year career, Gatti earned the nickname El Loco, the Madman, and achieved cult status for his charisma and extroverted playing style. He believed that fans who went to the stadium should take more away with them than just a result, the newspaper wrote. La Nación about him. Gatti was also in demand as an advertising medium, advertising gin, among other things.

Record number of penalties saved

Gatti played 765 games in the Argentine first division and is the most-capped professional player in the history of the club. With Boca Juniors, he won the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, twice. He led the Buenos Aires club to victory in the 1977 Intercontinental Cup final against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

With 26 penalties saved, Gatti still holds the Argentine first division record, along with Ubaldo Fillol. "His distinctive style has transcended generations and made him one of the best goalkeepers in Argentine football," Conmebol wrote in his tribute.