Menotti: 'Sarri is my heir'

By Football Italia staff

Former Argentina Coach Cesar Luis Menotti said Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri “could be my heir” in promoting the beautiful game. “Football is an art form.”

The man who won the 1978 World Cup turns 81 next month and spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport about the sport in 2019.

“I am always seeking beauty in football,” said El Flaco. “Sarri at Juve is a big surprise. He could be my heir, I’d be honoured and grateful.

“I really like this new Juve, as it plays the ball far more than before. I like Coaches like Sarri and Guardiola. Football is about order and adventure. Juve had the former characteristic and now they have the latter too, with harmony and aesthetics.”

Menotti has little time for the oft-used Juventus motto: ‘Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing that matters.’

“What does it even mean? It’s like saying that the only thing that matters about being alive is to breathe. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t think about breathing. I think of enjoying life, of chasing happiness.

“We must do the same on the field, as no player will ever be happy if his only motivation is the competition. I want to achieve an objective while putting on a spectacle. Football is an art form and needs to be aesthetically pleasing.”

Naturally, Menotti is keeping a close eye on the talents from Argentina in Serie A, including two at Juventus.

“Sarri is the best possible Coach to deal with Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala. I don’t want to see comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – let’s just enjoy them both, because they are very different. One is phenomenal in front of goal, the other is more complete all over the pitch.

“I am studying Lautaro Martinez at Inter and he is a complete player, but more like Cristiano Ronaldo, in that he gives his best in front of goal. I have no doubts that he can become a champion.

“I don’t know what happened with Mauro Icardi, but we mustn’t forget what he did for Inter, as he was their captain, their hitman and their club symbol.”

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