Daniel Passarella captained Argentina to the 1978 World Cup on home soil, and he did it while scoring goals at a rate most strikers would be pleased with. Over his career he scored more than 175 times from centre-back.
That is an almost impossible number for a defender. His leadership and aggression at the back were rare in his era.
Opposing forwards did not enjoy him. He was tough in the tackle, and he was a captain who led by example and expected everyone else to follow.
Italy, and a second World Cup
He also took his game to Italian football, playing for Fiorentina and Inter Milan. In 1986 he was part of the Argentina squad that won the World Cup again, although injury kept him from playing in the tournament.
He scored like a striker, led like a general and defended like a man who took each goal conceded as a personal insult. 175-plus goals from defence is a record that may stand for a very long time. The Argentine captain is our number 8.
Tomorrow: number 7.
