Francisco Olazar

He played as a central midfielder.

Francisco Olazar

Personal information
Full name	Francisco Olazar
Date of birth	(1885-07-10)10 July 1885
Place of birth	Quilmes, Argentina
Date of death	21 September 1958(1958-09-21) (aged 73)
Place of death	Lomas de Zamora, Argentina
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Youth career
1900–1910	Racing Club
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1910–1922	Racing Club	225	(37)
International career
1916–1921	Argentina	18	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

At club level, Olazar spent his entire career playing for Racing Club, where he won eight Primera División league titles and eight National cups. He also played for and coached the Argentina national team, being the team coach at the 1930 FIFA World Cup.

 

Olazar was born in Quilmes. He first played at Club Mariano Moreno, a small institution in Avellaneda, Greater Buenos Aires. In 1908 he joined Racing Club, where he started playing at 4th. division.

Playing as central midfielder ("number 5") Olazar was part of the Racing Club team that became legendary for their playing style and success, winning seven consecutive Primera División titles from 1913 to 1919, a landmark that still is a record in Argentine football and originated the Academy nickname for Racing Club that has identified the institution since then. Racing Club is considered successor of another legendary team, Alumni (dissolved in 1911), the most winning team of the first years of organised football in the country.

In my times, football was better played. The Racing squad of 1913 is much better to any team that can be formed nowadays. It is no posible to form such a team like that, which line-up was Muttoni, Ochoa, Reyes; Bethular, me, Pepe; Viazzi, Ohaco, Marcovecchio, Hopital, Perinetti. That team won the championship undefeated.

Olazar was one of the Racing Club most notable players because of his technique and his strength to recover the ball. He also captained the team during all those successful years. He scored a total of 37 goals playing for Racing Club.

As a key player of the Racing Club that won seven consecutive Primera División championships, Olazar was regarded as the best Argentine centre-half in those years. He was idolised by Racing Club supporters, and often compared with Uruguayan star José Piendibene, with whom he shared mutual respect.

He played for the Argentina national team on 18 occasions including appearances at the first two Copa América tournaments in 1916 and 1917.

After retiring as a player Olazar turned to coaching, and managed the Argentina team that won a Copa América trophy in 1929. He was also the coach of the team that took part of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, where he and technical director Juan José Tramutola managed the albicelestes to second-place behind hosts Uruguay.

Player

Racing Club

• Primera División: 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1921
• Copa de Honor: 1912, 1913, 1915, 1917
• Copa Ibarguren: 1913, 1916, 1917, 1918

Coach

Argentina

• Copa América: 1929
• 1930 FIFA World Cup: runner-up