Argentina icon Juan Ramon Veron dies at 81

Former Argentine football player and coach Juan Ramon 'la Bruja' Veron, father of former player Juan Sebastian Veron, died on Tuesday at the Platense Medical Institute in La Plata at the age of 81, due to progressive deterioration and kidney complications, informed the club where he was an idol, Estudiantes de La Plata.

“Estudiantes de La Plata communicates with deep sorrow the death of Juan Ramon Veron, undisputed emblem of our history, absolute reference of our identity and eternal symbol of the commitment, humility and belonging that distinguish the club,” it announced.

Veron, who also played for Junior de Barranquilla, with whom he was champion as a player and coach in 1977, and for Cucuta Deportivo, “was a key player in Estudiantes' most glorious era,” he added.

“An exceptional footballer, he was also a committed trainer and an inescapable human reference for entire generations,” said the club, which described him as "one of its greatest legends", and expressed its condolences to his son, Juan Sebastian ‘la Brujita’ Veron, current president of the Platense club.

'La Bruja', born in La Plata in 1944, won three consecutive Copa Libertadores with 'Pincha', in 1968, 1969 and 1970.

In 1968, he was also a member of the Estudiantes squad that beat Manchester United in the Intercontinental Cup, scoring his team's goal in the 1-1 draw in the second leg at Old Trafford.

As a player, Veron also had a three-year spell with Panathinaikos of Greece between 1972 and 1975, and his coaching career included a short stint as coach of the Guatemalan national team in 1996.