Manuel Lapuente: The strategist who gave soul to Mexican soccer

Mexican soccer is in mourning. Manuel Lapuente, a man who understood this sport not only as a competition, but as a school of life, has passed away. With his passing, the ball seems to roll more slowly, and the fields where he once taught seem silent, as if paying tribute to a coach who left his mark on every locker room he set foot in.

Born for soccer, Lapuente was first and foremost an intelligent, disciplined player with the temperament of a leader. He debuted with Monterrey and later played for Necaxa and Puebla, where his vision began to shape the mind of the strategist he would become years later. With the Mexican national team, he won the gold medal at the 1967 Pan American Games, an achievement that foreshadowed the brilliant path he would take as a coach.

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But it was in the dugout where Manuel Lapuente achieved immortality. Under his leadership, Puebla won the league twice (1982-83 and 1989-90), and Necaxa enjoyed its golden age in the 1990s with two titles (1994-95 and 1995-96), in addition to the Copa MX and the CONCACAF Recopa. His success didn't stop there: in 2002, he broke a 13-year championship drought with América, establishing himself as one of the most successful coaches in the history of national football.

However, his deepest legacy isn't measured in trophies, but in memories. "El profe," as he was respectfully and affectionately called, knew how to combine demands with teaching. He was a perfectionist, yes, but also a man of values, of his word, and of principles. Many of his pupils describe him as a teacher who not only taught them how to win games, but also how to become better people.

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He also wrote golden pages leading the Tricolor. In France 1998, he led Mexico to the round of 16 of the World Cup, and a year later, he won the Confederations Cup against Brazil at the Azteca Stadium, in what is still remembered as a magical night for an entire country.

In recent years, his voice found a new home on the microphone, where he analyzed the game with the same passion he brought to it from the field. Today, Mexican soccer bids farewell to a wise man, a strategist who turned every match into a life lesson.

Rest in peace, Manuel Lapuente, the eternal professor of Mexican soccer.

All titles by Manuel Lapuente:

With Puebla: