Overview

When Argentinian World Cup winners Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles were unveiled as Tottenham Hotspur's new signings in the summer of 1978 it was one of the most sensational transfer coups English football had ever seen. The pair were an instant success. Ossie claimed the limelight with his wonderful control and comedy English, but when Ricky dribbled his way round half the Manchester City team to score the greatest FA Cup final goal ever in 1981 he swerved his way into the hearts of the nation and a permanent place in English football folklore. Never truly comfortable speaking in English, for the first time - with the help of co-author and translator Federico Ardiles (Ossie's son) - Ricky Villa is able to tell his story. From his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Argentina, playing alongside teenage sensation Diego Maradona for Argentina, to the dark early days after arriving in London when he was unable to communicate and suffered serious depression, through to the elation of scoring that wonder goal at Wembley.Ricky also talks about the pain of being caught between two countries he loved during the Falklands conflict as well as his experiences as a member of Argentina's 1978 World Cup squad which won a tournament tainted ever since with allegations of bribery and intimidation by Argentina's ruling military Junta.

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9781905326891

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Ricky Villa was born and raised in rural Argentina and he was a member of the team that won the 1978 World Cup. His subsequent transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, with his friend Ossie Ardiles, was headline news and he became a terrace hit as part of the glamorous Spurs team that cemented their place in Division 1 and went on to cup glory. On leaving Tottenham he went on to play in the USA and Colombia before returning to Argentina. He now resides near Buenos Aires, where he manages a ranch, but is a frequent visitor to the UK.

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