He was a really solid footballer. He did so well defensively that the mighty of Argentine football used his services. He also made it into the Argentine national team. But the story of Vladislao (Vladislav) Capa does not end with the professional end. Because he became the coach of the local national team. He, a Pole by origin!

When, at the beginning of 1974, it became known that the group rivals of the Polish national football team at the World Cup in Germany would be, besides the Italians and the Haitians, the Argentinians, hardly anyone expected that the clash would have an immigrant and strongly sentimental theme. But from the start...

Letters from a proud father

Theodore Cap was 26 years old when he left for Argentina in 1928. He was looking for a better tomorrow, as he had been mired in poverty on a four-hectare farm in his home town of Zahutynia near Sanok. In Argentina, he ended up in the province of Chaco, located in the northern part of the country, close to the border with Paraguay. The area was mainly known for logging and cotton production. But Theodore did not follow this path.

He found employment building railways. His plan was to return to his homeland as soon as he earned money. The reality turned out to be different. A Polish immigrant met a woman during his stay. He got involved with her, and in 1934 he enjoyed the birth of his first-born son. He named him Wladyslaw, but the pronunciation of this name was too difficult for the Argentines, so he was Vladislao to them.

Vladislao was born Vladislao on exactly 5 July 1934 in Avellaneda, a city that has given Argentines many great footballers. Three years later, his brother Józek came into the world. The boys loved football. Vladislao was so talented that, at the age of eighteen, he started playing for the small Arsenal de Lavalol and then, in 1953, he was sent to CA Argentino de Quilmes. Just one year later, he changed colours again. This time he powered up to Racing Club de Avellaneda. And with this team, he won the national championship in 1958. He repeated the feat three years later.

He then spent a year at Huracan. In 1962 Cap became a player for River Plate, where he played for three seasons, having played sixty-one matches and scoring one goal. He finished his football career at Velez Sarsfield in 1966. So much for club appearances. Because, remarkably, the son of a Polish immigrant also played for the Argentine national team!

The father was extremely proud of his son. The family who remained in Poland recalled that he sent letters to his country in which he wrote about his son's successes. He also recalled his visit to President Juan Perón. In the report Trace led to the gates of the Bieszczady... Rzeszów "metrics" of the coach of Argentina Ladislao Capa , by Jan Filipowicz, which was published in "Nowiny" in January 1974, one could read:

"One can think that for Teodoro Capa, who throughout his life broke through with the same peasant stubbornness and did not receive great honours - the fact that the son of a simple emigrant crossed the thresholds of the presidential palace was a greater event than for the young footballer of one of the biggest clubs River Plate, who was beginning his brilliant career."

Over time, Vladislao established himself in such a position that playing at a high level became normal. Cap received a call-up to the Argentine national team., Ba, in 1959 he was one of the most important links in the team that reached the South American championship (Copa América). The team entered that tournament rebuilt after the 1958 World Cup defeat. Jonathan Wilson, in his book Angels with Dirty Faces, wrote that:

"On home soil, the Argentinians were keen to put right what had failed in Sweden. Of the team that lost to Czechoslovakia, only two players survived in the squad for the inaugural match against Chile."

Dreams became reality. Vladislao played in all the games, scoring his debut goal in the 3:1 win against Paraguay. Then came the call-up to the 1962 World Cup in Chile. He played in two matches of that tournament, but did not achieve success. In total, he played eleven games for the national team, scoring one goal.

Cap was a defensive footballer. On Racing's website, in the section dedicated to former idols, we can read the footballing characteristics of 'El Polaco':

"From the middle of the field he gave orders to his teammates, and one could say to the whole team, thanks to his particular combination: fortitude, tenacity, accuracy and good play on the pitch."

The respected, responsible player had all the makings of a good coach. He took that path.

A coach with an "exuberant" temperament

Cap became a coach in 1968, in charge of the Ferrocarril Oeste club. He then worked for a year at Chacarita Juniors , before becoming head coach of Independent. With this team Vladislao achieved his greatest coaching success, winning the Argentine championship in 1971.

He was never afraid of his job, so when an offer came from Colombia, he packed up and left. He led his Deportivo Cali to the national vice-championship in 1972. And the offer of a lifetime came. He was contacted and offered to take over the national team reins. Argentina was waiting for 'El Polaco'.

He took over the national team a few months before the 1974 World Cup. The hopes of his compatriots, as always, were high. Over the decades, many great footballers had played for the national team. The league teams there had triumphed extremely often in the continental Copa Libertadores. Suffice it to say that from 1960 to 1974, the trophy for victory was brought home eight times.

The successes generated expectations. But the national team completely failed at the World Cup. From 1930, when it lost in the final to Uruguay, for the next thirty years, it was unable to win anything. And the son of a Polish emigrant was the hope for a change.

After the World Cup group draw, coach Cap and his compatriots were optimistic. "The rivals are admittedly strong, but we will play offensively, which should bring us success," he told reporters. Predictions are one thing, reality another. "El Polaco" found himself in a team that, yes, could play football, but its temperament was uncontrollable. The newspapers reported on the exorbitant financial demands of the players, dissatisfaction with the hotels and other problems that arose every now and then in the dressing room. The coach had to solve them. To convince and motivate. "Whoever cannot keep his nerves in check will lose his place in the team," he threatened the more bloodthirsty ones.

Before the game against Poland, his first at the championships, Cap led the national team in friendly matches. He had a promising start, as a win at home against Romania (2:1) and an away win against France in Paris (0:1), were good predictions. But then came a draw against England and a devastating defeat against the Netherlands (1:4). Before the first whistle of the meeting with the national team of his ancestors, Wladek Cap might have had mixed feelings....

Poland - Argentina

On Thursday, 15 June 1974, the referee blew the first whistle in Stuttgart. For the Poles, the match had special significance, as it was the first time in 36 years that they had played in a championship match. And they had an impressive start. Grzegorz Lato and Andrzej Szarmach brought the red and white into the lead. Vladislao had to shake up the team. He tried, but in the end Argentina had to acknowledge Poland's superiority. The 3:2 result was quite a surprise, even though time had shown that Kazimierz Górski's players, were in excellent form at the time.

After the meeting, the coaches went to a press conference. Cap was the first to arrive. Disheartened, he did not feel much like giving answers. He spoke succinctly but concretely. For him, the Poles were a team that didn't allow his players much in the first half. A team whose main strength was the collective.

Coach Gorski instead mentioned the strange behaviour of his rivals:

"The Argentinians behaved quite strangely before the match. When we came out of the changing room onto the pitch they were singing some dance tunes, jumping up, almost dancing. It gave the impression that they were putting themselves into a kind of trance. I think it was, a specific cheering and a desire to depress us. At halftime and after the match, they already behaved completely differently."

At the same time, in the areas where the Argentine coach came from, in Sanok and Zagórz, after fifty years, Teodor Cap visited his family for the first time. "News" did not forget to report on this:

"He has been staying in the 'old country' for a week at his brother's house and, like everyone else, was looking forward to the Argentina-Poland match with great interest."

Wladyslaw's father was unwilling or unable to give a comment after the meeting. He preferred to spend time with long-lost relatives.

Argentina and Poland advanced further. Only that in the next round the South American players did not live up to their rivals and went home. They failed again. In addition, Juan Perón, the country's long-time president, died during the World Cup. His exposed body swelled. Critics, and there was no shortage of them, said that so did the Argentine economy or sport. The Poles were ranked third in the world. After the World Cup, Vladislao Cap lost his job as selector.

However, he continued to work. He sat on the coaching bench of the Ecuadorian and Colombian teams. At the beginning of 1982, he took over the Argentine giants, Boca. He ended this adventure on 9 May 1982, only to move to River Plate two days later, leaving his former team of his own accord. This was an unprecedented event. It was even suspected that he had already linked up with his new team, deceiving the whole of Boca by doing so. He became the first coach to abandon one Argentine giant for another.

He did not stay involved with River Plate for long. Life again wrote an unexpected script. The son of a Polish emigrant ended up in hospital. His lungs were not viable. He died after a ten-day stay, on 14 September 1982. For a long time he was considered the best footballer of Polish origin to have played for the Argentine national team. It wasn't until many years later that Paolo Dybala began to take away his primacy.