Juan Alberto Barbas (born 23 August 1959 in San Martín, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine footballer who played as an attacking or defensive midfielder. He played for a number of clubs in Argentina, Spain, Italy, and Switzerland before turning his hand to management in 2009 with Racing Club de Avellaneda. Club career Barbas started his career in 1977 at Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Argentine Primera División. He then went on to play for Real Zaragoza in Spain, U.S. Lecce in Italy, FC Locarno, and FC Sion in Switzerland. Barbas was a part of the Sion team that won the 1991–1992 Swiss Championship. After another spell at Locarno, Barbas returned to Argentina where he had a short spell with Club Atlético Huracán before dropping down to the lower leagues to play for Alvarado de Mar del Plata and then All Boys, where he retired in 1997. International career Barbas was part of the Argentina Under-20 squad that won the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, he went on to play for Argentina 33 times including appearances at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Style of play An offensive minded midfielder, with an eye for goal, Barbas's main traits as a footballer were his excellent vision and accurate striking ability from outside the area; he was also a good free kick taker. Coaching career On 13 October 2009, Racing Club de Avellaneda officials hired their former player as their caretaker coach, replacing Ricardo Caruso Lombardi. Honours Club FC Sion Swiss Super League: 1991–92 International Argentina Under-20 FIFA World Youth Championship: 1979 References External links 1959 births Living people Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province Argentine footballers Argentine expatriate footballers Racing Club de Avellaneda footballers Real Zaragoza players U.S. Lecce players Club Atlético Huracán footballers FC Locarno players FC Sion players Argentine Primera División players La Liga players Serie A players Serie B players Swiss Super League players Swiss Challenge League players Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Spain Expatriate footballers in Switzerland 1979 Copa América players 1982 FIFA World Cup players Argentina youth international footballers Argentina under-20 international footballers Argentina international footballers Argentine football managers Racing Club de Avellaneda managers Association football defenders Association football utility players