Higuaín, were said to have blunted the team's attacking threat against the Germans, although many managers, such as Atlético Madrid's Diego Simeone, praised Sabella's tactical performance throughout the World Cup. Sabella officially resigned on 30 July 2014. Managerial statistics Political views and public image Sabella was interested in politics and history and had strong political views. He was a left-wing Peronist, and believed that "the state needs to be present to regulate politics and mark the path. We can't wait for the trickle-down effect to overflow, because that is a lie." In an interview he gave to La Garganta Poderosa, an Argentine alternative media outlet, he posed before a chalkboard with a "Dream Team" made up not of football players, but left-wing activists who have been killed or have gone missing since the return of democracy in 1983, many of them young victims of police violence. Nicknames During his playing career, Sabella's nicknames were el Mago ("the Magician") and Pachorra ("Sloth"), because of his perceived slowness during play. As Estudiantes manager, he would be called Magno (from Alejandro Magno) because of the great Club World Cup final they took part in: the favourites, star-studded Barcelona, would only manage to beat his squad in extra time, by 2–1. Death Sabella died on 8 December 2020 due to an intra-hospital virus which aggravated a heart disease. He was 66 years old. Honours Player River Plate Primera División: 1975 Metropolitano, 1975 Nacional, 1977 Metropolitano Estudiantes (LP) Primera División: 1982 Metropolitano, 1983 Nacional Manager Estudiantes (LP) Copa Libertadores: 2009 Primera División: 2010 Apertura FIFA Club World Cup runner-up: 2009 Argentina FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2014 Notes External links Profile and tactical analysis in 1954 births 2020 deaths Footballers from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Italian descent Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine footballers Argentina international footballers Argentine football managers Association football midfielders Argentine expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Brazil Expatriate footballers in Mexico Argentine Primera División players English Football League players Liga MX players 1983 Copa América players Club Atlético River Plate footballers Sheffield United F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense players Ferro Carril Oeste footballers Irapuato F.C. footballers Estudiantes de La Plata managers Al Jazira Club managers Argentina national football team managers 2014 FIFA World Cup managers Argentine expatriate football managers