August 13 – Argentine legend Jose Luis ‘Tata’ Brown, who scored the opening goal in the 1986 World Cup final against West Germany, has died at the age of 62.
Local reports said the iconic defender had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for some time.
The 23rd-minute header by Brown, who was affectionately nicknamed ‘Tata’ throughout his career, was his only goal in 36 caps for his country who went on to beat West Germany 3-2 and lift the trophy in Mexico.
At the end of the 1985-86 season, he was released by Deportivo Espanol because of a serious knee injury but was still called up for the World Cup as cover for first-choice Daniel Passarella.
After Passarella was ruled out of the tournament due to illness, Brown was drafted into the starting line-up in a team led by Diego Maradona.
Later in the final, with Argentina leading by a single goal, he dislocated his shoulder in a collision with Norbert Eder but refused to leave the pitch, playing through the pain as Argentina won the tournament for the second time.
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