Carlos Bianchi is considered to be one of the finest managers to have come from Argentina, as he achieved immense success with the likes of Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors. His brilliance as a manager however, has overshadowed the heroics he achieved as a player. Bianchi was a former forward during his playing days, and had an excellent career in Argentina and France. We will be looking back at the Argentine's French league days in this article, going back to a time when he was a nightmare for every defender in the league.
From Argentina to France
After an outstanding 6 year stint at Argentina club Vélez Sarsfield, Bianchi made the move to Europe by joining French club Reims. He left Sarsfield with a commendable 121 goals in just 165 appearances.
The Argentina forward continued his goalscoring excellence at Reims, scoring 30 goals in his maiden year to finish the season as league top scorer. One of his most memorable performances came against his future club PSG, as Bianchi scored 5 goals in a 6-0 thrashing of PSG by Reims.
His momentum was shortly halted following this, as Bianchi suffered an injury in a friendly match that took place against Barcelona. However, he came back stronger than ever. The Argentine sensation went on to become the league top scorer yet again, scoring 34 goals in 1975–76 season and 28 in the succeeding 1976–77 campaign.
Reims and Bien were a match made in heaven, with the forward scoring an outstanding 107 goals in four seasons at the club. He finished the campaign as league top scorer in three of those.
The forward eventually left the club in 1977, thus ending his magical 4 year association with Reims.
Remaining years in France
Bianchi made the switch to PSG in 1977, where he continued his goalscoring form. He managed to reclaim the title of top scorer by recording 27 goals during the season with PSG. Despite his brilliance, PSG struggled as a team and finished the season in 11th. This led to the Argentine's departure from the club in 1979. His next chapter in France began at Strasbourg, where he only spent a year.
The Argentine returned to his boyhood club Vélez Sarsfield in 1980, where he spent the next 4 years. He added another 85 goals to his existing Sarsfield tally during this period, and ultimately made history by becoming their all-time top scorer with 206 goals.
Bianchi ended his football career with yet another homecoming, this time back to Reims. He spent a single season at the club, scoring 8 goals in 18 appearances. That was the end of his time in football, as the legendary Argentina forward retired from football.
Legacy
In addition to being Vélez Sarsfield's all-time goalscorer, Bianchi ended his career as the 9th top scorer in the history of the French League with his 179 goals. Upon his retirement, FIFA recognized the Argentine forward as the country's top scorer in the history of first division tournaments across the world. His 385 goals (206 in Argentina and 179 in France) make him the best top scorer in the history of first-division football, surpassing legendary players like Alfredo Di Stefano (377 goals) and Delio Onnis (352 goals, 53 in Argentina and 299 in France).
After his playing career, Bianchi continued his success in football through management. He managed a total of 6 clubs, including the likes of his former clubs Reims and Vélez Sarsfield, Atlético Madrid, Boca Juniors, and Roma.
He achieved major success with Sarsfield and Boca Juniors as a manager. Thus, Bianchi cemented himself as a successful both as a player and manager in football.
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