Overview
- Boca Juniors and the Argentine Football Association announced Rattín’s death on Saturday and issued tributes calling him an idol and one of Argentina’s great captains.
- Rattín spent his entire club career at Boca Juniors from 1956 to 1970, made 353 appearances, won four league titles and a national cup, and earned 34 caps for Argentina.
- At the 1966 World Cup quarter-final in Wembley the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent Rattín off after repeated warnings, a language barrier and a refusal to leave the pitch led to police intervention and Rattín crumpling an English flag.
- The 1966 episode is widely cited in coverage as a key reason FIFA adopted yellow and red cards a few years later to help referees communicate decisions clearly.
- After retiring Rattín worked as a coach and served in Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2005; reports note no cause of death has been released and his passing prompted national retrospectives during Argentina’s 2026 World Cup run.