Manuel Lapuente, a historic coach of Mexican football, passed away this Saturday, October 25, in news that has filled the different Mexican football arenas with mourning due to the great influence he generated. This former player and strategist who saw the first light 81 years ago in the city of Puebla.

Lapuente a coach who left a legacy for his triumphant career as a soccer player wearing the colors of Monterrey, Necaxa, Puebla and Atlas, as well as a strategist where he had his greatest impact by being crowned champion with Puebla, Necaxa and America, as well as directing the national team in the 1998 World Cup in France and in the 1999 Confederations Cup where he managed to be crowned champion in an epic final against Brazil at the Azteca Stadium.

The unfortunate news was announced by commentator Raul Orvananos on his official account on the social network X and immediately the unfortunate news began to generate widespread mourning in the national soccer environment for the great contribution that this coach generated in Aztec soccer.

Lapuente directed countless First Division teams such as Puebla, Tigres, Angeles de Puebla, Atlante, Cruz Azul, Necaxa, America, his zenith as a strategist being the titles with Puebla in the 1982-83 season, as well as the two-time championship with Necaxa in the 1994-95 and 1995-96 campaigns, as well as with America in 2002.

With Necaxa he marked an era by putting together a spectacular team with players like Ricardo Pelaez, the Chilean Ivo Basay, the Ecuadorian Alex Aguinaga, Octavio Becerril and the Chilean Eduardo Vilches, where he defeated the powerful Cruz Azul and later Celaya with the Spaniard Emilio Butragueno.

Undoubtedly the death of this strategist will leave a void in Mexican soccer, but his legacy will always endure, as he was one of the coaches who fought the hardest for the development of Mexican players and coaches in the country and internationally.

Among His most advanced students as a coach include Luis Fernando Tena,champion with Cruz Azul in the 1997 Winter tournament and current strategist of the Guatemala national team and Mario Carrillo, champion with America in the 2005 Clausura tournament and current analyst for the ESPN network.

Lapuente was one of the Mexican coaches who most criticized the decision to add naturalized players to the Mexican national team, considering that the talent of the Aztec players was sufficient to be able to aspire to success in World Cup competitions.