Vicente Alberto Pernía (born 25 April 1949 in
Tandil
Tandil is the main city of the homonymous partido (department), located in Argentina, in the southeast of Buenos Aires Province, just north-northwest of Tandilia hills. The city was founded in 1823 and its name originates from the ''Piedra Moved ...
,
Buenos Aires Province), known as ''El Tano'' (the Italian, in
lunfardo
Lunfardo (; from the Italian ''lombardo'' or inhabitant of Lombardy in the local dialect) is an argot originated and developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the lower classes in Buenos Aires and from there spread to other urban are ...
), is an
Argentine former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
defender. He then went on to a second career as a
car racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
driver.
Club career
''El Tano'' started his football career with
Estudiantes de La Plata in 1969, where he played until his transfer to
Boca Juniors in 1973. During his time at Boca Pernía won a number of titles, including 3 league titles and 2
Copa Libertadores. Pernía played a total of 269 games for Boca in all competitions and still holds the record for the Boca player to have been sent off the most times with 13 red cards. After the chain of successes under coach
Juan Carlos Lorenzo
Juan Carlos "Toto" Lorenzo (; 27 October 1922 – 14 November 2001) was an Argentine football player and coach. He became an icon for Boca Juniors fans after he coached the club to its first two Copa Libertadores titles.
Biography
In his teens, ...
, he was sold to
Vélez Sársfield at the end of 1981 after being left out of new coach
's plans.
Pernía retired from playing football in 1982. His son
Mariano
Mariano is a masculine name from the Romance languages, corresponding to the feminine Mariana.
It is an Italian, Spanish and Portuguese variant of the Roman Marianus which derived from Marius, and Marius derived from the Roman god Mars (see also ...
is also a football player and was a member of the
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team ( es, Selección Española de Fútbol) has represented Spain in international men's football competitions since 1920. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football i ...
for
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...
.
International career
Pernía was widely hailed as the best Argentine right defender of his time, but
Argentina national team coach
César Menotti chose not to call him to the
1978 FIFA World Cup squad, after some rude altercations in friendly matches, notably a friendly against
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
played 18 June 1977, when he was sent off for repeated violent fouls against
Willie Johnstonbr>
For the main event, Menotti improvised fullback
Jorge Olguín
Jorge Mario Olguín (born 17 May 1952 in Dolores, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine footballer who played as a defender. He is perhaps most famous for having been part of the 1978 World Cup winning team. Since his retirement as a player h ...
in the position. Olguín played both the 1978 and the
1982 FIFA World Cups. It was rumored that the personal preferences of some members of the military
junta that ruled Argentina played a part in the decision.
In a popular sketch on TV, comedian
Mario Sapag as Menotti would say that Pernía does not fit in his philosophy of play "because he is sad", and he'd rather have Olguín, whose name itself is funny.
Stock-car racing
In the 1980s, Pernía reinvented himself as a stock-car driver in Argentina's
TC and
TC2000
The TC2000 (''Turismo Competición 2000'', formerly ''Súper TC2000'') is a touring car racing series held in Argentina since 1979.
Rules
Prior to 2012, engines of up to were allowed, with only limited modifications from standard engines. ...
categories. He won a few races, obtaining in 1996 the Subchampionship of
Turismo Carretera
Turismo Carretera ( Road racing, lit., ''Road Touring'') is a popular stock car racing series in Argentina, and the oldest auto racing series still active in the world. The series is organized by Asociación Corredores de Turismo Carretera.
Th ...
.
In 2005, Argentine football giants
Boca Juniors and
River Plate prepared their own racing teams for the
Top Race V6
Top Race V6 is a touring car race series held in Argentina. It was founded in 1997.
The cars
The Top Race V6 category sees the vehicles presented in silhouette form, with identical, strictly controlled mechanical specifications. Body styles cur ...
competition that starts in March 2005. Pernía will, after 14 years, dress again the blue-and-yellow colors of Boca Juniors, along with driving
Guillermo Ortelli and
Ernesto Bessone.
Another of Pernía's sons,
Leonel races in TC2000 and the
World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sin ...
.
Honours
;Boca Juniors
*
Argentine Primera División: Metropolitano 1976, Nacional 1976, Metropolitano 1981
*
Copa Libertadores: 1977, 1978
*
Intercontinental Cup: 1977
External links
Boca Idols, PerníaBoca Juniors Official Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pernia, Vicente Alberto
1949 births
People from Tandil
Argentine people of Italian descent
Living people
Argentine footballers
Argentina international footballers
Argentine Primera División players
Boca Juniors footballers
Estudiantes de La Plata footballers
Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers
Turismo Carretera drivers
TC 2000 Championship drivers
Argentine racing drivers
Top Race V6 drivers
Association football defenders
Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province