Patricio Hernández (born 16 August 1956) is an Argentine football coach and former player. Hernández started his career in 1974 at Estudiantes de La Plata, a club that he would later manage. He soon earned a reputation as a skillful attacking midfielder, with a very precise shot. He was transferred to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

team

Torino F.C. Torino Football Club (), commonly referred to as Torino or simply Toro, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont. They currently play in Serie A. Founded as ''Foot-Ball Club Torino'' in 1906, Torino are among the mos ...

in 1982 for a then record transfer fee for Estudiantes. This record fee allowed Estudiantes to build an excellent roster, who won championships in 1982 and 1983.

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

coach

César Menotti Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

included Hernández in the 1982 FIFA World Cup squad as his third choice for creative midfielder, behind

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the F ...

and José Daniel Valencia. He did not manage to play any game in that tournament, though. After the disappointment of going to, but not playing in, the world Cup, Hernández played for 2 seasons with Torino before moving to fellow Italian side

Ascoli Ascoli may refer to: Places in Italy *Ascoli Satriano, a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region *Province of Ascoli Piceno, a province of the Marche region ** Ascoli Piceno, a city which is the seat of the province above ...

. In 1985 Hernández returned to Argentina to play for River Plate. He was part of the team that won the Copa Libertadores in 1986. In 1987, he moved to

Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was recognized as one of the ...

. In 1989 Hernández moved to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to play for

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

but he returned to Argentinos Juniors in 1990, he then had a season with Huracán in 1991-1992 and another with Instituto where he retired from playing in 1993. Hernández has had a heretofar unsuccessful coaching career, including Estudiantes, Racing Club, and other teams in South America, mostly in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. In February 2007, Hernández was hired as coach of

Club Atlético Banfield Club Atlético Banfield is an Argentine sports club based in the Banfield district of Greater Buenos Aires. It was founded on 21 January 1896, by the British–origin inhabitants of that city (mostly English, and some Scots and Irish). The club ...

from the Argentine premiership, but he was fired March 16, 2007 after a home defeat to Estudiantes. Hernández is also a respected football commentator with Argentine sports network

Torneos y Competencias Torneos y Competencias S.A. (abbreviated TyC, also referred as Torneos) is an Argentine sports communications firm created by businessman Carlos Ávila, associated with Jose Santoro, and Héctor Dayan. It is an important force in the world of Arge ...

where he does in-depth tactical analysis, usually assisted with video clips and props. He also has two relatives who have achieved huge success in other sports. His nephew Juan Martín Hernández is one of Argentina's biggest stars in

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

and a fixture in the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. His niece and Juan Martín's older sister

María de la Paz Hernández María "Maripi" de la Paz Hernández (born January 11, 1977, in Buenos Aires) is a retired field hockey player from Argentina, who won the silver medal with the national women's hockey team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and bronze meda ...

is an Argentine international in

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

External links

BDFA profile

Cruz Azul 1988-89 season statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Patricio 1956 births Living people People from San Nicolás de los Arroyos Argentine footballers Argentina international footballers 1982 FIFA World Cup players Argentine Primera División players Estudiantes de La Plata footballers Serie A players Torino F.C. players Ascoli Calcio 1898 F.C. players Club Atlético River Plate footballers Argentinos Juniors footballers Liga MX players Cruz Azul footballers Club Atlético Huracán footballers Argentine expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Italy Expatriate footballers in Mexico Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Deportivo Saprissa managers Expatriate football managers in Costa Rica Association football midfielders Argentine football managers Sportspeople from Buenos Aires Province