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Argentina mourns the death of Juan Ramon Veron, legendary Estudiantes star and father of Juan Sebastian Veron, who helped lead one of the greatest teams in South American football history.
Juan Ramon Veron, one of the most iconic figures in Argentine football history, has died at the age of 81. Known affectionately as La Bruja ("The Witch"), he was the father of Juan Sebastian Veron, one of Argentina's finest midfielders and current president of Estudiantes.
The elder Veron was a key figure in Estudiantes' golden era during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He helped the club win three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles from 1968 to 1970 and played a pivotal role in Estudiantes' Intercontinental Cup victory over Manchester United in 1968.
In the first leg at Old Trafford, Veron scored the goal in a 1-1 draw. In the return match in La Plata, Estudiantes won 1-0, securing the title of world champions and writing themselves into football folklore.
While Veron spent most of his club career at Estudiantes, he also had a short stint in Europe with Panathinaikos in Greece. He earned four caps for the Argentina national team during his career.
His footballing legacy lived on through his son, who was nicknamed La Brujita ("The Little Witch") and went on to have a distinguished career with clubs such as Lazio, Manchester United, and Inter Milan. Juan Sebastian now leads Estudiantes from the boardroom and paid tribute to his father as “a symbol of our history and pride of La Plata.”