Introduction
Ubaldo Matildo Fillol (locally [uˈβaldo maˈtildo fiˈʒol]; born 21 July 1950), nicknamed el Pato (in English: "the Duck"), is an Argentine football coach and former goalkeeper. He took part in the 1974, 1978 (where he won the championship with his team and was voted Best Goalkeeper) and 1982 World Cups representing the Argentine national team. He also played in the South American qualifiers for the 1986 World Cup, but he was finally not chosen for the final team that played (and won) in Mexico. He is usually considered to be one of the greatest Latin American keepers.
In 1977 Fillol was awarded the Footballer of the Year of Argentina award, being the first goalkeeper ever to receive the distinction.
At the 1978 World Cup, Fillol wore the number 5 jersey, instead of 1 which is the standard for goalkeepers. This happened because Argentina, at that time, gave players their numbers alphabetically. The number 1 jersey was worn by Norberto Alonso. For the same reason, Fillol wore the number 7 jersey at the 1982 tournament while Osvaldo Ardiles wore the number 1. This practice was last permitted in 1986.
Coaching career
Fillol has served as the goalkeeping coach for the Argentina national team and had 30 games as first team coach of Racing Club
Honours
Club
- River Plate
- Primera División: 1975 Metropolitano, 1975 Nacional, 1977 Metropolitano, 1979 Metropolitano, 1979 Nacional, 1980 Metropolitano, 1981 Nacional
International
- Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 1978
Individual
- Footballer of the Year of Argentina: 1977
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1978
- Silver ball South American Player of the Year: 1978, 1983, 1984