Bangor City’s World Cup winner
Maradona’s World Cup-winning pal has been enjoying life at Bangor City
In 1986, Pedro Pasculli helped Argentina to World Cup glory alongside one Diego Maradona. This season, he has been managing Bangor City in the Welsh second tier. Well, that seems like a perfectly logical career progression to us.
When Pasculli’s goal gave Argentina victory against Uruguay in the last 16 at Mexico 86, the striker had moved from Argentinos Juniors to Lecce in Italy. He went into coaching in the Italian lower leagues, and even managed Uganda for a bit, but after leaving Serie D club Torres in 2017 he was unemployed until last October – when suddenly the 59-year-old was given an odd opportunity to return to management.
The call came from Bangor City and their Italian chairman, Domenico Serafino, who had taken over from Stephen Vaughan Jr a month earlier. “Serafino wants to reach the Welsh Premier League,” Pasculli tells Fourfourtwo of his adventure into the Cymru North division. “It’s a long-term project that I liked.”
The World Cup winner accepted the job and the chairman quickly brought in a number of Italian players, although more nationalities have arrived since, comfortably outnumbering the Welshmen in the squad. “Now there are fewer Italians and more South Americans,” says Pasculli. “Let’s see what we’ll be able to do with a mixture of Italians, Uruguayans, Argentines and some British, too.”
The manager is also learning English, and wants to establish an academy at the club. “We want to create it for the guys of Bangor, because they deserve the opportunity to grow up and play for their hometown club,” he says. “We’ve already contacted some big clubs like Inter for a partnership.”
So, how does managing Bangor compare to that glorious day in 1986, when Pasculli lifted the World Cup? “Coaching Bangor is a nice experience,” he says, “But there’s no comparison with the World Cup.” Oh.
He’s still in contact with his Argentina team-mates from Mexico 86, telling FFT: “For me, that team has been a family of nice people who have travelled the world.” And what about Maradona? “Sometimes we meet,” says Pasculli, “even if now it’s harder because he works in Argentina and I’m in Wales.”
The big question, though, is how would Diego fare in the Welsh second division? “I think he’d be fine,” Pasculli says with a smile. “Anyone who loves football can feel good anywhere, as long as the football is serious and professional. He would look good in Wales – even if we are very close to England!”