Antonio Ubaldo Rattin, a legendary Argentine midfielder and World Cup captain, died on July 11, 2026, in Buenos Aires at the age of 89 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Rattin played his entire professional career at Boca Juniors, making 382 appearances and scoring 28 goals between 1956 and 1970. He led Boca to multiple Argentine league titles, with English sources crediting him with four championships and Chinese sources claiming six [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7].

Rattin represented the Argentina national team from 1959 to 1969, appearing in both the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. He was known as a tough, defensive midfielder and earned the nickname "Rata" (Rat) [1, 2, 3, 4]. He remained loyal to Boca Juniors, famously saying, "I only wore two shirts in my entire life, Boca's and Argentina's" [1].

His most infamous moment came in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final at Wembley Stadium against England. Rattin was controversially sent off by German referee Rudolf Kreitlein, who did not speak Spanish. In protest, Rattin twisted an England corner flag and then sat on a red carpet reserved for Queen Elizabeth II, saying, "It was a very nice red carpet" [1]. This incident exposed communication problems between referees and players and contributed to FIFA introducing the yellow and red card system at the 1970 World Cup [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

Rattin’s 1966 protest added fuel to the ongoing Argentina-England football rivalry, which intensified after the 1982 Falklands War and in later World Cup encounters [5, 7].

After retiring as a player, Rattin had a brief stint as Boca Juniors coach in 1980 and later served in Argentina's lower house of Congress, representing a center-right party from 2001 to 2005 [1, 3, 4, 6]. Boca Juniors issued a statement mourning his death: "With great sorrow, we mourn the passing of Antonio Ubaldo Rattin, an idol and symbol of our institution. Farewell, Rata" [1].

Rattin leaves behind a legacy as one of Argentina’s football greats and a symbol of loyalty and tough play. His death marks the loss of a storied figure in the sport. No further events related to Rattin are scheduled at this time.