Former Argentina captain Perfumo dies

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Former Argentina football captain Roberto Perfumo, one of his country’s greatest central defenders, has died at the age of 73 from head injuries sustained in a fall.

Perfumo, who won the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup with Racing Club in 1967 and played for River Plate and Cruzeiro of Brazil, died on Thursday night, officials at Los Arcos sanatorium said.

Nicknamed “Mariscal” (marshal), Perfumo was part of the Argentina side that reached the World Cup quarter-finals in England in 1966 and he captained his country at the 1974 tournament in West Germany.

After several stints as a coach and a year as the Argentine government's Sports secretary in 2003-04, Perfumo became a football commentator and columnist.

(Reporting by Luis Ampuero; Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Ed Osmond)