Juan Ramón Verón (born 17 March 1944) is a retired Argentine football player. He played as a midfielder or forward most notably for Estudiantes, where he won three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles. He is the father of former player Juan Sebastián Verón.

Career

Estudiantes

Nicknamed La Bruja, Juan Ramón Verón was born in La Plata. He was capable of playing both as a midfielder and as a striker, and was renowned for his technical skills, ability with the ball at his feet and his goal-scoring prowess. He played for Estudiantes de La Plata, who were a dominant force in Argentine football during the late 1960s. Among the memorable goals he scored are his "bicycle kick" goal against Racing Club, his header in the Intercontinental Cup championship against Manchester United and, most famously, his glorious hat-trick against Brazil's Palmeiras in the finals of the 1968 Copa Libertadores.

Later years

Known as one of Estudiantes' all-time great players, he moved on to play for Panathinaikos F.C. of Athens, Greece in 1972. After a successful 2 1/2 seasons he returned to his beloved Estudiantes in 1975. In 1976, he moved to Colombia where he played for Atlético Junior where he helped the team to win the 1977 Colombian title and then Cúcuta Deportivo before returning to his home club in 1980.

After retirement

After retiring, he had a brief career as coach in Central America and is now working as a special advisor for Estudiantes.

Personal life

His son, nicknamed La Brujita (The Little Witch), Juan Sebastián Verón, is also a footballer, who played for Estudiantes before moving to European football. In 2006, he returned to Estudiantes to captain them to their first title in 23 years in the Apertura 2006 tournament. In 2017, he came out of retirement to play for Estudiantes once again.

Honours

Estudiantes Atlético Junior