Helenio Herrera made his debut as a football player for the Roches Noires Club Casablanca (Morocco) and then joined the Casablanca Racing Club (1931–34). He entered into the Paris CASG (1932–33), moved to the Stade Français in the Charleville Olympique (1934–37), to the Excelsior de Roubaix-Tourcoing (1937–39), the Red Star (1940–42) and the Entente Stade Français-CA, Paris (1942–43), and was selected to Paris Ile-de-France (1943–44) and the JS Puteaux, where he made an impression as a coach–player.
Highlights of his coaching career are his work for: Stade Français (1945–48), Valladolid (1948–49), Atlético Madrid (1949–52), Málaga (1953), Deportivo de la Coruña (1953), FC Seville (1953–57), OC Lisbon Belenenses (1957–58), FC Barcellona (1958–60 and 1980–83), FC Milan International (1960–68 and 1973–74), AC Roma (1969–73) and Rimini Calcio (1976–77 and 1978–79).
Coupe de France with Red Star in 1942 (finalist with Charleville Olympique in 1936)
Spanish championships
League trophies with Atlético Madrid in 1949–50 and 1950–51, and FC Barcellona in 1958–59 and 1959–60
Coppa delle Fiere with FC Barcellona in 1959–60
Copa del Rey with FC Barcellona in 1959 and 1981
Italian championships
Scudetti (national football championships – Serie A) with FC Milan International in 1962–63, 1964–65 and 1965–66 (finalists in the run-off of 1963–64)
Champions Cup with FC Milan International in 1963–1964 and 1964–65 (finalists in 1966–67)
Intercontinental Cup FC Milan International in 1964 and 1965
Coppa Italia in 1969 with AS Roma.
Herrera took on the role of technical advisor for three national teams: France (1946–48), Spain (1959–62) and Italy (1966–67).
A new football pitch has been dedicated to Helenio Herrera at Malamocco on the Lido of Venice, the first in the world to commemorate this famous football personality, who no matter where he went was considered foreign, or ‘different’.
Two trophies have been named after him: Coppa Helenio Herrera 1963 and Coppa Helenio Herrera 1966.
A collection of memorabilia is on display in an antique (1700s) cabinet from a French chemist shop.
Photo: Ettore Bellini.