Buenos Aires [Argentina], July 12 (ANI): Former Argentina international Antonio Rattin, regarded as one of the country's finest midfielders and a Boca Juniors legend, passed away on Saturday at the age of 89, the Argentine club announced, according to Reuters.

Rattin represented Argentina at the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups and enjoyed a distinguished career for the national team during one of the country's most competitive eras.

'With great sorrow, we mourn the passing of Antonio Ubaldo Rattin, an idol and symbol of our institution. We stand with his family and loved ones at this difficult time. Farewell, Rata,' Boca said in a post on X, as quoted by Reuters.

Rattin made 382 appearances for Boca Juniors between 1956 and 1970, scoring 28 goals and helping the club win four Argentine league titles. He also played a key role in Boca's run to the 1963 Copa Libertadores final.

At the international level, Rattin represented Argentina from 1959 to 1969 and featured in the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups.

He is perhaps best remembered for one of the most controversial moments in World Cup history during Argentina's 1-0 quarterfinal defeat to hosts England at the 1966 tournament.

After being sent off by German referee Rudolf Kreitlein, Rattin refused to leave the field immediately, arguing that he did not understand the referee's decision as it was not communicated in Spanish. As he exited the pitch, he crumpled an England corner flag and sat briefly on a red carpet reserved for Queen Elizabeth II, a gesture that became one of the defining images of the tournament, according to Reuters.

After retiring as a player, he had a brief spell as Boca's coach in 1980 before serving as a member of Argentina's lower house of Congress for a centre-right political party. (ANI)