Marcelo Gallardo was a gifted Argentine playmaker, a diminutive number ten of vision and touch who shone for River Plate before spells in France with Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain. Elegant and left-footed, he threaded passes and dictated tempo with the calm of a natural conductor.
He would later become an icon of a different kind at River, returning as a manager to oversee one of the most successful eras in the club’s history, including a celebrated Copa Libertadores triumph over great rivals Boca Juniors.