HOW A WORLD CUP WINNER ARRIVED AT BANGOR

The images of Argentina celebrating success at the 1986 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City are as far removed from Nantporth and the home of Bangor City on the Menai Strait as you can possibly imagine.

However, Pedro Pasculli is one man who has experienced both in his professional career as a player and a manager, and it was the World Cup winner with a direct line to his former room-mate, the late Diego Maradona, who arrived in North Wales in October 2019.

Although Pasculli spent the majority of his playing career with Argentinos Juniors in his home country and Italian outfit Lecce, his managerial career has been far more nomadic. In addition to taking charge of the Ugandan national team and Albanian side Dinamo Tirana, Pasculli has spent the best part of the last 20 years coaching in the lower leagues of the Italian pyramid system. However, an unlikely connection brought him to the attention of Bangor City, and the domestic game in Wales inherited its first World Cup winner as a result.

Franceso Serafino was a one of a number of continental signings as a new era for Bangor City began a couple of years ago. While the young Serafino was largely unknown, his father Domenico soon took an interest in the club and fronted a consortium that would eventually take charge of business at Nantporth. A professional musician who had spent most of his life in Argentina, the connections of Domenico Serafino brought him together with Pasculli in the most unlikely of locations.

With his first season disrupted by the pandemic, Bangor City failed to achieve promotion from the JD Cymru North to the JD Cymru Premier. Pasculli was subsequently replaced in the dugout by fellow Argentine and former international youth team captain Hugo Colace, with the World Cup winner taking on the role of Technical Secretary. However, while Bangor City represents another entry on his CV, the privilege of lifting the most prestigious prize in the world game will continue to define Pasculli's career.

“The sensation of holding the World Cup was like touching the sky with your hand,” explained Pasculli to The Guardian following his arrival at Bangor City. Although he remained on the bench during the 1986 World Cup final, he scored the decisive goal against Uruguay in the round of 16 victory for Carlos Bilardo’s side. “We were such a close group and we are still in touch with each other today,” he added. “We have a WhatsApp group called ‘Campeones 86’ that we use all the time.”