World Cup winner punched fan at Birmingham but made it into all-time XI with Messi

Alberto Tarantini should've had the world at his feet when he helped Argentina to their first World Cup at the tender age of 22.

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Indeed the early years of the former defender's career showed plenty of promise - before the World Cup he won the Argentine Primeira Division as well as the Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors.

However, Tarantini ended up having something of a journeyman career having moved to Birmingham City after becoming a world champion.

Eventually he would go back to Argentina for spells at Talles de Cordoba and River Plate. He then played for French outfits Bastia and Toulouse and rounded off his career at Swiss side St Gallen.

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But before we get into his spell in Brum, let's take a look back at Tarantini's hectic summer of 1978.

The World Cup took on a different format to the way we know it today, with 16 teams taking part in four groups of four.

The top two teams from each group then qualified to a second group phase with the winners from those two groups advancing to the final.

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Argentina made it to the second phase as they finished behind Italy in their group, and were drawn against Poland, Peru and rivals Brazil.

Ahead of the final round of matches in the second group phase, the host nation needed to beat Peru by four clear goals in order to take the place of Brazil, who had earlier beaten Poland 3-1, in the final.

Amazingly, Argentina got the job done as they ran out 6-0 winners, Tarantini getting their second goal.

There have since been claims of match-fixing being involved in the outcome, former Peruvian senator Genaro Ledesma claiming in 2012 that both nations had agreed that Peru would throw the match.

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But Argentina rejoiced as they found themselves just one win away from World Cup glory.

And they got over the line, beating the Netherlands 3-1 after extra-time - Tarantini starting that match.

Tarantini was a national hero but a contract dispute with Boca meant he was clubless and their influence over football in Argentina meant the left-back had to look overseas to earn his crust.

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And Birmingham gratefully took Tarantini off Boca's hands, paying £295,000 for him.

But things didn't go as hoped for Tarantini, who lasted just a year at St Andrew's - his spell overshadowed by ill-discipline.

He made headlines for getting into a fight with Manchester United defender Brian Greenhoff but made even bigger headlines for making his way into the crowd and punching a fan that was heckling him.

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Birmingham were relegated from the First Division that season and quickly Tarantini went back to his homeland.

Tarantini won two more pieces of silverware at River Plate but the remaining ten years of his career were certainly more quiet than that frantic summer and strange spell at Birmingham.

His service for the national team was later recognised, Tarantini being placed in the Argentina Football Association's Team of All Time in 2016, occupying the left-back slot which has greats of the game, including Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.

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