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Villa (left) and Ardiles at the PFA awards last year. EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport
Lucky Escape

Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa involved in car crash in the Falklands

Ardiles needed more than 20 stitches while his former Spurs and Argentina team-mate was a passenger in the car, according to reports.

WORLD CUP WINNER Ossie Ardiles has been involved in a car accident in the Falkand Islands.

According to the BBC, the 61-year-old Argentine was hospitalised and received over 20 stitches after the vehicle that he was driving crashed with former team-mate Ricky Villa also an unharmed passenger in the car.

He has since been released, however.

“My understanding is he is fine,” Ardiles’ son Pablo told the BBC.

“I don’t know the exact details but I understand my dad was driving and that he lost control somehow. I’ve heard reports he swerved to avoid a sheep but I can’t confirm that.

The main thing is he is fine, they are all OK.”

It is believed the two ex-Spurs players are in the country making a documentary. Earlier this month, it was announced that ESPN’s 30for30 series would make a film about the pair’s time in English football entitled ‘White, Blue and White’.

The BBC reported that local emergency services and the British military attended the scene of the accident. Ardiles was flown to King Edward Memorial hospital in Stanley.

Ardiles and Villa both joined Tottenham in 1978, shortly after they had been members of Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad.

The pair quickly became firm favourites at the north London club, helping Spurs win the FA Cup in 1981 when Villa scored a superb solo goal against Manchester City in a replayed final at Wembley Stadium.

Ardiles spent 10 years at White Hart Lane and also won the UEFA Cup during his time with Spurs.

As the Falklands conflict ended, Ardiles was briefly loaned to Paris St Germain before returning to Tottehham.

He later went on to manage several clubs in England, notably Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Spurs.

Britain has held the Falklands, situated in the South Atlantic, since 1833 but Buenos Aires maintains that the islands are occupied Argentinian territory.

- Additional reporting from  © AFP, 2014

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