Passarella was born in Chacabuco, Buenos Aires Province.
He started his career at Sarmiento of Junin, Buenos Aires province.
From there he joined River Plate, where he became one of the best Argentinian defenders of his period, and started to be chosen in the Argentinian national team.

After his good performances at the 1982 World Cup, in 1982 he joined Fiorentina of Italy, where he scored the goal record for a defender in one season (11 in 1986) in the Italian Serie A; his record remained until 2001, when he was beaten by Marco Materazzi.

In 1986, he joined Internazionale, where he ended his Italian playing career in 1988.
After his successful spell in the Serie A, he returned to River Plate, where he played until his retirement.

He was called "El Gran Capitán" (the Great Captain, nickname of Argentine independence hero José de San Martín),"El Kaiser" (an allusion to Franz Beckenbauer) or "El Caudillo" (the Chief) because of his leadership ability, his passion, and his organisational prowess on the field.
He was a defender who often joined the attack, and helped generate and finish offensive plays.
He was the top scoring defender, with 134 goals in 451 matches, a record since broken by Dutch defender Ronald Koeman.

His aerial game was effective both defensively and in attack.
He scored frequent headers in spite of his average height (1.73 m).
He was an excellent free kick and penalty shooter.
He was also noted for using his elbows against rivals whilst managing to avoid the referee's gaze.
Passarella and Chilean Elías Figueroa are considered the best defenders in the history of South America.
Passarella was born in Chacabuco, Buenos Aires Province. He started his career at Sarmiento of Junin, Buenos Aires province. From there he joined River Plate, where he became one of the best Argentinian defenders of his period, and started to be chosen in the Argentinian national team.
After his good performances at the 1982 World Cup, in 1982 he joined Fiorentina of Italy, where he scored the goal record for a defender in one season (11 in 1986) in the Italian Serie A; his record remained until 2001, when he was beaten by Marco Materazzi.
In 1986, he joined Internazionale, where he ended his Italian playing career in 1988. After his successful spell in the Serie A, he returned to River Plate, where he played until his retirement.
He was called "El Gran Capitán" (the Great Captain, nickname of Argentine independence hero José de San Martín),"El Kaiser" (an allusion to Franz Beckenbauer) or "El Caudillo" (the Chief) because of his leadership ability, his passion, and his organisational prowess on the field. He was a defender who often joined the attack, and helped generate and finish offensive plays. He was the top scoring defender, with 134 goals in 451 matches, a record since broken by Dutch defender Ronald Koeman.
His aerial game was effective both defensively and in attack. He scored frequent headers in spite of his average height (1.73 m). He was an excellent free kick and penalty shooter. He was also noted for using his elbows against rivals whilst managing to avoid the referee's gaze. Passarella and Chilean Elías Figueroa are considered the best defenders in the history of South America.
Daniel Passarella