- For the Uruguayan club see: CA River Plate (Montevideo)
Club Atlético River Plate, known also as River Plate or simply River, is a sports club best known for its football team, in Argentina, founded in 1901. Its home base is the neighborhood of Nuñez, in Buenos Aires, and it plays at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti.
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| Full name | Club Atlético River Plate | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Los Millonarios | ||
| Founded | 1901 | ||
| Ground | El Monumental, Nuñez, Buenos Aires | ||
| Capacity | 65,645 | ||
| Chairman | José María Aguilar | ||
| Head Coach | Daniel Passarella | ||
| League | Argentine Primera División | ||
| 2005 Apertura | 6th | ||
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River Plate is the infrequently used official English name of the Rio de la Plata , the river Buenos Aires sits by. It is believed that, in the club's early days, one of the founders saw sailors in the Buenos Aires port unloading boxes, and was intrigued by the markings on them "The River Plate".
History
River Plate was founded May 25, 1901, close to the La Boca neighborhood (home of rival side Boca Juniors). Popular folk stories argue that River Plate decided who will stay in La Boca by playing a match with the aforementioned rival side Boca Juniors, the story says that having lost that game River Plate had to move. The team moved first to Palermo and then to Núñez on the northern side of the city in 1923.
In the early 1930s, the transfer of Bernabé Ferreyra involved much more money than any transfer before it, and the club payed mostly with gold, so the club became known as Los Millonarios (the millionaires).
In the 1940s Alfredo Di Stefano and in the 1950s Eduardo Omar Sívori played for River before moving on to became stars in Europe. Some River players had stints in the Colombian league when it was the world's wealthiest.
River's attractive, offensive playing style earned it the nickname La Máquina (the machine). The names of its five forwards (Muñoz, Moreno, Pedernera, Labruna, Lusteau) are known by most Argentine fans.
Between 1952 and 1957, River won five out of six league titles, and then an 18-year drought ensued. River returned to form in 1975 and had a string of championship titles under coach Angel Labruna with players like Daniel Passarella and Norberto Alonso.
In 1986, River won its first Libertadores cup. A new generation of home-grown players led by Claudio Caniggia went on to achieve success both at River and abroad.
River Plate has won 32 Argentine professional championships, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1986, the Copa Libertadores twice (1986 and 1996), the Copa Interamericana in 1987 and the Supercopa in 1997.
Being the two biggest and more important football clubs in Argentina, and due to the rivalry between them, the Boca-River Superclásico was listed by the BBC in its famous derbies in the world, and as one of the 50 sporting things you must do before you die by The Observer.
In 1999 Argentine sport magazine "El Gráfico" named River Plate, in a special edition, "El campeón del siglo" ("The champion of the century"), taking in account River's achievements, especially because wining 28 Argentine championships against Boca Juniors's 19 and Independiente's 13.
Nicknames
River fans and the press are fond of the nickname Los Millonarios (the millionaires). This name carries from the 1930s after some expensive transfers of players from other clubs, including Bernabé Ferreyra from Tigre in 1932. In 1979 - 1981, the River squad was reputed to be amongst the most expensive in the world.
Fans of rival clubs call River gallinas (literally hens, but more akin to chicken). Said nickname was supposedly born in a game against Uruguayan team Peñarol, when River was ahead 2-0 and ended up losing the game 4-2.La Prensa's article (in Spanish)
Due to the red band in their jersey, it is also common to refer to River as El Equipo de la Banda Roja (the team with the red band) or simply La Banda (which also means the gang).
Some famous River teams earned nicknames, notably La Máquina (the machine), the team that astonished Argentine football between 1941 and 1945.
In 1996 and 1997, during a streak of titles (three local titles, one Copa Libertadores, one Supercopa), River was sometimes called La Maquinita (the little machine) by the press, both in reference to La Máquina and the team which included young players such as Juan Pablo Sorín, Hernán Crespo, Ariel Ortega, Marcelo Gallardo and Enzo Francescoli.
Stadium
- See main article Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti
The Monumental, is the team's home stadium in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It has a capacity of 65,645 people.
Titles
Amateur
- 1920
Professional
- Local (32)
First Division: 32
- 1932, 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, Metropolitano 1975, Nacional 1975, Metropolitano 1977, Metropolitano 1979, Nacional 1979, Metropolitano 1980, Nacional 1981, 1985/86, 1989/90, Apertura 1991/92, Apertura 1993/94, Apertura 1994/95, Apertura 1996/97, Clausura 1996/97, Apertura 1997/98, Apertura 1999/00, Clausura 1999/00, Clausura 2001/02, Clausura 2002/03, Clausura 2003/04
International
- International Titles (5)
- 1986, 1996
- 1986
Other International Cups: 2
- Copa Interamericana 1987, Supercopa 1997
List of famous players
Note: The Players marked '(c)' have also coached the team
Early Days and La Máquina
- Bernabé Ferreyra
- Alfredo Di Stefano (c)
- Enrique Sivori
- José El Charro Moreno
- Zárate
- Muñoz
- Hugo Reyes
- Adolfo Pedernera
- Ángel Labruna (c)
- Féeliz Loustau
- Amadeo Carrizo
- Walter Gomez
- Nestor Rossi
- Renato Cesarini
1960s and 1970s
- Ermindo Onega
- Daniel Onega
- Oscar Mas (Pinino)
- Norberto Alonso (Beto)
- Juan José López (Jota Jota)
- Ubaldo Fillol (El Pato)
- Carlos Morete (El Puma)
- Alejandro Sabella
- Pedro González
- Reinaldo Merlo (Mostaza) (c)
- Daniel Passarella (El Káiser) (c)
- Héctor Artico
- Américo Gallego (Tolo) (c)
- Juan Ramón Carrasco
1980s and early 1990s
- Abel Balbo
- Ángel Comizzo
- Ramón Díaz (El Pelado) (c)
- Oscar Ruggeri (El Cabezón)
- Nery Pumpido
- Enzo Francescoli (El Príncipe)
- Antonio Alzamendi (La Hormiga)
- Claudio Morresi
- Juan Funes (El Búfalo)
- Héctor Enrique (El Negro)
- Claudio Caniggia (El Pájaro)
- Norberto Gorosito (Pipo)
- Pedro Troglio
- Sergio Goycochea (El Vasco)
- Eduardo Berizzo (Toto)
- Leonardo Astrada (El Negro) (c)
- Roberto Ayala (El Ratón)
- Ariel Ortega (El Burrito)
- Sergio Berti (La Bruja)
- Marcelo Gallardo (El Muñeco)
- Hernán Crespo
- Ramón Medina Bello (El Mencho)
- Germán Burgos (El Mono)
Late 1990s to date
- Marcelo Salas (El Matador)
- Celso Ayala
- Juan Pablo Angel (Angelito)
- Julio Cruz (El Jardinero)
- Juan Pablo Sorin (Juampi)
- Santiago Solari (El Indiecito)
- Javier Saviola (El Conejo)
- Eduardo Coudet (El Chacho)
- Pablo Aimar (El Payaso)
- Marcelo Gallardo (El Muñeco)
- Andrés D'Alessandro (El Cabezón)
- Fernando Cavenaghi (El Torito)
- Javier Mascherano (El Jefecito)
- Luis González (Lucho)
- Germán Lux (Poroto)
Other sports
River Plate participates in the Argentine National League of Basketball, in which it obtained the subchampionship in 1988. It has professional male and female volleyball teams playing in the first division.
Current squad
As of 26 January 2006
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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