Club Atlético River Plate

 

 

(Left): The first badge of River Plate of 1918; (right): the "lion" emblem designed by cartoonist Caloi, used between 1984 and 1989

 

Wiki Commons has media related to River Plate logos.

As in many football shirts and sports in general, the team's jersey has a badge on its front, as a symbol of the institution. When the River Plate jersey was created it did not have a badge, and its presence varied throughout the history, according to the designs of each era. Currently it is embroidered on the jersey, with three colors (red, white and black). Its format resembles that of the jersey, as it has a red stripe that crosses it, along with the acronym of the club (CARP) in black, and the background is white, in a stylized design.

When Hugo Santilli became chairman in 1984, he soon called to a competition where a new emblem would be chosen. The main objective of this new image was to eradicate the nickname Gallinas (Hens) that River's rivals (Boca Juniors fans mainly) used to mock them. Artists from Argentina took part in that competition. The club finally chose a logo designed by the artist Caloi. This emblem showed the figure of a lion (wearing a River jersey) rising from the Monumental stadium. The lion logo was immediately added to the uniforms (on the field and training clothes) having River Plate won the Copa Libertadores de América and European/South American Cup using the lion logo. In 1989, when Santilli left the club so the lion went with him and has not been reestablished since.

In February 2022, River Plate launched its new corporate image, which included an update to the logo and a typography designed exclusively for the club. The corporate image was created and developed by "Grupo Berro", a branding and design studio that had been working on the corporate image for over two years.

River Plate and Boca Juniors are the two largest football clubs in Argentina, with more than half the country's football fans supporting the clubs. Due to the rivalry between them, the Boca Juniors vs River Plate Superclásico local derby match was listed by the BBC as one of the most famous derbies in the world. Attending the match was also acclaimed in 2004 as the number one of the Fifty sporting things you must do before you die by The Observer newspaper.

 

The "River Plate" name was chosen in 1901, when the team was still located at the La Boca neighbourhood, next to the Río de la Plata ("River Plate" in some English sources). Proposed names as "Club Atlético Forward", "Juventud Boquense" or "La Rosales" had been rejected. Pedro Martínez saw the name "The River Plate" written at ship containers, and proposed it as a name, which was finally accepted as the official name.

River fans and the press are fond of the nickname Los Millonarios (The Millionaires). This name derives from the 1930s after some expensive transfers of players from other clubs, including Carlos Peucelle from Sportivo Buenos Aires in 1931 and Bernabé Ferreyra from Tigre in 1932.

Due to the red band in their shirt, it is also common to refer to River as El Equipo de la Banda (the team with the band) or simply La Banda (which means "the stripe", but can also mean "the band" -both as in "gang" and "musical group"). River Plate's forwards between 1941 and 1946 were given the nickname La Máquina (The Machine), due to their synchronization and movements on the field.

There was also a River Plate team that was known as La Maquinita (The Little Machine, as tribute to its predecessor) in the 1950s. Managed by José María Minella, the team earned the nickname after winning five championships in six years (1952–57). Some notable players were Alfredo Di Stéfano, Santiago Vernazza, Walter Gómez, Enrique Omar Sívori, among others. Some members of the original Máquina of the 1940s such as Labruna and Loustau, were also part of the team.

 

The Estadio Antonio Liberti (nicknamed El Monumental) located in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires is River Plate's stadium. With a capacity of 86,000, it was inaugurated on 25 May 1938. Argentina national football team usually plays its home games at the stadium.

Since its establishment in 1901, River Plate's stadiums have been:

• Dársena Sur (1901–05, 1907–15): Located on the corner of Wenceslao Villafañe and Caboto streets of La Boca. The club returned in 1907 from Sarandí.
• Sarandí (1906–07): The club moved to that district in Greater Buenos Aires, near the railway station.
• La Boca (1915–23): River built a stadium on the corner of Pinzón and Gaboto streets in La Boca.
• Alvear y Tagle (1923–37): Located in the Recoleta district of Buenos Aires. The land where the stadium was built had been owned by Juan Manuel de Rosas.
• Antonio V. Liberti (Monumental) (1938–Present): Built on the same land where the Bajo Belgrano Horse Racing Track had existed years ago.

 

Panoramic view of the Monumental Stadium in 2013.

 

 

Two images of River Plate supporters: (left): celebrating in the streets in 1945; (right): welcoming the team in the 2015 Recopa Sudamericana

In 2016 a research from a European sport marketing agency about the football teams with more members in the world, River Plate was in sixth position, with 123,665 members, the highest in the Americas. The ranking was led by Barcelona of Spain and Benfica of Portugal. In another ranking made in 2018 by the Bundesliga about the football clubs with more members, River Plate also appear in the sixth position, but this time with 146,000 members, surpassing clubs like FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF and Manchester United F.C. among other football world powers. In one of the latest rankings in early 2023, River placed in fourth place in the world with 281,217 members, which is second in Argentina and also second in South America.

On 8 October 2012, "The world's longest football flag" was unveiled in a caravan in which approximately 15,000 supporters took part. It was made entirely by fans who carried the 7,830 meters flag along the streets of Buenos Aires. The away jersey of the 2012–13 season was the most sold throughout the world during the month of September 2012, an achievement that had not reached any Argentine team. In 2015, the club participated in the FIFA Club World Cup and played against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka on 16 December, and on 20 December in the final against FC Barcelona at the International Stadium Yokohama. The number of River Plate supporters who traveled to Japan during that period were between 15,000 and 20,000, a record in the competition.

River Plate has official subsidiaries in provinces such as Santa Fe, Tucumán, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Mendoza, Tierra del Fuego, Catamarca, among others, and in Spain, Mexico, Australia, the United States, Paraguay and Canada. There are also unofficial fan clubs in all Latin American countries, and also in Spain, Italy, England, Israel, Australia, Germany, the United States and New Zealand.

Current squad

As of 25 January 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   ARG Franco Armani (captain) 2 DF   URU Sebastián Boselli 3 DF   ARG Ramiro Funes Mori 4 MF   URU Nicolás Fonseca 5 MF   ARG Matías Kranevitter 6 DF   PAR David Martínez 8 MF   ARG Agustín Palavecino 9 FW   COL Miguel Borja 10 MF   ARG Manuel Lanzini 11 FW   ARG Facundo Colidio 13 DF   ARG Enzo Díaz 14 DF   ARG Leandro González Pírez 15 DF   ARG Marcelo Herrera 17 DF   CHI Paulo Díaz 18 MF   ARG Pity Martínez 19 MF   ARG Claudio Echeverri (on loan from Manchester City)

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 DF   ARG Milton Casco (third-captain) 21 MF   ARG Esequiel Barco 22 DF   ARG Daniel Zabala 23 MF   ARG Rodrigo Villagra 26 MF   ARG Ignacio Fernández (vice-captain) 27 DF   URU Agustín Sant'Anna 29 MF   ARG Rodrigo Aliendro 30 MF   ARG Franco Mastantuono 31 MF   ARG Santiago Simón 32 FW   ARG Agustín Ruberto 33 GK   ARG Ezequiel Centurión 35 MF   ARG Tobías Leiva 36 FW   ARG Pablo Solari 37 GK   ARG Lucas Lavagnino 38 FW   ARG Ian Subiabre 41 GK   ARG Santiago Beltrán

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK   ARG Augusto Batalla (at Granada until 31 July 2024) — DF   ARG Ulises Giménez (at Defensa y Justicia until 31 December 2024) — DF   ARG Manuel Guillén (at Godoy Cruz until 31 December 2024) — DF   ARG Franco Paredes (at Sarmiento until 31 December 2024) — DF   PAR Robert Rojas (at Vasco da Gama until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG Franco Alfonso (at Huracán until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG Felipe Peña Biafore (at Lanús until 31 December 2024)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   ARG Esteban Fernández (at Newell's Old Boys until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG Tomás Castro Ponce (at Atlético Tucumán until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG José Paradela (at Necaxa until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG Tomás Galván (at Tigre until 31 December 2024) — MF   ARG Cristian Ferreira (at San Lorenzo until 31 December 2024) — FW   COL Flabián Londoño (at Tigre until 31 December 2024)

Top goalscorers

 

Rank.	Player	Position	Tenure	Goals	Matches
1	Ángel Labruna	FW	1939–59	317	515
2	Oscar Más	FW	1964–73, 1974–77	217	382
3	Bernabé Ferreyra	FW	1932–39	200	185
4	José Manuel Moreno	FW	1935–44, 1946–48	184	320
5	Norberto Alonso	MF	1970–76, 1977–81, 1984–86	158	374
6	Adolfo Pedernera	FW	1935–46	143	278
7	Enzo Francescoli	FW	1984–86, 1994–98	137	217
8	Carlos Peucelle	FW	1931–41	118	307
9	Daniel Onega	FW	1966–71, 1973	117	207
10	Fernando Cavenaghi	FW	2001–04, 2011–12, 2014–15	112	212

Most appearances

 

Rank.	Player	Position	Tenure	Matches
1	Amadeo Carrizo	GK	1945–68	520
2	Ángel Labruna	FW	1939–59	515
3	Reinaldo Merlo	MF	1969–84	500
4	Juan José López	MF	1970–81	466
5	Norberto Yácono	DF	1938–53	393
6	Oscar Más	FW	1964–73, 1974–77	382
7	Norberto Alonso	MF	1970–76, 1977–81, 1983–87	374
8	Félix Loustau	FW	1942–57	367
9	Ubaldo Fillol	GK	1974–83	361
10	Leonardo Ponzio	MF	2007–2008; 2012-2021	358

Youth academy

From its creation in 1901 to the present, the lower divisions of River Plate have protagonized splendid moments in their categories. The River Plate Academy is recognized on a continental and world level for the amount of talents that have emerged throughout it. River produced many of the best players in the history of football, including most of the institution's top idols. Its main objective is to supply players with great future to the first team and educate academically, ethically and athletically its members.
Legends of football not only had the privilege of playing in the first division of the club Millonario, but also wore the red and white jersey since the youth categories. The lower divisions of River Plate, also known as "El Semillero" has always been the most fruitful of Argentina, the most important and also the one with the greatest success. Historically it is considered as the best soccer training school of the Americas and one of the best in the world.

Ballon d'Or winners

Two players from the River Plate academy won the Ballon d'Or. Note: flags indicate national team they played for so the Ballon was awarded to European players only:

•   Alfredo Di Stéfano (1957, 1959, 1989 Super Ballon d'Or)
•   Omar Sívori (1961)

River Plate players ranked among the 50 best footballers in South America in the 20th century

(according to a ranking made by IFFHS); Note: the ranking only includes River Plate players emerged from the youth academy:

 

Rank.	Player	Votes	Pos.
3	Alfredo Di Stéfano	161	FW
5	José Manuel Moreno	82	FW
12	Adolfo Pedernera	24	FW
16	Omar Sívori	19	FW
26	Ángel Labruna	12	FW
35	Daniel Passarella	8	DF

Notable players who emerged from the River Plate Academy

FIFA World Cup winners

 

 

 

 

 

Fltr: Norberto Alonso, Ubaldo Fillol, Leopoldo Luque, and Daniel Passarella, and Nery Pumpido, some River Plate players that were World Cup winners with Argentina

•   Norberto Alonso (1978)
•   Ubaldo Fillol (1978)
•   Leopoldo Luque (1978)
•   Oscar Ortiz (1978)
•   Daniel Passarella (Captain 1978, DNP 1986)
•   Héctor Enrique (1986)
•   Nery Pumpido (1986)
•   Oscar Ruggeri (1986)
•   Franco Armani (2022)

 

Marcelo Gallardo is the club's most successful manager of all-time, with thirteen titles. Gallardo (appointed in 2014) was the club's manager until November 2022 and under his direction, River Plate won most of its international championships. Domestic titles won include three Copa Argentina (2015–16, 2016–17 and 2018–19) and two Supercopa Argentina (2017, 2019). He has been specially successful in the international scene, having won two Copa Libertadores (2015, 2018), one Copa Sudamericana (2014), three Recopa Sudamericana (2015, 2016, 2019), and one Suruga Bank Championship (2015). Several of these championship wins included memorable victories against archrivals Boca Juniors.

Ramón Díaz had three tenures on River Plate (1995–2000, 2001–02, and 2012–14), being the club's most successful manager in the domestic scene, having achieved six Primera División titles (1996–97 Torneo Apertura, 1996–97 Torneo Clausura, 1997–98 Torneo Apertura, 1999–2000 Torneo Apertura, 2001–02 Torneo Clausura, 2013–14 Torneo Final) and one Copa Campeonato (2014); internationally, he won the Copa Libertadores (1996) and one Supercopa Libertadores (1997).

José María Minella was another notable manager with eight titles won with River Plate, seven Primera División championships (1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957) and one Copa Dr. Ricardo Aldao (1947).

Ángel Labruna had an outstanding career not only as player (he is club's all-time topscorer with 293 goals in 515 matches played), but as coach for the club, having won six Primera División championships (1975 Torneo Metropolitano, 1975 Torneo Nacional, 1977 Torneo Metropolitano, 1979 Torneo Nacional, 1979 Torneo Metropolitano, and 1980 Torneo Metropolitano).

Héctor Veira won the Copa Libertadores with River Plate, in 1986. That same year the team won the European/South American Cup played in Tokyo. Under his coaching the club also won the 1985–86 Argentine championship, totalizing three titles with River Plate.

Senior titles

Other titles

Titles won in lower divisions:

• Primera B Nacional (1): 2011–12
• Segunda División (2): 1908, 1934 LAF

Youth titles

• U-20 Copa Libertadores (1): 2012

Friendly titles

• Supercopa Euroamericana (1): 2015
• Torneo Internacional Nocturno: 1944
• Copa Tres Ciudades: 1947
• Torneo Triangular: 1962
• Copa Ciudad de Bogotá: 1964
• Copa Confraternidad Iberoamericana: 1964
• Feria de Cali: 1965
• Copa Ciudad de Buenos Aires: 1969
• Torneo Villa de Madrid: 1978
• Torneo de Campeones: 1979
• Torneo Cuadrangular Rosa de Oro de Querétaro: 1985
• Copa 85th Aniversario: 1986
• Copa Misiones: 1986
• Copa Trasandina: 1992
• Triangular Internacional Sodimac: 2022

Notes