Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
based in
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
. The club's
football team currently competes in the
Primera División, where it has spent most of its history.
The club is a successful team in Argentina. In 1967, Estudiantes was the first team outside the traditional "
big five" to win a professional league title. It has won four additional league titles and has had greater international success, having won six international titles. Estudiantes' international title championships are four
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
(including three straight from 1968 to 1970), an
Intercontinental Cup, and an
Interamerican Cup
The Copa Interamericana ( en, Interamerican Cup) was an annual club football competition contested between a representative from North America (CONCACAF) and South America (CONMEBOL). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACA ...
.
The club was founded in 1905 when a group of players and fans decided to break away from
Gimnasia de La Plata, which favored indoor sport rather than football. Matches between the two clubs are known as the ''
Clásico Platense''.
Other sports where Estudiantes competes are
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
team handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
,
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
,
swimming,
judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...
, and
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
.
History
First years
In 1905, a group of football players and fans in the city of La Plata decided to break away from
Gimnasia y Esgrima, the major club in the city, since Gimnasia's management neglected football after the closure of their field on 13th and 71st streets.
Thus, on August 4, 1905, in the shoestore "New York" on 7th Street, between 57 and 58 of the city of La Plata, the club was founded under the name "Club Atlético Estudiantes". Its first president, Miguel Gutiérrez, was elected on the very same night, when the club charter was drafted by card-carrying member #1, Alfredo Lartigue. Since its inception, the organization primarily was dedicated to football, but over the years the club expanded and incorporated
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
,
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...
,
swimming and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
, among others.
In those days, teams like
Lomas A.C.,
Quilmes,
Belgrano A.C.,
Estudiantil Porteño,
San Isidro and
Argentino de Quilmes, among others, faced each other in successive tournaments organized by the
Argentine Football Association with
Alumni (graduates of the
Buenos Aires English High School
The Buenos Aires English High School, also known for its abbreviation BAEHS, is a bilingual school established in Belgrano, Buenos Aires in 1884 by Alexander Watson Hutton, considered "the father" of Argentine football. Watson Hutton was born in ...
) being one of the most successful.
On 28 February 1906 Estudiantes adopted a jersey design of striped red and white, in honor of Alumni, that had won ten championships between 1900 and 1911. However, during the early years, Estudiantes had to use a red shirt with a white stripe in the chest, because league authorities decided the uniform was too similar to Alumni's.
First title
The first pitch of the club was located at the intersection of 19th and 53rd streets in
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
(now Plaza Islas Malvinas), with the first match being played on November 7, 1905, when Estudiantes faced Nacional Juniors from Buenos Aires. A year later, Estudiantes enrolled in the Associación Amateurs de Football (AAF). The stadium on 1st Avenue opened on 25 December 1907.
Estudiantes' first achievement was the 1911
Primera B title which allowed the team to play at the top tier of Argentine football,
Primera División. Just two years later Estudiantes won its first title in Primera, playing at the dissident Federación Argentina de Football (FAF). That season the team disputed 18 matches, winning 14 with only 1 lost and scoring 64 goals (with an average of 3,55 goals per match).
In 1914 Estudiantes made another great campaign but the team finished second to
Porteño. 1919 saw Estudiantes finishing second to champion
Boca Juniors although the Association put an end to the tournament with 14 fixtures still to be played. The Association alleged that "the championship took longer than expected" so it was suddenly finished.
In subsequent years, Estudiantes made irregular campaigns, in some cases finishing at the bottom of the table. Nevertheless, the team made a great performance in 1928 when finishing third to champion
Huracán
Huracan (; es, Huracán; myn, Hunraqan, "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating hu ...
and
Boca Juniors. The last year of amateur era saw Estudiantes being runner-up to
Boca Juniors. The team totalized 56 points in 35 matches, with 27 won and 7 losses.
"The Professors"
When professionalism was adopted in Argentine football in 1931, Estudiantes had a famous offensive lineup:
Miguel Ángel Lauri,
Alejandro Scopelli
Alejandro Scopelli Casanova (, ; 12 May 1908 – 23 October 1987) was an Italian Argentine football player and coach. A striker, he played for Argentina between 1929 and 1941, and competed at the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup. He also represen ...
,
Alberto Zozaya
Alberto Maximo Zozaya (13 April 1908 – 17 February 1981) was an Argentine football striker who played most of his career for Estudiantes de La Plata and represented the Argentina national team.
Playing career
Alberto "Don Padilla" Zozaya sta ...
,
Manuel Ferreira and
Enrique Guaita, known as ''Los Profesores'' ("The Professors"), and still regarded as one of Argentina's all-time fines
Alberto Zozaya scored the first goal of professional football in Argentina and was the top goalscorer of the first professional tournament. Ferreira played for the
Argentina national football team, national team in the 1928 Olympic Games and the 1930 World Cup; Guaita and Scopelli played for
Italian national team that won the
1934 FIFA World Cup.
Saúl Calandra
Saúl H. Calandra (22 October 1904 – 14 May 1973) was an Argentine football (soccer) midfielder who competed in the 1928 Olympic games. He was a member of the Argentine team, which won the silver medal in the football tournament. He ...
, the Sbarra brothers (Raúl and Roberto) and Armando Nery were feared defensive players.
In 1937, a pioneering lighting system was installed in the stadium, allowing night games to be played.
The 1950s saw the emergence of goalkeeper Gabriel Ogando, and players such as Walter Garcerón, Alberto Bouché, Juan Urriolabeitía,
Ricardo Infante, Héctor Antonio, as well as the final seasons of striker
Manuel Pelegrina, who remains Estudiantes' all-time top scorer with 221 goals. Following a confrontation with the
Peronist
Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of A ...
government of
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
, the club's management was removed by authorities (allegedly for refusing to distribute copies of
Eva Perón's book to club members) The government-appointed management disbanded the team: top scorers Infante and Pelegrina signed with
Huracán
Huracan (; es, Huracán; myn, Hunraqan, "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating hu ...
. The decimated team was relegated in 1953, but after the return of Pelegrina (who tricked Huracán by becoming a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
without the club's consent
Estudiantes was promoted the following year. The club was allowed to govern itself soon thereafter.
In the 1960s, Miguel Ignomiriello coached the Estudiantes under-19 team known as ''La Tercera que Mata'' ("The Killer Juveniles"), which would evolve, with a few acquisitions, into the team coached by
Osvaldo Zubeldía that won the
1967 ''Metropolitano'' championship. With this title, Estudiantes became the first club outside the "
big five" (
Boca Juniors,
River Plate,
Racing Club Racing Club may refer to:
Football
* Racing Club Abidjan, Ivory Coast
* K.R.C. Genk, Belgium
* Racing Club Bafoussam, Cameroon
* Racing Club Beirut, Lebanon
* Racing Club de Avellaneda, Argentina
* Racing Club Haïtien, Haiti
* Racing Club Po ...
,
Independiente and
San Lorenzo) to obtain a professional title. This opened the floodgates, and soon other "small" clubs would do likewise (
Vélez Sársfield in 1968,
Chacarita Juniors one year later, and soon other teams joined as well).
International success
Estudiantes went on to win the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
three years in a row (
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
,
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
and
1970), and the
1968 Intercontinental Cup against
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
. The latter game is still remembered for the violent behaviour of Estudiantes' players.
They lost the Intercontinental title against
A.C. Milan (
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
) and
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after i ...
(
1970). Estudiantes won the maiden edition of the
Copa Interamericana in a three-legged final against the reigning
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; types ...
title-holders, Mexican club
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city ...
(the games were played in 1969, but official references call it the 1968 edition).
The last part of the Zubeldía era was marred by the antics of some players. Following a violent Intercontinental match against Milan, the entire team was arrested on orders from Argentine President
Juan Carlos Onganía. In an unprecedented step, goalkeeper Alberto Poletti was suspended for life (he was later pardoned) and did time in jail, together with teammates
Ramón Aguirre Suárez and
Eduardo Luján Manera. Because of these events, it became a cliché to refer to Zubeldía's football as ''el antifútbol'' ("the anti-football"), because of its physical violence, and its frequent resort to
timewasting tactic
''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' commented that Estudiantes is "one of the most despicable teams ever to emerge from South America."
Zubeldía hired former referees to lecture the team on regulations, so that his players would be able to exploit every loophole in the book. Also, he incorporated tactics that were unheard of at the time, such as playbook drills for free-kicks and corner kicks, the
offside trap
Offside is one of the laws in association football, codified in Law 11 of the Laws of the Game. The law states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts, except the hands and arms, are in the opponents' half of the p ...
, and double-marking opponent
The Zubeldía team counted two physicians among its stars:
Carlos Bilardo and
Raúl Madero graduated from the
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one of the most presti ...
Faculty of
Medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
during their playing days.
Juan Ramón Verón was a gifted player who could play left wing, but would also join the midfielders or attack from the right. He profited from the no-nonsense playing of
Marcos Conigliaro, Juan Miguel Echecopar and Madero, and the tactical guidance provided by Bilardo. Right-back
Eduardo Luján Manera was a very talented player, but suffered from repeated injuries and did not reach his full potential. Fullback Aguirre Suárez was noted for his often violent play, and so was Luis Medina.
After the
1970 season, Carlos Bilardo retired from play and got involved in his family's furniture business. As the team's fortunes were declining and relegation seemed a possibility, he was called by management in mid-1971 to coach the team. Under his guidance, Estudiantes lost the
1975 Nacional title in the last day of play and made it to the
1976 Copa Libertadores
The Copa Libertadores 1976 was the 17th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. The tournament began on February 23 and ended on July 30.
Cruzeiro won the competition, being the first Brazilian team, a ...
.
Carlos Bilardo era
In the ensuing years, Bilardo alternated between coaching Estudiantes and Colombian teams. He was briefly the coach of the
Colombia national team, but was called again by Estudiantes in 1982. Soon after, the team won the
1982 ''Metropolitano'' championship. Under his successor Eduardo Luján Manera, also a member of the Zubeldía's team, Estudiantes won the
1983 ''Nacional'' tournament as well. Both wins were at the expense of a star-studded Independiente.
Those championship teams were anchored by a solid defense (
Julián Camino
Julián Camino (born 2 May 1961 in Maipú) is an Argentine former football right back who won two league titles with Estudiantes de La Plata and was part of the Argentina squad for Copa América 1983, and since August 2011 is a member of the ...
on the right and
Abel Ernesto Herrera on the left were also fearsome attackers, and
José Luis Brown
José Luis Brown (10 January 1956 – 12 August 2019) was an Argentine football central defender and coach.
Most of his 14-year professional career was spent with Estudiantes, for which he appeared in more than 300 official matches and won two ...
provided security as a sweeper), and also had three creative midfielders (
José Daniel Ponce,
Alejandro Sabella and
Marcelo Trobbiani, with
Miguel Ángel Russo to guard their backs) and two top-notch strikers (
Hugo Gottardi and Guillermo Trama).
Bilardo went on to coach the
Argentina national football team, that won the
1986 FIFA World Cup. The captain of Estudiantes' 1982 champions, José Luis Brown, scored the opening goal in the final match against
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
. Four years later, Bilardo's Argentina reached the final of the
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being ...
. Madero was
team physician for both events, and Ricardo Echevarría, also from Estudiantes, was fitness coach.
Decline and return to success
Estudiantes was relegated for the second time after the
1993–94 season, and again returned to the first division the very next season, which was the breakout year for
Juan Sebastián Verón (son of former player Juan Ramón). In the ensuing years, the club had irregular results, and became known mostly as the breeding ground for strikers such as
Martín Palermo,
Luciano Galletti,
Bernardo Romeo
Bernardo Daniel Romeo (born 10 September 1977) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a striker.
He amassed Argentine Primera División totals of 226 games and 85 goals, mainly at the service of San Lorenzo with whom he had three spe ...
,
Ernesto Farías and
Mariano Pavone, as well as other quality players such as
José Ernesto Sosa and
Pablo Piatti
Pablo Daniel Piatti (born 31 March 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Estudiantes de La Plata. He operates mainly as a left winger, but can also play as a forward.
He spent the vast majority of his career in Spain aft ...
.
Bilardo returned as coach in 2003, with new management bent on rebuilding the club in his winning ways. Some young players were promoted, such as
Marcos Angeleri and José Ernesto Sosa. When Bilardo departed, the team remained a contender under coaches
Reinaldo Merlo and
Jorge Burruchaga. The team made history when it came from behind (0–3 at half-time) to win 4–3 against Peruvian
Sporting Cristal in a
Libertadores match played on 21 February 2006.
On May 18, 2006, Burruchaga was replaced by another former Argentine international,
Diego Simeone, who built the team around Juan Sebastián Verón, who returned to Estudiantes after 11 years. Simeone's team was eliminated by
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Copa Libertadores, but went on to an impressive campaign in the local league during the
2006 Apertura. It amassed ten consecutive wins (tying the club record), including an unprecedented 7–0 win against
Gimnasia in the
La Plata derby
The La Plata derby (Clásico Platense or Clásico de La Plata in Spanish) is one of the most fiercely contested derbies in Argentine football. It is played between local clubs Estudiantes and Gimnasia y Esgrima.
The first official derby took p ...
, played 15 October 2006. Estudiantes finished the regular season tied for first place with
Boca Juniors (per Argentine league rules, goal difference is not used to determine the champion). A winner-take-all final match was played on December 13, 2006. Estudiantes came from behind to defeat Boca Juniors 2–1, thus securing its first division title in 23 years. During this campaign, Estudiantes defeated all the "big five", allowed the fewest goals, and three of their players (Pavone, Verón and
Braña) were ranked as the league's top three by sports diary ''
Olé''.
Simeone left the team after the
2007 Apertura, and was replaced by former
S.S. Lazio teammate
Roberto Sensini. After a weak finish in the
2008 Clausura, Sensini was replaced with
Leonardo Astrada. Under his guidance, Estudiantes reached the final of the
2008 Copa Sudamericana, which it lost to Brazilian side
SC Internacional. Shortly thereafter, a string of bad results caused Astrada's departure.
In March 2009, former player
Alejandro Sabella became head coach, his first such engagement (his coaching experience was limited to being an assistant to
Daniel Passarella). The team improved their standing in the local league and advanced to the final of the
2009 Copa Libertadores, winning 2–1 on aggregate over
Cruzeiro after a goal-less draw in La Plata and an away win on 15 July 2009. Verón was chosen as the competition's most valuable player, and
Mauro Boselli was its top goalscorer, with a decisive header in the final match. Thus, Estudiantes earned the right to play the
2009 FIFA Club World Cup
The 2009 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played from 9 to 19 December 2009. It was the sixth FIFA Club World Cup and was played in Ab ...
in
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
.
In that event, Estudiantes won their semifinal match against
Pohang Steelers 2–1, and lost the final against
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Found ...
2–1 in extra time, after a 1–1 tie in regulation time.
After the Club World Cup participation, Estudiantes finished second in the 2010 Clausura (with local favorite José Sosa playing on loan), and won the 2010 Apertura after a protracted battle against
Vélez Sarsfield. The team was in transition following the departure of Sosa and the sales of Boselli, right back
Marcos Angeleri, and other key players.
Facilities
Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium is located on 1st Avenue, between 55th and 57th Streets, in La Plata. It has capacity for 35,530 people. In March 2022 a new corner stand was added with capacity for an additional 2,200 people.
In its previous incarnation (1907 to 2005) the stadium had room for 23,000. The wooden stands behind the goal-lines were standing-room only. The stands next to the avenue were sitting-room, and were separated from the avenue by a row of tile trees. The opposite side was roofed and had the best seating arrangements. The noisiest fans used to occupy the 55th Street ''popular'', while visiting fans were often directed to the 57th St. ''popular'', opposite a technical high school (whose inconvenient location was responsible for the relatively small size of the pitch, at 105 x 68 m).
For some international games in the Zubeldía era, Estudiantes played in
Boca Juniors'
La Bombonera, noted for its intimidating acoustics.
With the erection of
Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
The Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona (''One-of-a kind Diego Armando Maradona Stadium'', formerly Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of La Plata, Argentina. It is also known popularly as the Estadio Únic ...
in the 1990s, both Estudiantes and Gimnasia decided initially against relocating their home games. However, Estudiantes's field was closed down in September 2005 because of new safety regulations which forbid standing-only wooden stands. This began a sequence of political infighting between the club and City Hall. Estudiantes played some home games in the nearby Gimnasia stadium, and later used
Quilmes Atlético Club's
Centenario field. There, Estudiantes made history with a come-from-behind 4–3 Libertadores win against Sporting Cristal.
In April 2006 a court decree allowed the re-opening of ''1 y 57'', but mayor
Julio Alak
Julio César Alak (born 9 January 1958) is an Argentine politician. From 1991 to 2007 he was ''intendente'' (mayor) of La Plata, the capital city of Buenos Aires Province. He served as Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Argentina from 2009 ...
intervened again to prevent this from happening. Renovation work on the stadium started in 2007, and met with opposition from several groups, notably the "Hoja de Tilo" NGO, who claims that the works would damage the environmental balance of the park behind the stadium.
While using the city stadium, Estudiantes earned five consecutive derby wins, and had a streak of 37 games undefeated in the local league (2007–2009). When roofing work began in August 2009 to install a new roof in the city stadium, Estudiantes moved once again to Quilmes, and alternated both locations until the stadium was re-opened in November 2019. The new stadium has LED lighting, playmaster surface, and features amenities such as shopping and restaurants underneath the stands.
Estudiantes' training grounds are located in the Country Club premises in
City Bell, north of La Plata.
Supporters
Within the La Plata area, Estudiantes was traditionally regarded as the club of the
middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
, while rival side Gimnasia y Esgrima was identified with the
working class
The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...
. This characterization is not necessarily anchored in reality. While the two clubs have roughly the same pull in La Plata, Estudiantes has more of a nationwide following, especially after its international successes in the 1960s. There used to be much discussion about which club has the larger following, but Estudiantes seems to have pulled forward.
Por siempre, primeros
For several periods in the club's history, a group of supporters from Buenos Aires (''los porteños'') were a powerful element within the fan base. One of the fans from 1960s to the 1990s was Raúl Bernechea, known as ''el pelapapas'' (the "potato peeler") after his job as a kitchen hand; he was noted for lighting bonfires during games, juggling and performing other stunt
Author Ernesto Sabato was an Estudiantes sympathizer, and was honored with a ceremony where he was awarded a No. 10 jersey. Political essayist Arturo Jauretche mentioned Estudiantes in one of his books .
Other noted fans include tennis player Juan Mónaco, actors Jorge and Federico D'Elía, philosopher Darío Sztajnszrajber, journalist Mauro Szeta, human rights activist Estela de Carlotto, filmmaker and politician Fernando Solanas
Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...
, and sports journalist Osvaldo Príncipi.
In the 1983 presidential election, Estudiantes fans were, together with their peers from Vélez Sársfield, the first to voice their support for eventual winner Raúl Alfonsín in his bid against the Peronistas. The friendship with Vélez supporters has since vanished, especially after an Estudiantes win denied Vélez the 2003 championship.
Estudiantes is on friendly terms with several clubs from the South side of Greater Buenos Aires; especially Quilmes and Témperley. Platense, from the North side of Greater Buenos Aires, held a special place in the hearts of Estudiantes fans for some time, as it cemented Gimnasia's relegation in 1979.
Estudiantes is also friendly with the Uruguayan fan base of Peñarol, once their classic Libertadores rivals.
Estudiantes shares colors with Spanish side Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club ( eu, Bilboko Athletic Kluba; es, Athletic Club de Bilbao), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao or just Athletic, is a professional football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Basque Country of Spain. They are known as ''Los L ...
, and during a period in the 1950s, both institutions shared a reputation for confronting the government (Bilbao as a Basque nationalist side against the Franco regime
Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...
, and Estudiantes against Peronism
Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of A ...
). During these times, Bilbao donated a set of jerseys to Estudiantes. The relationship has been rekindled in the 2000s through Argentine expatriates and partisan blog
Nicknames
The nickname ''pincharratas'' (rat stabbers), often shortened to ''pinchas'', comes from the nickname of Felipe Montedónica, who spent much time chasing after rats in the La Plata market in the 1910s and 1920s, and hence was known as "el pincharratas". Pictures exist of Montedónica with some of the players, where his nickname is mentione
Traditionally, the nickname is also associated with the laboratory work done by the many Medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
students among the club's early members.
This nickname extends to the fans. It is common to hear fans say "soy del pincha" ("I am ''pincha''").
Fans also call the team ''el león'' (the lion), ''el orgullo de la ciudad'' (the pride of the city), ''los capos de La Plata'' (the bosses of La Plata), and ''el único campeón de la ciudad'' (the only one champion of the city), because they are the only team in the city that has won an official tournament.
For several years, many chants incorporated the word ''Tricampeón'' (three-time champion) because of the Libertadores three-peat. After the 2009 Libertadores final, some of the newer lyrics use the word ''Tetracampeón'' (four-time champion).
Players
Current squad
Out on loan
Most goals scored
Most appearances
Top goalscorers in Primera
Players who have been top scorers in Primera División seasons:
Managers
Estudiantes de La Plata has had a long list of managers come up through its ranks who have gone on to become some of most influential and successful Argentine coaches. These include Guillermo Stábile, Osvaldo Zubeldía, Carlos Bilardo, Diego Simeone and Alejandro Sabella.
* Guillermo Stábile (1940 – 1941)
* Alberto Zozaya
Alberto Maximo Zozaya (13 April 1908 – 17 February 1981) was an Argentine football striker who played most of his career for Estudiantes de La Plata and represented the Argentina national team.
Playing career
Alberto "Don Padilla" Zozaya sta ...
(1945 – 1949)
* Neil McBain
Neil McBain (15 November 1895 – 13 May 1974) was a Scottish professional footballer and football manager. He remains the oldest player to appear in an English Football League match aged 51 years.
Playing career Club
McBain, a wing half, ...
(1949 – 1951)
* Mario Fortunato (1954 – 1955)
* Miguel Ángel Lauri (1955)
* Manuel Ferreira (1955)
* Saúl Ongaro
Saúl Fortunato Ongaro (24 August 1916 – 23 April 2004) was an Argentine footballer who played as a defender for clubs in Argentina and Chile. He made two appearances for the Argentina national team in 1946.
Teams
* Estudiantes de La Plata ...
(1956)
* Ricardo Infante (1960)
* Saúl Ongaro
Saúl Fortunato Ongaro (24 August 1916 – 23 April 2004) was an Argentine footballer who played as a defender for clubs in Argentina and Chile. He made two appearances for the Argentina national team in 1946.
Teams
* Estudiantes de La Plata ...
(1962 – 1963)
* Carlos Aldabe
Carlos Roberto Aldabe (January 1, 1919 – October 16, 1998) was an Argentine Association Football player and coach. He is mostly known for leading the then prominently staffed Colombian club CD Los Millonarios as player-manager to their first ...
(1963 – 1964)
* Osvaldo Zubeldía (Jan 1965 – Dec 1970)
* Carlos Bilardo (1971)
* José María Silvero (1972)
* Omar Sívori (1972)
* Carlos Bilardo (1973 – 1976)
* Eduardo Luján Manera (1977)
* Héctor Rial (1978)
* José Yudica (1980)
* Carlos Pachamé (1981)
* Carlos Bilardo (1982 – 1983)
* Eduardo Luján Manera (1983 – 1985)
* Humberto Zuccarelli (July 1985 – Jun 1986)
* Eduardo Luján Manera (1986)
* José Ramos Delgado
José Manuel Ramos Delgado (25 August 1935 – 3 December 2010) was an Argentine footballer and manager. He played for the Argentina national football team in two World Cups and had a successful tenure in Brazilian football with Santos. He we ...
(1987)
* Oscar Malbernat (1987 – 1988)
* Humberto Zuccarelli (Jul 1990 – 1991)
* Eduardo Flores (1991 – 1992)
* Luis Garisto
Luis Garisto Pan (3 December 1945 – 21 November 2017) was a Uruguayan football (soccer) coach who had a professional career as both player and head coach.
Career
Luis Garisto, ''el Loco'', began his professional career in 1960 with Uruguayan c ...
(1992 – 1993)
* Enzo Trossero
Enzo Héctor Trossero (born 23 May 1953), nicknamed ''El Vikingo'' (the Viking), is an Argentine footballer and coach.
Club career
He began his playing career at Argentine minnows Belgrano de San Francisco but he soon moved on to Colón de S ...
(1993 – 1994)
* Héctor Vargas (1994)
* Miguel Ángel Russo & E. Luján Manera (1994 – 1995)
* Marcos Conigliaro (1995)
* Patricio Hernández (1998 – 1999)
* Néstor Craviotto
Néstor Oscar Craviotto (born 3 October 1963 in La Plata) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is the current manager of Colombian club Atlético Huila.
Playing career
He played club football for a ...
(2000 – 2002)
* Oscar Malbernat (2002 – 2003)
* Carlos Pachamé (2003)
* Carlos Bilardo (2003 – 2004)
* Reinaldo Merlo (Jul 2004 – Apr 2005)
* Jorge Burruchaga (Jul 2005 – Jun 2006)
* Diego Simeone (May 2006 − Dec 2007)
* Roberto Sensini (Jan 2008 – Sep 2008)
* Leonardo Astrada (Sep 2008 – Mar 2009)
* Alejandro Sabella (Mar 2009 − Feb 2011)
* Eduardo Berizzo
Eduardo Berizzo Magnolo (; born 13 November 1969) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a central defender. He is the manager of Chile.
During his 18-year professional career he played for six teams in four countries, mainly Newell ...
(Feb 2011 – May 2011)
* Miguel Ángel Russo (Jul 2011 − Nov 2011)
* Juan Manuel Azconzábal (Nov 2011 – Apr 2012)
* Diego Cagna
Diego Sebastián Cagna (born 19 April 1970) is an Argentine football coach and former player who played as midfielder.
Club career
Cagna was born in Buenos Aires. His first professional first division match was in December 1988, with Argentinos ...
(Jul 2012 − Apr 2013)
* Mauricio Pellegrino
Mauricio Andrés Pellegrino Luna (; born 5 October 1971) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, currently the manager of Chilean club Universidad de Chile.
After nearly one decade with Vélez Sarsfield, P ...
(Apr 2013 – Apr 2015)
* Gabriel Milito
Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently the manager of Argentinos Juniors.
He spent most of his professional career in Spain, representing Zaragoza and Barce ...
(Apr 2015 – Dec 2015)
* Nelson Vivas (Dec 2015 – Jun 2017)
* Gustavo Matosas (Jun 2017 – Sep 2017)
* Lucas Bernardi (Sep 2017 – May 2018)
* Leandro Benítez (Jun 2018 – Feb 2019)
* Gabriel Milito
Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently the manager of Argentinos Juniors.
He spent most of his professional career in Spain, representing Zaragoza and Barce ...
(11 Mar 2019–5 Mar 2020)
* Leandro Desábato & Rodrigo Braña (2020 (interims))
Honours
National
League
* Primera División (6): 1913 FAF, 1967 Metropolitano
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular an ...
, 1982 Metropolitano, 1983 Nacional, 2006 Apertura, 2010 Apertura
* Primera B Nacional (1): 1994–95
* Primera B (2): 1935, 1954
* Intermedia (1): 1911
National cups
* Copa Adrián C. Escobar (1): 1944
* Copa Gral. P. Ramírez (1): 1945
Other cups
* Copa Bullrich (1): 1919
International
*Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
(4): 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
, 1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
, 1970, 2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
* Intercontinental Cup (1): 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
* Copa Interamericana (1): 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* J ...
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Multi-sport clubs in Argentina
Association football clubs established in 1905
Football clubs in Buenos Aires Province
e
Basketball teams in Buenos Aires Province
Argentine volleyball teams
Argentine handball clubs
Golf clubs and courses in Argentina
1905 establishments in Argentina
Sport in La Plata
Copa Libertadores winning clubs
Intercontinental Cup winning clubs
Copa Interamericana winning clubs