1.
Primera División de Argentina
–
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by thirty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional, the season runs from February to May. In 1891 Argentina was the first country outside the United Kingdom to establish a football league, in the early years, only teams from Buenos Aires and Rosario were affiliated to the national association. Teams from other cities would join in later years, the Primera División turned professional in 1931 when 18 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues to form a professional one. Since then, the season has been contested annually in four different formats, the league has been under its current format since the 2015 season. The Argentine championship was ranked in the top 10 as one of the strongest leagues in the world by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, Argentina placed 4th after La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga. There are 30 teams competing in the 2016–17 season, with all of them playing each other in a single round-robin tournament, clásicos will be played in the round 24th. The complete list of games to be played are, Boca–River, Rosario Central–Newells, Independiente–Racing, San Lorenzo–Huracán, Estudiantes–Gimnasia. Relegation is based on an averaging system, at the end of the season, the team with the worst three-year averages is relegated, while the winner of Primera B Nacional championship is promoted to Primera. Averaging was instituted in 1983, two years after San Lorenzo de Almagro was relegated in 1981 and that year, River Plate finished 18th out of 19 teams and would have been relegated under the old system. Racing and Nueva Chicago were the first teams to be relegated on average, Boca Juniors was also struggling at that time and had a dismal 1984 season. These facts have led to speculation that the system was instituted to minimize the chance of big teams being relegated. The Primera División champion gains a place to play the Supercopa Argentina v. the winner of Copa Argentina, as of 2016–17, five teams from Argentina are eligible to play the 2018 Copa Libertadores. The champion of Primera División automatically qualifies for the tournament, the other four teams best placed in the table at the end of the tournament are also elegible to play the tournament. Teams placed 2° to 4° in the table qualify to play the group stag while the team placed 5° will enter to the first stage of the competition, for the Copa Sudamericana, six teams are elegible. Clubs placed 6° to 11° in the table at the end of the tournament, the first Primera División matches were played on 12 April 1891, Buenos Aires FC vs. St. Andrews and Old Caledonians vs. Belgrano FC. The single tournament arrangement lasted until 1966, during this period, the traditional big five clubs, namely, Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo dominated Argentine football
2.
Club Atlético River Plate
–
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Núñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and named after the citys estuary, Río de la Plata. At international level, River Plate has won a total of 16 official titles, in a recent survey published by the Argentine Football Association,6 out of 11 players of the all-time Argentine national team had played for River Plate. Additionally, in 2000, River Plate was honored by FIFA as the 9th best club of the century in the world and the best Argentine football club in that ranking. Domestic titles also include 9 National cups, with the 2016 Copa Argentina as the most recent, furthermore, the club has also won six tournaments organized by AFA and AUF together, five Copa Dr. Ricardo Aldao, and one Tie Cup. In addition, River Plates reserve team won the U-20 Copa Libertadores in 2012, in 2000, River Plate was named by FIFA as the 9th club of the century and it was the best Argentine football club in that ranking. In 2010, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics placed River Plate in the 9th place in a ranking that included the best teams of the world during the 1990 and 2000 decades, River was the South American club with the best position in the table. The club was founded in 1901 and took its name from the common English name for the Río de la Plata. River has a rivalry with Boca Juniors. Matches between them are known as Superclásico, and the two teams rivalry is amongst the most heated in the sport, due to their local and global popularity. Rivers home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, known simply as El Monumental, River Plate was founded on 25 May 1901, close to the La Boca neighborhood. The institution was formed after the merger of two clubs, Santa Rosa and La Rosales, with Leopoldo Bard being elected as its first president, the boxes they were working with just said The River Plate and that enigmatic inscription was taken to name the new club. River Plate affiliated to the Argentine Football Association in 1905, debuting in the division against Facultad de Medicina. On 13 December 1908, the team was promoted to first division after beating Racing Club 2–1, however, the match was declared null due to River supporters jumping onto the field to celebrate with the players, so a new match had to be played. River again won to achieve promotion, in 1914 River won its first domestic championship, the Copa de Competencia Jockey Club and its first international title, the Copa de Competencia Chevallier Boutell. The nickname Los Millonarios came after the acquisition of winger Carlos Peucelle in 1931 for $10,000, in the following years, River Plate consolidated its place as one of the most popular teams of Argentina. Notes River Plate and Boca Juniors are the two largest football clubs in Argentina, with more than half the 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. It was also acclaimed as one of the Fifty sporting things you must do before you die by The Observer newspaper
3.
Club Atlético Boca Juniors
–
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in the La Boca neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. National titles won by Boca Juniors include 31 Primera División championships, Boca Juniors also owns an honorary title awarded by the Argentine Football Association for their successful tour of Europe in 1925. Internationally, the Boca Juniors have won a total of 22 international titles, with 18 recognized by FIFA and CONMEBOL. According to that, Boca is ranked third in the world in terms of number of internationally recognized titles, together with A. C. Milan and behind Real Madrid and Egyptian side Al Ahly. Boca Juniors international achievements also include Tie Cup, Copa de Honor Cousenier, Boca Juniors is also one of only eight teams to have won CONMEBOLs treble. Their success usually has Boca ranked among the IFFHSs Club World Ranking Top 25, Boca was also named by the IFFHS as the top South American club of the first decade of the 21st century. Boca Juniors is also known to be the one of the most popular clubs in Argentina. Boca juniors is one of the most popular clubs in South America, Boca has always had a fierce rivalry with River Plate, as both clubs were established in La Boca. Matches between them are known as the Superclásico, and are one of the most heated rivalries in Argentina, Bocas home stadium is Estadio Alberto J. Armando, which is colloquially known as La Bombonera. In addition to football, Boca Juniors also has basketball and volleyball teams. Other activities held in the club are, athletics, futsal, artistic and rhythmic gymnastics, martial arts, on 3 April 1905, a group of Italian boys met in order to find a club. The house where the meeting was arranged was Esteban Bagliettos and the four people who attended were Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana and brothers Juan. This was possible when the Asociación Argentina de Fútbol decided to increase the number of teams in the league from 6 to 15, in 1925, Boca made its first trip to Europe to play in Spain, Germany and France. The squad played a total of 19 games, winning 15 of them, for that reason Boca was declared Campeón de Honor for the 1925 season by the Association. During successive years, Boca consolidated as one of the most popular teams of Argentina, with a number of fans not only in Argentina. The club is one of the most successful teams in Argentine football, having won 31 Primera División titles, second only to River Plate with 36. In South American and international football, Boca Juniors have won 18 titles. Those honors include 1919 Tie Cup,1920 Copa de Honor Cousenier and 1945 and 1946 Copa Escobar-Gerona, legend has it that in 1906, Boca played Nottingham de Almagro
4.
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors
–
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is known for its football team, which currently plays in the Primera B Nacional. It is one of the eight Argentine first division teams that won the Copa Libertadores, the continental trophy was won in the clubs first entry to the contest, in 1985. The club was founded in the Villa Crespo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires on 14 August 1904, after several moves in its first few years, the club settled in Villa Urquiza. In 1920 Argentinos played a playoff with El Porvenir but it lost 3–2 on aggregate. In 1921 the team secured promotion to the Primera, making its debut in the 1922 season, the club endured a terrible season in 1925, but they followed it up in 1926 with a 2nd-place finish behind champions Boca Juniors. In 1927 the two football associations were reunified and Argentinos played in a massive 34 team league. Later, the league was expanded to 36 and Argentinos managed to keep its place until 1930, in 1931 Argentinos joined 17 other clubs in forming a breakaway professional league, a move that marked the beginning of the professional era of Argentine football. In 1934 the amateur league was broken up and Argentina once again had a unified first division, Argentinos Juniors played on but finished bottom of the league with only 2 wins from 39 games. Argentinos was allowed to keep its place in the Primera, in 1943 Hector Ingunza made his first appearance for the club, and went on to become the top scorer in the clubs history with 143 goals in official games between 1943 and 1946. In 1948 Argentinos suffered another injustice at the hands of the AFA and they had qualified to the end of season playoff for promotion to the Primera and were top of the league after 7 of the 11 rounds when a players strike interrupted the competition. AFA eventually abandoned the playoff and gave automatic promotion to the teams that had been relegated in 1946 and 1947 instead, in 1954 Argentinos finished in 2nd place in the league having scored 88 goals in the league, making it the highest scoring team by far. In 1955 the team secured promotion back to the Primera after 18 long years. Argentinos returned to top competition in 1956 and after finishing near the bottom of the table that year. In 1960 there was an overhaul of the Argentinos Juniors team. The new team performed well and it was only on the last game of the season that they missed out on the championship, Argentinos finished in 3rd place, only 2 points below the eventual champions Independiente. Although the team didnt win the championship, it is remembered by those old enough to have seen them play. In the following years the team did not live up to expectations,1967 saw the introduction of the Metropolitano and Nacional system, Argentinos struggled to adapt and only just survived relegation from the Metropolitano in the inaugural season
5.
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
–
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro, known as San Lorenzo de Almagro or San Lorenzo, is an Argentine sports club based in the Boedo, neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its team, which plays in the Primera División. San Lorenzo is also considered one of the big five of Argentine football by Argentine press, with Independiente, River Plate, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo plays its home games at Estadio Pedro Bidegain, popularly known as Nuevo Gasómetro. The stadium and sports facilities are located in Bajo Flores, neighborhood of the city of Buenos Aires, Clubs previous stadium was the Viejo Gasómetro, located in Boedo neighborhood. After the match was played there in 1979, the Gasómetro was expropriated by the de facto Government of Argentina, the club currently has five headquarters, three in Boedo, one in Monserrat, and one at Bajo Flores, all of them in the city of Buenos Aires. San Lorenzo also plans to expand its main seat on La Plata Avenue, San Lorenzos historical rival is Huracán, located in Parque Patricios. The two clubs play one of the older derbies in Argentina, some supporters consider this derby as the third most important after Superclásico and Clásico de Avellaneda, in addition to being one of the most uneven derbies of Argentine Soccer. Other sports practised at the club are artistic roller skating, basketball, field hockey, futsal, handball, martial arts, roller hockey, swimming, tennis, some years ago, San Lorenzo had also opened a rugby union section, but it is no longer active. San Lorenzo gained international recognition in March 2013 with the election of Pope Francis, the players played with the Popes photo on their shirts during a league match against Colón de Santa Fe on 16 March 2013. The institution is known because of the actor Viggo Mortensen, supporter of the team. The roots of the institution can be found in a formed by a group of kids that used to play football in the corner of México. Due to the traffic in the city, playing football at the streets became a risky activity for the boys. Lorenzo Massa, the catholic priest of the church, saw how a tram almost knocked down one of the boys while they were playing in the streets. As a way to prevent more accidents, he offered the boys to play in the churchs backyard, on 1 April 1908, an assemble was held in the Almagro district of Buenos Aires with the purpose of establishing a club. During the meeting, several names were proposed, the first option was Los Forzosos de Almagro, which did not sound good to Father Massa. The other proposal was to name the club San Lorenzo as an homage to Massa, other founder member, Federico Monti, suggested to add the name of the neighbourhood, Almagro where most of the members lived in, which was accepted by the assemble. Due to the not having its own a stadium, San Lorenzo began to play its home games in a field property of the Club Martínez. The squad played its first match on 26 April 1914, and this title allowed San Lorenzo to dispute the playoffs in order to promote to the Argentine Primera División, which finally obtained after beating Club Honor y Patria by a score of 3–0
6.
Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield
–
Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield is an Argentine sports club based in Liniers, Buenos Aires. Its football team plays in Primera División, the highest level of the Argentine league system, founded in 1910, the club have spent most of their history in the top tier of Argentine football. The clubs home ground is the 49, 540-capacity José Amalfitani stadium, the club have enjoyed their greatest period of success in the past two decades, winning 15 major trophies since 1993. Domestically, Vélez have won ten Primera División titles, while in continental competiciones have won five international cups and it is one of eight teams to have won CONMEBOLs treble. Vélez Sarsfields regular kit colours are white shirts and shorts, with details in blue. The clubs crest has changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club. It is one of the most supported clubs in Argentina, apart from football the club takes part in other sports such as athletics, basketball, gymnastics, handball, field hockey, martial arts, tennis, roller skating and volleyball. Vélez foundation dates back to the last days of 1909, when rain interrupted a football game played near the Vélez Sarsfield railway station of the Buenos Aires Western Railway. The club was founded on 1 January 1910, in Marín Morenos house. The founders decided to call the new club Club Atlético Argentinos de Vélez Sarsfield and they also decided to form two teams and chose to sport white shirts, that were easy to obtain for everyone. In 1912, however, the board decided to change the uniform to navy blue shirts. Vélez Sarsfield first home ground was a piece of land located between the streets of Ensenada, Provincias Unidas, Mariano Acosta and Convención, Vélez affiliated to the Argentine Football Association in 1912. In that same year, the team was strengthened by the joining of former players of San Lorenzo de Almagro. With this help, Vélez reached the Federations second division championship final on their first year of affiliation, on 7 February 1913,10 new people were accepted as members of the club. Among them was José Amalfitani, who later would go on to be president for 30 years. Subsequently, on 23 November, the board of directors decided to shorten the name, eliminating the term Argentinos and leaving the club with its current name. The board also decided that players from the different teams had to contribute an initial fee of $1 Argentine pesos. In that year, Vélez rented a terrain in the neighbourhood of Mataderos known as Quinta de Figallo, located in the Tapalqué street and this new ground had the advantage that a wind mill could provide water for the dressing rooms
7.
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
–
Apart from football, GELP also hosts other activities such as athletics, basketball, fencing, futsal, gymnastics, field hockey, martial arts, tennis, roller skating and volleyball. The Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata was founded on 3 June 1887 as a civil association, the club also claims to be the oldest football club in the Americas, despite other football clubs, such as Peruvian Lima Cricket F. C. have older foundation dates. Its foundation came barely five years after the creation of the City of La Plata in 1882, the first sports offered to its members were, as its Spanish name indicates, gymnastics and fencing. Clubs supporting these sports were common among the classes at the end of the 19th century. Later on, other disciplines were added, including track and field, football, basketball, the institution changed name a few times, from April to December 1897 it was called a Club de Esgrima because fencing was the only activity practised at that moment. On 17 December 1897 it returned to its name, Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima. From July 1952 to 30 September 1955, the club was named Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima de Eva Perón, because the city of La Plata itself had been renamed Eva Perón in 1952, after Eva Peróns death. The city returned to its previous name during the government of the Liberating Revolution, however, it remained unduly identified legally as Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, a mistake that was corrected on 7 August 1964 after the new statute was approved. Gimnasia y Esgrima was promoted to the first division after becoming champions of the División Intermedia of Argentine football in 1915, later, in 1929, the club won its first Primera División championship. During successive years, Gimnasia became champion of Primera B in 1944,1947 and 1952, additionally, the squad has been a runner-up in the Primera División on five occasions. The club has remained at the top level of Argentine football for 73 seasons, the Clásico Platense is the nickname given to the match between La Platas two main football teams, Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and Estudiantes de La Plata. The first official derby took place as part of the Primera División season on 27 August 1916, on that occasion, Gimnasia won 1–0 over Estudiantes, with an own goal by Ludovico Pastor. The first derby of the era took place on 14 June 1931. Between 12 August 1932 and 9 September 1934 Gimnasia won five consecutive La Plata derbies, on 25 June 1963 Gimnasia obtained a 5–2 victory, this being the best result so far against Estudiantes. On the other hand, Gimnasias worst result was a 7–0 defeat on 15 October 2006, a curiosity among the derbies occurred on 5 April 1992, when Gimnasia won over Estudiantes 1–0 at the latters stadium. On that date, as the stands erupted and Gimnasias fans shouted in celebration at the goal being scored and that goal was scored by the Uruguayan José Perdomo on a freekick, and it has been known ever since as El gol del terremoto. Through more than 120 years of history, the Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata has had 56 Presidents, many of them contributed to the growth of the club over the years. Some of them have remained vivid in the fans memory for their achievements or outstanding works
8.
Club Atlético Platense
–
Club Atlético Platense is an Argentine sports club based in Florida, Buenos Aires. The club nickname is Calamar after the journalist Palacio Zino said that the team moved like a squid in its ink, although the club hosts many activities, Platense is mostly known for its football team. Despite being relegated from the Primera División in 1999, it remains on the top 20 of the All-time Argentine Primera División table. Platense currently competes in the Primera B Metropolitana, the level of the Argentine football league system. Platense survived at the top level of Argentine football until finally succumbing to relegation in 1999 and this would be the beginning of a steep decline, Platense was subsequently relegated to the regionalised third division, Primera B Metropolitana, at the end of the 2001–02 season. On 17 May 2006, Platense won its title and was promoted back to the Argentine second division Nacional B. But soon later The Squid would be relegated again to the third category, platenses fans base can be found in Vicente López, Olivos and Florida towns, as well as in Villa Urquiza and Saavedra neighbourhoods. The club is also cited in Bioy Casaress book El Sueño de los héroes, among its supporters, the Tango music singer Roberto Goyeneche and the British author Chris Moss were probably the most notable fans. In Primera División, Best position, 2nd, longest victory, 8–0 to Argentino de Quilmes in 1939. All-time top scorer, Vicente E. Sayago with 75 goals, All-time most capped player, Enrique Topini, with 324 games. 1 Considered the traditional uniform and worn most of the times. Note, Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules, players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Primera B Nacional,1976 Primera B Metropolitana, 2005–06 Primera C,1926 AAm Official site
9.
Club Atlético Talleres (Córdoba)
–
Club Atlético Talleres is an Argentine sports club from the city of Córdoba. The institution is known for its football team, which currently plays in the Primera División de Argentina. Talleres main rival is Belgrano de Córdoba, in field hockey, the club is affiliated to amateur Córdoba Field Hockey Federation, where its teams compete. The club was founded in 1913 as Club Atletico Talleres de Córdoba by workers of the Córdoba Central Railway, in 1914 Talleres joined the Córdoba local league. In 1969 the team played for the first time in the Argentine Primera División in the Nacional Championship, Talleres contributed three players to the Argentine squad that won the 1978 FIFA World Cup, with Talleres captain Luis Galván as a starter in the final as a center back. Miguel Oviedo and Jose Daniel Valencia were substitutes, starting in 1980, Talleres became a regular of the Metropolitano championship and finished in third place. Talleres played in the Argentine Primera División until the 1993 Torneo Clausura when Talleres was relegated to the Primera B Nacional, Talleres was promoted to Argentine Primera División after the 1993–94 championship, but was again related after a poor performance in 1994–95 season. The following season, the finished first during the Clausura tournament of the Second Division. Next year the club won its first and only international title, Talleres reached the round of 16 in the Mercosur, only to lose against Gremio. In Copa Libertadores, Talleres had a performance, being eliminated in the first stage. By Argentine rules, the team lost its Libertadores bid because of this, in 2008–09 Talleres was dismissed again, this time to the Torneo Argentino A via the point average system despite finishing in 12th place of 20 teams in Primera B Nacional. On November 15,2010, the IFFHS produced a report on the top 200 teams in the American continent from 2001 to that date, Talleres was #130, the highest position for a Córdoba Province team in the ranking. In May,2013, Talleres was promoted to Primera B Nacional after defeating San Jorge by 1–0, later, Talleres returned to the third division but it was promoted in 2015, and, in 2016, after 12 years Talleres earned the promotion to First Division
10.
Club Ferro Carril Oeste
–
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply as Ferro Carril Oeste or Ferro, is an Argentine sports club from the neighbourhood of Caballito, Buenos Aires. Although many activities are hosted by the club, Ferro is mostly known for its team, currently playing in the Primera B Nacional. Always located in Caballito, the club was founded as Club Atlético del Ferrocarril Oeste de Buenos Aires on 28 July 1904, the club was approved and supported by railway managers, so Ferro soon incorporated lands to build its headquarters and sports installations. In 1907, Ferro joined the second division, and in 1912 the team won the promotion to the first division after beating Racing Club in the final game. At the end of the 1930s, the club emancipated from the railway company, in 1937 five talented players rose from the youth divisions, forming an offensive line which would be remembered as The Five Musketeers. They were Bernardo Gandulla, Juan José Maril, Luis Borgnia, Jaime Sarlanga, but those skilled players only played together between 1937 and 1938, due to other clubs acquiring them. Gandulla and Emeal returned to Ferro in 1944 after their stint with Boca Juniors, but despite having such prominent players, Ferro finished last in 1946 season and was relegated to Second Division for the first time in its history. Ferro soon returned to the first division in 1949, when winning the Primera B title, during the 1950 Ferro finished 6th in 1954 and reached a memorable 4th position in 1959, the best team campaign until then. After being relegated again, Ferro won the Primera B championship in 1963, in the top level, Ferro reached another 4th place in the 1965 tournament. Ferro would be relegated again, returning in 1970 to the first division, in 1974 Ferro wore an orange jersey, paying tribute to World sub-champion Netherlands national football team, The Clockwork Orange, finishing 6th in the Torneo Nacional disputed that year. Teams most notable player was central midfielder Gerónimo Cacho Saccardi, who had debuted in 1969, Ferro had a prominent role in Argentine sports in the 1980s, more specifically in football and basketball. The football team won 2 titles of Argentine Primera División and played the Copa Libertadores, otherwise, the basketball team won the Liga Nacional de Básquet championship 3 times. In 1979 Carlos Griguol arrived to the club, in 1981 Ferro finished 2nd, totalling 49 points, just one less than champion Boca Juniors. That same year Ferro reached the Torneo Nacional final although the team was defeated by River Plate, Ferro finally won its first title at Primera in 1982, obtaining the Torneo Nacional defeating Quilmes in the finals. The squad played 22 matches, won 16 and tied 6, Ferro scored 50 goals and conceded 13. Left wing Miguel Angel Juárez was the top scorer with 22, other notable players for the champion team were Adolfino Cañete, Alberto Márcico, Juan Domingo Rocchia and Héctor Cúper. Although some important players during the 1982 tournament had left, Ferro won another Torneo Nacional in 1984, the team played 14 matches, winning 8 and losing only 1, with 5 draws. Ferro scored 32 goals and only conceded 9, being Márcico the top scorer with 5 goals, another important achievement for Ferro was the 2nd place in the 1984 Torneo Metropolitano, finishing with 50 points, only one less than champion Argentinos Juniors
Ramón Díaz (14 goles)
