Argentinos Juniors
Encyclopedia
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine
football club based in La Paternal
, Buenos Aires
. Founded on August 15, 1904, the club was originally called the “Martyrs of Chicago”, in homage to the eight anarchists imprisoned or hanged after the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago
.
neighbourhood of Buenos Aires
on August 14, 1904. In 1905 it joined the "Fútbol de competencia" league playing its first game against Club La Prensa, which it lost by a catastrophic scoreline of 12–1. After several moves in their first few years Argentinos settled in Villa Urquiza
.
In 1909 Argentinos gained affiliation with the Argentine Football Association
, but in 1912 they were involved in the first schism in Argentine football
when they joined the breakaway "Federación de Fútbol". In 1920 they played a promotion playoff with El Porvenir
but lost 3–2 on aggregate, one year later they secured promotion to the Primera, and made their debut in the 1922 season, where they competed well, finishing in 6th place.
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 separate 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 their place until 1930.
. As part of this move, Argentinos Juniors were unified with Club Atlético Atlanta
, the season progressed badly, and after 25 rounds the union was dissolved due to financial irregularities in the Atlanta books. Argentinos Juniors played on but finished bottom of the league with only 2 wins from 39 games.
Argentinos were allowed to keep their place in the Primera, but succumbed to relegation in 1937 after finishing second from bottom of the table.
In 1940 Argentinos enjoyed a good campaign in a new stadium, which culminated in winning the 2nd division, but the club were not allowed promotion because their ground did not meet the requirements of the Primera División, and AFA would not make an exception for Argentinos to play at another ground, even though they had done so for several other promoted clubs in previous seasons.
In 1943 Hector Ingunza made his first appearance for the club, he 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 AFA, 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 them the highest scoring team by far. In 1955 they finally secured promotion back to the Primera after 18 long years. They returned to top flight competition in 1956 and after finishing near the bottom of the table that year, they secured comfortable mid-table finishes over the next few seasons.
In 1960 there was a complete 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. They finished in 3rd place, only 2 points below the eventual champions Independiente. Although they didn't win the championship, the team is fondly remembered by those old enough to have seen them play. In the following years the team did not live up to expectations, rarely finishing in the top half of the table.
and Nacional
system, Argentinos struggled to adapt and only just survived relegation from the Metropolitano in the inaugural season. Over the next few seasons Argentinos had to play in several short tournaments to earn the right to stay in the Metropolitano and were far from qualifying to play in the Nacional.
From 1971 Argentinos stabilized themselves and avoided the lower positions in the table, they also qualified to play in the expanded Nacional tournaments of the early '70s, they performed well enough, but failed to qualify for the final stages.
In 1975 Argentinos Juniors finished 19th of 20 teams, but were extremely fortune in that no teams were relegated from the Metropolitano that season.
On Thursday 20 October 1976, fans of Argentinos Juniors and a few traveling Talleres
fans witnessed probably the most important debut in the history of Argentine football. With Argentinos losing 1–0 the manager, Juan Carlos Montes sent on a fifteen year old debutant named Diego Armando Maradona making him the league's youngest ever player until his record was broken by Sergio Agüero
in 2003. Argentinos lost the game but Diego went on to propel the club forward over the next four years and to achieve great successes with other clubs and the Argentina national team
. In the 1979 Metropolitano Diego became the youngest topscorer in the history of Argentine football with 14 goals, he went on to become top scorer
in the following three tournaments, matching José Sanfilippo
's record of being Argentina's topscorer on four consecutive occasions. In 1980 Argentinos finished 2nd in the Metropolitano and reached the quarter finals of the Nacional. The 2nd place finish was their best since the beginning of the professional era in 1931.
In 1981 Maradona was sold to Boca Juniors
in 1981 for a fee of £1 million. Maradona never won a title with Argentinos but his massive transfer fee allowed Argentinos to strengthen their squad for the years ahead, although his departure almost cost Argentinos their place in the top flight as they needed a last day win over San Lorenzo
to avoid relegation at San Lorenzo's expense.
In 1982 Argentinos failed to progress to the latter stages of the Nacional and finished in mid table in the Metropolitano. The season of 1983 saw a distinct improvement under the leadership of Ángel Labruna
, he had brought in a new group of players a new system of play and moved them to the Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
of Ferro Carril Oeste
to give the team a wider pitch to play on. The team were making good progress, they had made it to the semi-finals of the Nacional and were in the middle of the Metropolitano when Labruna died suddenly on 20 September 1983, the team held themselves together under new manager Roberto Saporiti
for a mid table finish. They then made it to the quarter-finals of the Nacional in 1984.
.
to the Metropolitano championship in 1978 and rescuing San Lorenzo from the 2nd division at the first time of asking. The Nacional championship of 1985 was the last, and featured by far the most complicated structure in the history of the Argentine Primera. Once the competition reached the knockout stage, the eliminated teams got another chance to play on in the losers knockout. Argentinos won the winners group with a 4–2 penalties win against Vélez Sársfield
after a 2–2 aggregate score, but Velez got another chance to play for the title after beating River Plate in the losers final. Argentinos and Velez played for the title and after a 1–1 draw, Velez won the penalty shootout, but because they has come from the losers group a new game was needed, which Argentinos won 2–1.
saw the inclusion of three Argentine teams, Independiente
as the previous years champions, Ferro Carril Oeste
as the champions of the 1984 Nacional and Argentinos Juniors as the champions of the 1984 Metropolitano.
In the first round Argentinos and Ferro were put into the same group with Brazil
ian teams Fluminense
and Vasco da Gama
. The group was dominated by the two Argentine teams, who finished level on points at the top of the group. This necessitated a playoff game to determine which team would pass to the semi-final, which Argentinos won 3–1.
In the semi-final round Argentinos found themselves in a group of three with Independiete who had received a bye to the semi-finals and club Blooming
of Bolivia
. Argentinos progressed thanks to a 2–1 win in Independiente's stadium
in the last fixture of the group.
The final was against América de Cali
of Colombia
, after a 1–0 home win each, the final went to a deciding game in Asunción
, Paraguay
. The game finished 1–1 and Argentinos won 5–4 on penalties. It was only the second time the competition had been decided on penalties, and marked the finest achievement in the history of Argentinos Juniors.
The players involved in the final playoff game were:
Manager: 
José Yudica
against Juventus F.C.
of Italy
, the game ended in a 2–2 draw, but Argentinos lost in the penalty shootout. Argentinos went on to win another trophy in 1986. They won 1–0 in the Copa Interamericana
against Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago
.
Argentinos qualified for the 1986 Copa Libertadores, receiving a bye to the second round as holders, but was elimnated in the group of three, behind River Plate of Argentina who went on to win the tournament.
1985–1986 saw the start of Eupropean-style seasons. Argentinos performed well, finishing in the top half of the table for most of the rest of the 1980s and never fearing relegation, although they also never really challenged as title contenders.
By 1988 the majority of the Libertadores champions had gone and Argentinos were a vastly different team.
On 20 November 1988 the club set a world record for the longest penalty shootout, which occurred in a league match against Racing Club
, the shootout finished 20:19 to Argentinos after 44 penalties. The rules of the time granted an extra point for the winner on penalties after a drawn match.
1990 saw the introduction of the Apertura and Clausura
system in Argentina, Argentinos enjoyed a number of decent finishes, although they finished 19th in Apertura 1992 and were saved from relegation by the points averaging system.
Argentinos finished 20th and last in Clausura 1995 and were again saved by the points averaging system, the next year they finished bottom of the Clausura and were relegated from the Primera División only eleven years after being champions of South America.
In the 1996–1997 season Argentinos won the second division under manager Osvaldo Sosa
to bounce back into the Primera at the first attempt. They remained in the top flight until they were relegated again after another sequence of poor finishes, the best finish they managed in that period was 4th in Clausura 2001.
Argentinos spent two seasons in the 2nd division before returning in 2004 through a playoff with Talleres de Córdoba
who had finished the season in 3rd place in the Primera, but had to play in the relegation playoff due to effect of their poor form in the previous 2 seasons on their standings in the points averaging table.
Argentinos spent a couple of nervous seasons narrowly avoiding relegation in 2005 by beating Atlético de Rafaela in a playoff. The following season they survived a playoff against Huracán
. The 2006–2007 season
saw Argentinos finally claw their way clear from the relegation places after over two years of flirting with relegation.
In 2008 Argentinos earned the right to play in an international tournament for the first time in 12 years by qualifying for Copa Sudamericana 2008
. They eventually progressed to the semi-final where they were eliminated by Estudiantes de La Plata
over two legs despite beating them 5–0 in the league game which was sandwiched between the cup ties.
In June 2009, former star player Claudio Borghi
took over as manager of the club following an awful Clausura 2009 tournament where the club had finisned 20th and last in the table with only 2 wins from their 19 games.
The team recorded an impressive 6–3 win against Lanús in their second fixture of the campaign, but after 5 games this was their only win, with two draws and two defeats. Argentinos won their 6th fixture against Estudiantes de La Plata which was the start of a 14 game unbeaten streak that saw Argentinos finish 1 point ahead of Estudiantes at the end of the season. The most significant result in this 14 game run was in their penultimate fixture against title challengers Independiente, which saw Argentinos come back from 1–3 down to win 4–3, which featured two goals in the final minutes of the game to seal the win and leave Argentinos top of the table with one game to play. They sealed their first domestic championship in 25 years with a 1–2 away win against Huracán in the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó
.
beginnings.
which is also often referred to as La Paternal after La Paternal
district of Buenos Aires
where the club is based. The stadium was named after Diego Maradona
because he started his career in the Argentinos youth team. Between 1983 and 2003 Argentinos had a groundshare with Ferro Carril Oeste
at Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
. The club has had a number of other homes in their history, all based in the city of Buenos Aires.
, Fernando Redondo
and Juan Román Riquelme
being some of the most famous players who began their career at the club. This ability to keep producing world class players has given them the nickname El Semillero, meaning the Nursery
or the "Seed Garden".
Héctor Ingunza (1943–46) Osvaldo Sosa
(1966–68), (1970–71) José Pekerman
(1970–74) Carlos Fren
(1973–78) Óscar Quintabani
(1974–76) Diego Armando Maradona (1976–81) Pedro Pasculli
(1980–85) Sergio Batista
(1981–88), (1991) Claudio Borghi
(1981–86) Adrián Domenech
(1982–87) Mario Videla
(1982–87) Carmelo Villalba
(1982~88) Armando Dely Valdés
† (1983–?) Renato Corsi
(1983–87) José Luis Pavoni
(1983–88) Juan José López
(1984–86) Carlos Manuel Morete
(1984–86) Jorge Pellegrini
(1984–87) Enrique Vidallé
(1984–87) Emilio Commisso
(1984–88) Jorge Olguín
(1984–88)
Néstor Lorenzo
(1985–89) Fernando Redondo
(1985–90) Fernando Cáceres (1986–91), (2006–07) Carlos MacAllister
(1986–92) Oscar Dertycia
(1988–89) Ramiro Castillo (1988–90) Fernando Gabriel Cáceres (1988–92), (2006) Diego Cagna
(1988–92) Roberto Mogrovejo
(1989–93) Leonel Gancedo (1990–96) Cristian Traverso
(1991–94) Christian Dollberg
(1992–94) Leonardo Mas
(1993–97) Jorge Quinteros
(1993–97), (1998–99), (2003–04), (2006) Líber Vespa
(1994–98) Eduardo Bennet
(1995–99), (2000) Raul Sanzotti
(1995-03) Rolando Schiavi
(1996-01) Fabián Garfagnoli
(1996-02) Marcelo Pontiroli
(1997–99), (2005–07)
Cristian Raúl Ledesma
(1997–99), (2006) Federico Insúa
(1997–02) Mariano Herrón
(1998-02) Fernando Zagharián
(1998-02) Facundo Pérez Castro
(1999-07) Pablo De Muner
(2000–07) Ariel Seltzer
(2000–08) Pablo Barzola
(2001–03), (2006–08) Gastón Machín
(2002–05) Leonardo Pisculichi
(2002–05) Leandro Fleitas
(2003–06), (2007–08) Nicolás Pareja
(2004–06) Franco Niell
(2004–07) Néstor Ortigoza
(2004–) Leonel Núñez
(2005–07) Matías Caruzzo
(2006–10) Gabriel Hauche
(2006–10) Andrés Scotti
(2007–09) Nicolás Peric
(2009–10) Juan Mercier (2007–) Gonzalo Prósperi
(2006–)
Sergio Batista
Claudio Borghi
Esteban Cambiasso
Diego Cagna
Fabricio Coloccini
Diego Maradona
Diego Placente
Fernando Redondo
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Pablo Sorín
Cristian Traverso
(2001–04) "Chiche" Sosa
(2004–05) Gregorio Pérez
(2005–06) Adrián Domenech
(2006) Ricardo Caruso Lombardi
(2007) Néstor Gorosito
(2007–08) Claudio Vivas (2009) Claudio Borghi
(2009–10) Pedro Troglio (2010–11)
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
football club based in La Paternal
La Paternal, Buenos Aires
La Paternal or Paternal is a barrio or district in the centre of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. It was founded in 1904 by a City Decree and was named 'La Paternal' after the train station in the neighbourhood, a former industrial zone....
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Founded on August 15, 1904, the club was originally called the “Martyrs of Chicago”, in homage to the eight anarchists imprisoned or hanged after the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Early years
The club was founded in the Villa CrespoVilla Crespo
Villa Crespo is a middle-class neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located in the geographical centre of the city. It had a population of 83,646 people in 2001, and thus population density of 23,235 inhabitants/km²....
neighbourhood of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
on August 14, 1904. In 1905 it joined the "Fútbol de competencia" league playing its first game against Club La Prensa, which it lost by a catastrophic scoreline of 12–1. After several moves in their first few years Argentinos settled in Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza
Villa Urquiza is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires city, capital of Argentina. It is located between the barrios of Villa Pueyrredón, Belgrano, Villa Ortúzar, Coghlan, Saavedra and Agronomía. Its limits are the streets and avenues Constituyentes, Crisólogo Larralde, Galván, Núñez, Tronador,...
.
In 1909 Argentinos gained affiliation with the Argentine Football Association
Argentine Football Association
The Argentine Football Association is the governing body of football in Argentina. It organises the Argentine football league and the Argentina national football team. It is based in Buenos Aires...
, but in 1912 they were involved in the first schism in Argentine football
Football in Argentina
Football in Argentina is the most popular sport, the one with the most players and is the most popular recreational sport, played from childhood into old age...
when they joined the breakaway "Federación de Fútbol". In 1920 they played a promotion playoff with El Porvenir
Club El Porvenir
Club El Porvenir is an Argentine football club, located in the Gerli neighborhood, which is part of the district of Lanús Partido in the Gran Buenos Aires....
but lost 3–2 on aggregate, one year later they secured promotion to the Primera, and made their debut in the 1922 season, where they competed well, finishing in 6th place.
The club endured a terrible season in 1925, but they followed it up in 1926 with a 2nd place finish behind champions Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
.
In 1927 the two separate 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 their place until 1930.
1931–1966
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 divisionPrimera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
. As part of this move, Argentinos Juniors were unified with Club Atlético Atlanta
Club Atlético Atlanta
Club Atlético Atlanta is an Argentine sports club from Buenos Aires. Nicknamed Los Bohemios , its football team won the 2010/11 Primera B Metropolitana championship and promoted to the Primera B Nacional for the 2011/12 season.-History:The club was founded on October the 12th, 1904 in Buenos...
, the season progressed badly, and after 25 rounds the union was dissolved due to financial irregularities in the Atlanta books. Argentinos Juniors played on but finished bottom of the league with only 2 wins from 39 games.
Argentinos were allowed to keep their place in the Primera, but succumbed to relegation in 1937 after finishing second from bottom of the table.
In 1940 Argentinos enjoyed a good campaign in a new stadium, which culminated in winning the 2nd division, but the club were not allowed promotion because their ground did not meet the requirements of the Primera División, and AFA would not make an exception for Argentinos to play at another ground, even though they had done so for several other promoted clubs in previous seasons.
In 1943 Hector Ingunza made his first appearance for the club, he 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 AFA, 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 them the highest scoring team by far. In 1955 they finally secured promotion back to the Primera after 18 long years. They returned to top flight competition in 1956 and after finishing near the bottom of the table that year, they secured comfortable mid-table finishes over the next few seasons.
In 1960 there was a complete 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. They finished in 3rd place, only 2 points below the eventual champions Independiente. Although they didn't win the championship, the team is fondly remembered by those old enough to have seen them play. In the following years the team did not live up to expectations, rarely finishing in the top half of the table.
1967-1984
1967 saw the introduction of the MetropolitanoMetropolitano championship
The Metropolitano championship was an Argentine football tournament that existed between 1967 and 1984. The Metropolitano formed one half of the Argentine 1st division taking place in the first half of the year, the Nacional took place in the 2nd half of the year. This arrangement lasted until 1982...
and Nacional
Nacional championship
The Nacional championship was an Argentine football tournament that existed between 1967 and 1985. The Nacional formed one half of the Argentine 1st division taking place in the second half of the year, the Metropolitano took place in the first half of the year. This arrangement lasted until 1982...
system, Argentinos struggled to adapt and only just survived relegation from the Metropolitano in the inaugural season. Over the next few seasons Argentinos had to play in several short tournaments to earn the right to stay in the Metropolitano and were far from qualifying to play in the Nacional.
From 1971 Argentinos stabilized themselves and avoided the lower positions in the table, they also qualified to play in the expanded Nacional tournaments of the early '70s, they performed well enough, but failed to qualify for the final stages.
In 1975 Argentinos Juniors finished 19th of 20 teams, but were extremely fortune in that no teams were relegated from the Metropolitano that season.
On Thursday 20 October 1976, fans of Argentinos Juniors and a few traveling Talleres
Talleres de Córdoba
Club Atlético Talleres is a sports club from the city of Córdoba, Argentina, mostly known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the regionalised third division, the Torneo Argentino A...
fans witnessed probably the most important debut in the history of Argentine football. With Argentinos losing 1–0 the manager, Juan Carlos Montes sent on a fifteen year old debutant named Diego Armando Maradona making him the league's youngest ever player until his record was broken by Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City in England's Premier League and the Argentine national team....
in 2003. Argentinos lost the game but Diego went on to propel the club forward over the next four years and to achieve great successes with other clubs and the Argentina national team
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. In the 1979 Metropolitano Diego became the youngest topscorer in the history of Argentine football with 14 goals, he went on to become top scorer
Primera División Argentina topscorers
This is a list of Argentine Primera División top scorers, that enumerates all players that have finished a season as top goalscorers in the top level of the Argentine football league system. These statistics only include seasons from the professional era of Argentine football...
in the following three tournaments, matching José Sanfilippo
José Sanfilippo
José Francisco "El Nene" Sanfilippo is a former Argentine footballer.During his club career he played for San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Banfield in Argentina, Nacional in Uruguay and Bangu and SC Bahia in Brazil He also earned 29 caps and scored 21 goals for the Argentina national football team,...
's record of being Argentina's topscorer on four consecutive occasions. In 1980 Argentinos finished 2nd in the Metropolitano and reached the quarter finals of the Nacional. The 2nd place finish was their best since the beginning of the professional era in 1931.
In 1981 Maradona was sold to Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
in 1981 for a fee of £1 million. Maradona never won a title with Argentinos but his massive transfer fee allowed Argentinos to strengthen their squad for the years ahead, although his departure almost cost Argentinos their place in the top flight as they needed a last day win over San Lorenzo
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro is an Argentine sports club based in Boedo neighbourhood, Buenos Aires, mostly known because of its football team....
to avoid relegation at San Lorenzo's expense.
In 1982 Argentinos failed to progress to the latter stages of the Nacional and finished in mid table in the Metropolitano. The season of 1983 saw a distinct improvement under the leadership of Ángel Labruna
Ángel Labruna
Angel Amadeo Labruna, , was a football player and coach in Argentina. He is tied with Arsenio Erico as the all-time highest goalscorers in the Argentine first division...
, he had brought in a new group of players a new system of play and moved them to the Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry is a multi-purpose stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located close to the Puan station on Line A of the Metro. It is currently used mostly for football matches, by Ferro Carril Oeste. The stadium has a capacity of 24,442 people...
of Ferro Carril Oeste
Ferro Carril Oeste
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply as Ferro Carril Oeste or Ferro, is a sports club from the neighbourhood of Caballito, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The club was founded on July 28, 1904 by 95 railway workers from the Buenos Aires Western Railway...
to give the team a wider pitch to play on. The team were making good progress, they had made it to the semi-finals of the Nacional and were in the middle of the Metropolitano when Labruna died suddenly on 20 September 1983, the team held themselves together under new manager Roberto Saporiti
Roberto Saporiti
Roberto Marcos Saporiti is a former Argentine footballer currently working as manager of Defensa y Justicia of the Argentine 2nd division. He has managed clubs in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia.-Playing career:...
for a mid table finish. They then made it to the quarter-finals of the Nacional in 1984.
Metropolitano 1984
Saporiti had kept faith with Labruna's attacking style of play, and largely retained the same group of players. Argentinos managed to win the title by a single point over Ferro Carril Oeste on the last day of the season. This was the first major title in the clubs history and gave them automatic qualification to the Copa Libertadores in 1985Copa Libertadores 1985
The 1985 edition of Copa Libertadores was won by Argentinos Juniors, of Argentina for the first time, after defeating América de Cali of Colombia in a penalty shootout, following a playoff game after the two legged final finished level.-Group stage:...
.
Nacional 1985
Saporiti was replaced as manager by José Yudica who had worked wonders in previous seasons including leading unfashionable Quilmes Atlético ClubQuilmes Atlético Club
Quilmes Atlético Club is a sports clubs of Argentina, based on the Partido de Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. Quilmes is one of the oldest clubs of Argentina, having been founded in 1887. Its football squad currently plays in the Primera B Nacional Division....
to the Metropolitano championship in 1978 and rescuing San Lorenzo from the 2nd division at the first time of asking. The Nacional championship of 1985 was the last, and featured by far the most complicated structure in the history of the Argentine Primera. Once the competition reached the knockout stage, the eliminated teams got another chance to play on in the losers knockout. Argentinos won the winners group with a 4–2 penalties win against Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield is a sports club based in the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires, Argentina. Vélez is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División, the top level of the Argentine league system...
after a 2–2 aggregate score, but Velez got another chance to play for the title after beating River Plate in the losers final. Argentinos and Velez played for the title and after a 1–1 draw, Velez won the penalty shootout, but because they has come from the losers group a new game was needed, which Argentinos won 2–1.
Copa Libertadores 1985
The 1985 edition of the Copa LibertadoresCopa Libertadores 1985
The 1985 edition of Copa Libertadores was won by Argentinos Juniors, of Argentina for the first time, after defeating América de Cali of Colombia in a penalty shootout, following a playoff game after the two legged final finished level.-Group stage:...
saw the inclusion of three Argentine teams, Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
as the previous years champions, Ferro Carril Oeste
Ferro Carril Oeste
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply as Ferro Carril Oeste or Ferro, is a sports club from the neighbourhood of Caballito, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The club was founded on July 28, 1904 by 95 railway workers from the Buenos Aires Western Railway...
as the champions of the 1984 Nacional and Argentinos Juniors as the champions of the 1984 Metropolitano.
In the first round Argentinos and Ferro were put into the same group with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian teams Fluminense
Fluminense Football Club
Fluminense Football Club is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in the beginning of the 20th century as a single-sport institution, Fluminense is today an umbrella organization for several teams in more than 16 different sport activities. The most popular endeavor of Fluminense,...
and Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama |Rowing Club]]), usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a famous and traditional Brazilian multisports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898...
. The group was dominated by the two Argentine teams, who finished level on points at the top of the group. This necessitated a playoff game to determine which team would pass to the semi-final, which Argentinos won 3–1.
In the semi-final round Argentinos found themselves in a group of three with Independiete who had received a bye to the semi-finals and club Blooming
Club Blooming
Club Social, Cultural y Deportivo Blooming is a Bolivian football club from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, formed on May 1, 1946. Its home colours are sky blue, white and navy. They play at the Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera . Its main rival is Oriente Petrolero, also from Santa Cruz...
of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. Argentinos progressed thanks to a 2–1 win in Independiente's stadium
Estadio Libertadores de América
The Estadio Libertadores de América is a stadium located in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province.It is home to the Argentine football club Independiente...
in the last fixture of the group.
The final was against América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, after a 1–0 home win each, the final went to a deciding game in Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. The game finished 1–1 and Argentinos won 5–4 on penalties. It was only the second time the competition had been decided on penalties, and marked the finest achievement in the history of Argentinos Juniors.
The players involved in the final playoff game were:
|
Defender (football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... ) Carlos Mayor (DF Defender (football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... ) Goalkeeper (football) In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal... ) Horacio Peralta (FW Striker Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... ) Armando Dely Valdés Armando Dely Valdes Armando Javier Dely Valdés was a Panamanian football player. He was the elder brother of twins Julio Dely Valdés and Jorge Dely Valdés... (FW Striker Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... ) |
Striker Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... ) Carlos Ereros (FW Striker Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... ) Juan José López Juan José López Juan José "J. J." López, is an Argentine football manager and former player.-Club:López started his playing career with River Plate in 1970. He became an important player at the club, winning seven league titles and playing 466 games with 84 goals scored... (MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... ) Carlos Morete Carlos Manuel Morete Carlos Morete is a retired Argentine football striker. He was born on January 14, 1952, in the city of Munro in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. He is one of the few players to play for and won titles at Argentina's big three clubs River Plate, Boca Juniors and Club Atlético Independiente... (FW Striker Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals... ) |
José Yudica1985–2010
In 1985 Argentinos Juniors represented South America in the Intercontinental Cup1985 Intercontinental Cup
The 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the...
against Juventus F.C.
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, the game ended in a 2–2 draw, but Argentinos lost in the penalty shootout. Argentinos went on to win another trophy in 1986. They won 1–0 in the Copa Interamericana
Copa Interamericana
Copa Interamericana was a football trophy contested between the champions of CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores de América and the winners of CONCACAF's Champions' Cup...
against Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
.
Argentinos qualified for the 1986 Copa Libertadores, receiving a bye to the second round as holders, but was elimnated in the group of three, behind River Plate of Argentina who went on to win the tournament.
1985–1986 saw the start of Eupropean-style seasons. Argentinos performed well, finishing in the top half of the table for most of the rest of the 1980s and never fearing relegation, although they also never really challenged as title contenders.
By 1988 the majority of the Libertadores champions had gone and Argentinos were a vastly different team.
On 20 November 1988 the club set a world record for the longest penalty shootout, which occurred in a league match against Racing Club
Racing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
, the shootout finished 20:19 to Argentinos after 44 penalties. The rules of the time granted an extra point for the winner on penalties after a drawn match.
1990 saw the introduction of the Apertura and Clausura
Apertura and Clausura
The Apertura and Clausura tournaments are a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional European football season from August to May is divided in two sections per season, each with its own champion. Apertura and Clausura are the Spanish words for...
system in Argentina, Argentinos enjoyed a number of decent finishes, although they finished 19th in Apertura 1992 and were saved from relegation by the points averaging system.
Argentinos finished 20th and last in Clausura 1995 and were again saved by the points averaging system, the next year they finished bottom of the Clausura and were relegated from the Primera División only eleven years after being champions of South America.
In the 1996–1997 season Argentinos won the second division under manager Osvaldo Sosa
Osvaldo Sosa
Osvaldo "Chiche" Sosa is an Argentine football manager and former player who most recently worked as the manager of Atlético Tucumán in the Primera División Argentina.-Playing career:...
to bounce back into the Primera at the first attempt. They remained in the top flight until they were relegated again after another sequence of poor finishes, the best finish they managed in that period was 4th in Clausura 2001.
Argentinos spent two seasons in the 2nd division before returning in 2004 through a playoff with Talleres de Córdoba
Talleres de Córdoba
Club Atlético Talleres is a sports club from the city of Córdoba, Argentina, mostly known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the regionalised third division, the Torneo Argentino A...
who had finished the season in 3rd place in the Primera, but had to play in the relegation playoff due to effect of their poor form in the previous 2 seasons on their standings in the points averaging table.
Argentinos spent a couple of nervous seasons narrowly avoiding relegation in 2005 by beating Atlético de Rafaela in a playoff. The following season they survived a playoff against Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...
. The 2006–2007 season
2006-2007 in Argentine football
2006–07 season of Argentine football was the 116th season of competitive football in Argentina.-"Championship" playoff:Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata ended up tied in points at the end of the 19 weeks of regular season...
saw Argentinos finally claw their way clear from the relegation places after over two years of flirting with relegation.
In 2008 Argentinos earned the right to play in an international tournament for the first time in 12 years by qualifying for Copa Sudamericana 2008
Copa Sudamericana 2008
The 2008 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes was the seventh edition of the Copa Sudamericana football tournament. The draw for the tournament took place on June 10, 2008 in Buenos Aires and the competition was played between July 30 and December 3. Arsenal de Sarandí were the defending champions, having...
. They eventually progressed to the semi-final where they were eliminated by Estudiantes de La Plata
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata , simply referred to as Estudiantes, is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, where it has spent most of its history....
over two legs despite beating them 5–0 in the league game which was sandwiched between the cup ties.
In June 2009, former star player Claudio Borghi
Claudio Borghi
Claudio Daniel Borghi Bidos, , nicknamed Bichi, is an Argentine former footballer and current football manager of Chile.-Club:Borghi started his career as an Attacking midfielder for Argentinos Juniors in the early 1980s...
took over as manager of the club following an awful Clausura 2009 tournament where the club had finisned 20th and last in the table with only 2 wins from their 19 games.
Clausura 2010
At the beginning of the Clausura 2010 championship, Argentinos set themselves the target of matching or improving on the 61 points from the 2007–08 season to avoid dropping further down the relegation table.The team recorded an impressive 6–3 win against Lanús in their second fixture of the campaign, but after 5 games this was their only win, with two draws and two defeats. Argentinos won their 6th fixture against Estudiantes de La Plata which was the start of a 14 game unbeaten streak that saw Argentinos finish 1 point ahead of Estudiantes at the end of the season. The most significant result in this 14 game run was in their penultimate fixture against title challengers Independiente, which saw Argentinos come back from 1–3 down to win 4–3, which featured two goals in the final minutes of the game to seal the win and leave Argentinos top of the table with one game to play. They sealed their first domestic championship in 25 years with a 1–2 away win against Huracán in the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó
Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó
Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó is a stadium in Argentina. It is located in the Parque Patricios neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Argentine football club Huracán owns this stadium, which was built thanks to the support of the Argentinian Army, especially due to the efforts of Tomás Ducó....
.
Kit
The team plays in a red top with a diagonal white sash running from the right shoulder to the left waist. Over recent years they have also used a plain red top, a red top with a single vertical white stripe and a red top that gradually fades to white at the bottom. The club have used both red or white shorts and socks over the years, their current first kit features white shorts and red socks. The club used a number of different colors in their early years, but in 1917 they settled on red, inspired by the club's socialistSocialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
beginnings.
Stadium
The club currently plays in Estadio Diego Armando MaradonaEstadio Diego Armando Maradona
Estadio Diego Armando Maradona is a football venue in the La Paternal neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the home of Argentinos Juniors football club....
which is also often referred to as La Paternal after La Paternal
La Paternal, Buenos Aires
La Paternal or Paternal is a barrio or district in the centre of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. It was founded in 1904 by a City Decree and was named 'La Paternal' after the train station in the neighbourhood, a former industrial zone....
district of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
where the club is based. The stadium was named after Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
because he started his career in the Argentinos youth team. Between 1983 and 2003 Argentinos had a groundshare with Ferro Carril Oeste
Ferro Carril Oeste
Club Ferro Carril Oeste, known simply as Ferro Carril Oeste or Ferro, is a sports club from the neighbourhood of Caballito, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The club was founded on July 28, 1904 by 95 railway workers from the Buenos Aires Western Railway...
at Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
Estadio Ricardo Etcheverry
Estadio Arquitecto Ricardo Etcheverry is a multi-purpose stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located close to the Puan station on Line A of the Metro. It is currently used mostly for football matches, by Ferro Carril Oeste. The stadium has a capacity of 24,442 people...
. The club has had a number of other homes in their history, all based in the city of Buenos Aires.
Nicknames
The club, which is nicknamed Bichos Colorados (Red Bugs), is one of the most prolific sources of football players in Argentina. Diego MaradonaDiego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
, Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri is a retired Argentine footballer.A defensive midfielder with the ability to contribute both defensively and offensively, he played one full decade in La Liga, mainly for Real Madrid, then finished his career in Italy with Milan.Redondo was a member of the Argentine...
and Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine footballer who plays for Boca Juniors. A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme is best known for his spells with Boca Juniors and Villarreal...
being some of the most famous players who began their career at the club. This ability to keep producing world class players has given them the nickname El Semillero, meaning the Nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
or the "Seed Garden".
National
- Argentine Primera División
- Winners (3): 1984 Metropolitano, 1985 Nacional, 2010 Clausura
- Runners-up (1): 1980 Metropolitano
- Primera B Nacional
- Winners (1): 1996–97
- Primera B
- Winners (3): 1940 (not promoted), 1948 (not promoted), 1955
International
- Copa Libertadores
- Winners (1): 1985
- Copa InteramericanaCopa InteramericanaCopa Interamericana was a football trophy contested between the champions of CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores de América and the winners of CONCACAF's Champions' Cup...
- Winners (1): 1985
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
-
- Runners-up (1): 19851985 Intercontinental CupThe 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the...
- Runners-up (1): 1985
Amateur era
- Primera División
- Runners-up (1): 1926
- Copa CompetenciaCopa de Competencia Jockey ClubCopa de Competencia Jockey Club is a defunct football tournament which took place in Argentina between 1907 and 1933.-History:The Copa de Competencia Jockey Club was first awarded in 1906 to the winners of the Argentine qualifiers for the final of the Tie Cup competition which was played between...
-
- Runners-up (1): 1925
Notable players
To appear in this section a player must have played at least 50 games for the club or set a club recordHéctor Ingunza (1943–46) Osvaldo Sosa
Osvaldo Sosa
Osvaldo "Chiche" Sosa is an Argentine football manager and former player who most recently worked as the manager of Atlético Tucumán in the Primera División Argentina.-Playing career:...
(1966–68), (1970–71) José Pekerman
José Pekerman
José Néstor Pékerman is an Argentine football coach and an ex-football player. He become famous as a youth level coach for Argentina, winning the FIFA World Youth Championship three times, and the U-20 South American Youth Championship twice...
(1970–74) Carlos Fren
Carlos Fren
Carlos Fren is a former Argentine footballer and manager. He spent most of his playing career in Argentinos Juniors and Independiente. He has also managed these clubs.-Playing career:...
(1973–78) Óscar Quintabani
Óscar Héctor Quintabani
Óscar Héctor Quintabani is an Colombo-Argentine football manager, and former goalkeeper.Quintabani began his playing career in the River Plate youth system, although he never made his breakthrough into the first team...
(1974–76) Diego Armando Maradona (1976–81) Pedro Pasculli
Pedro Pasculli
Pedro Pablo Pasculli is a former Argentine soccer player currently working as a manager.He is a former Colón de Santa Fe, Argentinos Juniors and Lecce striker. He is the second best all-time goalscorer for Lecce...
(1980–85) Sergio Batista
Sergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista is an Argentine football manager and former footballer. He played as a midfielder, and represented his national team 39 times between 1985 and 1990. He was head coach of Argentina national football team from July 2010 to July 2011.-Club:Batista played youth football...
(1981–88), (1991) Claudio Borghi
Claudio Borghi
Claudio Daniel Borghi Bidos, , nicknamed Bichi, is an Argentine former footballer and current football manager of Chile.-Club:Borghi started his career as an Attacking midfielder for Argentinos Juniors in the early 1980s...
(1981–86) Adrián Domenech
Adrián Domenech
Adrián Domenech is a retired Argentine football defender and former coach of Argentinos Juniors.-Playing career:Adrián Domenech began his career playing for Argentinos Juniors in 1978...
(1982–87) Mario Videla
Mario Videla
Mario Hernán Videla is a former Argentine footballer. He played for Argentinos Juniors during their golden era in the 1980s, he also won two league championships with Millonarios in Colombia....
(1982–87) Carmelo Villalba
Carmelo Villalba
Carmelo Daniel Villalba is a former Argentine football defender. He played in the final of the 1985 Copa Libertadores for Argentinos Juniors.Villalba was signed by Argentinos Juniors from El Porvenir, he played for the club during their golden age, where they won 2 league titles, the Copa...
(1982~88) Armando Dely Valdés
Armando Dely Valdes
Armando Javier Dely Valdés was a Panamanian football player. He was the elder brother of twins Julio Dely Valdés and Jorge Dely Valdés...
† (1983–?) Renato Corsi
Renato Corsi
Renato Corsi is a retired American-Argentine footballer. He was the first American to play in the Primera División Argentina....
(1983–87) José Luis Pavoni
José Luis Pavoni
José Luis Pavoni is an Argentine football coach and former player. He won honours with all four of his club teams and represented the Argentina national football team at the 1975 Copa América.-Playing career:...
(1983–88) Juan José López
Juan José López
Juan José "J. J." López, is an Argentine football manager and former player.-Club:López started his playing career with River Plate in 1970. He became an important player at the club, winning seven league titles and playing 466 games with 84 goals scored...
(1984–86) Carlos Manuel Morete
Carlos Manuel Morete
Carlos Morete is a retired Argentine football striker. He was born on January 14, 1952, in the city of Munro in the Buenos Aires Province of Argentina. He is one of the few players to play for and won titles at Argentina's big three clubs River Plate, Boca Juniors and Club Atlético Independiente...
(1984–86) Jorge Pellegrini
Jorge Pellegrini
Jorge Carlos Pellegrini is a former Argentine footballer. He played for a number of clubs in Argentina including for Argentinos Juniors in the Copa Libertadores final in 1985....
(1984–87) Enrique Vidallé
Enrique Vidallé
Enrique Bernardo Vidallé is a former Argentine football goalkeeper. He played for a number of clubs in Argentina and Palestino in Chile....
(1984–87) Emilio Commisso
Emilio Commisso
Emilio Nicolás Commisso is a former Argentine footballer. He played for a number of clubs in Argentina and Spain....
(1984–88) Jorge Olguín
Jorge Olguín
Jorge Mario Olguín is a retired Argentine footballer.He is perhaps most famous for having been part of the 1978 World Cup winning team.Since his retirement as a player he has managed a number of football clubs....
(1984–88)
Néstor Lorenzo
Néstor Lorenzo
Néstor Lorenzo is a former football defender from Argentina. He played for Argentinos Juniors, A.S. Bari, Swindon Town, Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro, Ferrocarril Oeste and Boca Juniors...
(1985–89) Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri is a retired Argentine footballer.A defensive midfielder with the ability to contribute both defensively and offensively, he played one full decade in La Liga, mainly for Real Madrid, then finished his career in Italy with Milan.Redondo was a member of the Argentine...
(1985–90) Fernando Cáceres (1986–91), (2006–07) Carlos MacAllister
Carlos MacAllister
Carlos Javier Mac Allister is a former Argentine former football player who played 3 international matches for Argentina in 1993 as a left-back.-Club career:...
(1986–92) Oscar Dertycia
Oscar Dertycia
Oscar Alberto Dertycia Álvarez is a retired Argentine footballer, who played as a striker.-Football career:Dertycia started playing professionally with hometown's Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, moving in 1988 to Argentinos Juniors, and being crowned the first division's topscorer in his debut...
(1988–89) Ramiro Castillo (1988–90) Fernando Gabriel Cáceres (1988–92), (2006) Diego Cagna
Diego Cagna
Diego Sebastián Cagna is an Argentine football coach. He was a footballer, playing in the midfield, he retired in 2005, and a few years later he became a coach.- Career :...
(1988–92) Roberto Mogrovejo
Roberto Mogrovejo
Roberto Mogrovejo is a former Argentine football player that plays as a right winger. He was part of the Argentina squad in the 1991 World Youth Championship in Lisbon. He played for a several Argentine teams including Argentinos Juniors and Defensa y Justicia...
(1989–93) Leonel Gancedo (1990–96) Cristian Traverso
Cristian Traverso
Cristian Alberto Traverso is a retired Argentine footballer who played for a number of clubs both in Argentina and Latin America, including Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Puebla....
(1991–94) Christian Dollberg
Christian Dollberg
Christian Dollberg is a retired Argentine football player.Dollberg started his playing career in 1992 with Argentinos Juniors, he has also played for Lanús, Boca Juniors and Defensores de Belgrano in Argentina....
(1992–94) Leonardo Mas
Leonardo Mas
Leonardo Óscar Mas is an Argentine footballer, who currently plays midfielder for Chilean club Municipal Iquique....
(1993–97) Jorge Quinteros
Jorge Quinteros
Jorge Polo Quinteros is a retired Argentine footballer.He has played for Argentinos Juniors in four different spells, his other clubs include RCD Mallorca in Spain, Talleres de Córdoba, San Lorenzo, Club Deportivo Universidad Católica in Chile, and Chacarita Juniors.The highlights of his career...
(1993–97), (1998–99), (2003–04), (2006) Líber Vespa
Líber Vespa
Líber Ernesto Vespa Legarralde is a retired Uruguayan footballer who played for a number of clubs both in Argentina and Uruguay, including Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central and C.A. Cerro.-External links:...
(1994–98) Eduardo Bennet
Eduardo Bennet
Eduardo Bennett is a Honduran footballer. He currently plays for Atlético Olanchano. His debut in Liga Nacional was on 29 September 1988 at the age of 19 wearing the Curaçao's jersey against Motagua, and he scored to tie 1x1.Nicknamed "El Balin", he played for Curaçao, CD Olimpia and CD Victoria...
(1995–99), (2000) Raul Sanzotti
Raul Sanzotti
Raul Alejandro Sanzotti is an Argentinean goal keeper who currently plays for Defensores de Belgrano in the Argentinean third division.-International career:...
(1995-03) Rolando Schiavi
Rolando Schiavi
Rolando Schiavi is an Argentine football defender. He currently plays for Boca Juniors.-Club career:Schiavi started his career in the lower leagues with Argentino de Rosario, before moving to Argentinos Juniors in 1995. Schiavi played for Argentinos for six years, before joining Boca Juniors...
(1996-01) Fabián Garfagnoli
Fabián Garfagnoli
Fabián Alberto Garfagnoli is a former Argentine footballer. He is a member of the backroom staff at Tiro Federal....
(1996-02) Marcelo Pontiroli
Marcelo Pontiroli
Marcelo Fabián Pontiroli is an Argentine footballer who plays for Deportivo Merlo as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
(1997–99), (2005–07)
Cristian Raúl Ledesma
Cristian Raúl Ledesma
Cristian Raúl Ledesma is an Argentine footballer currently playing for River Plate. He is nicknamed Lobo .-Club:Ledesma began his professional footballing career with Argentinos Juniors in 1997...
(1997–99), (2006) Federico Insúa
Federico Insúa
Federico Insúa is an Argentine footballer currently playing for Bursaspor.-Career:Nicknamed El Pocho, Insúa grew up in a middle class family in Buenos Aires. He moved to the youth teams of Argentinos Juniors from the Club Parque football school, and debuted professionally on November 18, 1997...
(1997–02) Mariano Herrón
Mariano Herrón
Mariano Andrés Herrón Valera is an Argentine footballer. He currently plays for Aldosivi.-Career:Herrón began his playing career with Argentinos Juniors on 10 August 1998 in a 2-2 draw with Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy...
(1998-02) Fernando Zagharián
Fernando Zagharián
Fernando Zagharián is a football striker who was born and raised in Argentina, but now has dual nationality with Armenia due to his Armenian origin....
(1998-02) Facundo Pérez Castro
Facundo Pérez Castro
Facundo Javier Pérez Castro is an Argentine football midfielder who currently plays for Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League.-Career:...
(1999-07) Pablo De Muner
Pablo De Muner
Pablo Daniel de Muner is an Argentine footballer who plays for San Martín de Tucumán, as a right defender.-Football career:...
(2000–07) Ariel Seltzer
Ariel Seltzer
Ariel Gerardo Seltzer is an Argentine football defender who currently plays for Independiente Rivadavia in the Primera B Nacional....
(2000–08) Pablo Barzola
Pablo Barzola
Pablo Maximiliano Barzola is an Argentine football full back.Barzola started his professional career with Argentinos Juniors in 2001 in the Primera División Argentina, the club were relegated in 2002, but he stayed with them.In 2003 Barzola was selected to play for Argentina in the Panamerican...
(2001–03), (2006–08) Gastón Machín
Gastón Machín
Gastón Machín is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Huracán.-Career:Machín is a product of the famous youth system at Argentinos Juniors, he made his senior debut for the club in 2002...
(2002–05) Leonardo Pisculichi
Leonardo Pisculichi
Leonardo Nicolás Pisculichi is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Al-Arabi Sports Club, as a forward...
(2002–05) Leandro Fleitas
Leandro Fleitas
Leandro Fleitas is an Argentine football defender currently playing for Alianza Lima on loan from Argentinos Juniors....
(2003–06), (2007–08) Nicolás Pareja
Nicolás Pareja
Nicolás Martín Pareja is an Argentine football defender and an Olympic gold medalist who plays for FC Spartak Moscow. Previously he played for Argentinos Juniors, RSC Anderlecht and RCD Espanyol....
(2004–06) Franco Niell
Franco Niell
Franco Niell is an Argentine football striker who currently plays for Queretaro FC.-Career:Niell joined the Argentinos Juniors youth system in 2001, and debuted professionally on April 12, 2004...
(2004–07)
Néstor OrtigozaNéstor Ortigoza
Néstor Ezequiel Ortigoza is a Paraguayan football midfielder, who plays for San Lorenzo de Almagro in the Argentine First Division.- Career :...
(2004–) Leonel Núñez
Leonel Núñez
Leonel Núñez is an Argentine football striker who plays for Independiente.-Argentinos Juniors:From 2004 to 2007 Núñez played for Argentinos Juniors in the Argentine Primera División. He finished the 2006 Apertura tournament with 8 goals, and was in the top ten goalscorers...
(2005–07) Matías Caruzzo
Matías Caruzzo
Matías Nicolás Caruzzo is an Argentine football defender who plays for Boca Juniors in the Argentine Primera División.- Club :...
(2006–10) Gabriel Hauche
Gabriel Hauche
Gabriel Agustín Hauche, nicknamed Demonio , is an Argentine footballer forward currently playing for Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División.-Club career:...
(2006–10) Andrés Scotti
Andrés Scotti
Andrés Scotti Ponce de León is a Uruguayan footballer that currently plays for the Chilean team Colo Colo and the Uruguayan national team as Centre back and very rarely as left back....
(2007–09) Nicolás Peric
Nicolás Peric
Nicolás Peric , is a Chilean goalkeeper of Croatian origin who currently plays for Cobreloa. His nickname is Loco .-Chile:...
(2009–10) Juan Mercier (2007–) Gonzalo Prósperi
Gonzalo Prósperi
Gonzalo Sebastián Prósperi is an Argentine football defender who plays for Argentinos Juniors.-Career:Prósperi began his professional playing career with Godoy Cruz in 2005, after making 16 appearances for the club he was signed by Argentinos Juniors in 2006...
(2006–)
Famous graduates of "El Semillero"
Julio ArcaJulio Arca
Julio Andrés Arca is an Argentine footballer, he currently plays for Middlesbrough. Arca is also a former Argentina Under-20 captain. He is a left back or midfielder...
Sergio Batista
Sergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista is an Argentine football manager and former footballer. He played as a midfielder, and represented his national team 39 times between 1985 and 1990. He was head coach of Argentina national football team from July 2010 to July 2011.-Club:Batista played youth football...
Claudio Borghi
Claudio Borghi
Claudio Daniel Borghi Bidos, , nicknamed Bichi, is an Argentine former footballer and current football manager of Chile.-Club:Borghi started his career as an Attacking midfielder for Argentinos Juniors in the early 1980s...
Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Cambiasso
Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau , nicknamed "Cuchu" , is an Argentine football midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale....
Diego Cagna
Diego Cagna
Diego Sebastián Cagna is an Argentine football coach. He was a footballer, playing in the midfield, he retired in 2005, and a few years later he became a coach.- Career :...
Fabricio Coloccini
Fabricio Coloccini
Fabricio Coloccini is an Argentine football defender who currently captains Premier League club Newcastle United, and plays for the Argentine national team. At the age of 29, Coloccini has already represented numerous football clubs, however it was his successful spell at Deportivo La Coruña where...
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
Diego Placente
Diego Placente
Diego Rodolfo Placente is an Argentine footballer who plays at left-back for Nacional.-Club:Placente started playing professionally in 1996 with Argentinos Juniors, before moving to Argentine giant River Plate in 1997. He transferred to Bayer Leverkusen in 2001, where he played until 2005 when his...
Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo
Fernando Carlos Redondo Neri is a retired Argentine footballer.A defensive midfielder with the ability to contribute both defensively and offensively, he played one full decade in La Liga, mainly for Real Madrid, then finished his career in Italy with Milan.Redondo was a member of the Argentine...
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme is an Argentine footballer who plays for Boca Juniors. A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme is best known for his spells with Boca Juniors and Villarreal...
Juan Pablo Sorín
Juan Pablo Sorín
Juan Pablo Sorín is a former Argentine footballer. He was born in Buenos Aires. He is a much-travelled player, having spent time in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France and Germany. He was captain of the Argentine team in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.He is a versatile left wing-back who can play...
Cristian Traverso
Cristian Traverso
Cristian Alberto Traverso is a retired Argentine footballer who played for a number of clubs both in Argentina and Latin America, including Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Puebla....
Former coaches
Sergio BatistaSergio Batista
Sergio Daniel "Checho" Batista is an Argentine football manager and former footballer. He played as a midfielder, and represented his national team 39 times between 1985 and 1990. He was head coach of Argentina national football team from July 2010 to July 2011.-Club:Batista played youth football...
(2001–04) "Chiche" Sosa
Osvaldo Sosa
Osvaldo "Chiche" Sosa is an Argentine football manager and former player who most recently worked as the manager of Atlético Tucumán in the Primera División Argentina.-Playing career:...
(2004–05) Gregorio Pérez
Gregorio Pérez
Gregorio Elso Pérez Perdigón is a retired Uruguayan footballer. He now works as a manager. He is widely reputed in his country due for his respectful approach toward the game and general sportsmanship...
(2005–06) Adrián Domenech
Adrián Domenech
Adrián Domenech is a retired Argentine football defender and former coach of Argentinos Juniors.-Playing career:Adrián Domenech began his career playing for Argentinos Juniors in 1978...
(2006) Ricardo Caruso Lombardi
Ricardo Caruso Lombardi
Ricardo Daniel Caruso Lombardi is a football coach. He is currently manager for the Argentine side Quilmes Atlético Club.-Playing career:Lombardi started his playing career with Argentinos Juniors in 1981...
(2007) Néstor Gorosito
Néstor Gorosito
Néstor Raúl Gorosito is a retired Argentine footballer.-Playing career:Néstor Pipo Gorosito began his playing career at River Plate, he had 3 spells at San Lorenzo where he scored 72 goals in 241 appearances...
(2007–08) Claudio Vivas (2009) Claudio Borghi
Claudio Borghi
Claudio Daniel Borghi Bidos, , nicknamed Bichi, is an Argentine former footballer and current football manager of Chile.-Club:Borghi started his career as an Attacking midfielder for Argentinos Juniors in the early 1980s...
(2009–10) Pedro Troglio (2010–11)