Estudiantes de La Plata
| Full name | Club Estudiantes de La Plata | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | Los Pincharratas , El León | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 4 August 1905 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, 1, 55 & 57, La Plata (temporary: Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) (Capacity: (projected) 23,000) |
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| Chairman | Eduardo Abadie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Leonardo Astrada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Argentine Primera División | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clausura 2008 | 3rd | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Current season |
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Estudiantes de La Plata is a sports club in La Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, with a history of achievement in professional football.
The current club badge has nine stars for its five international and four local titles. The last of these stars was earned on December 13, 2006, when Estudiantes won the Apertura tournament over Boca Juniors by 2-1 in a play-off match.
Estudiantes' rival in the La Plata derby is Club Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.
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History
The club was founded on 4 August 1905 by university students who felt left out by the management of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, which favored indoor games over football. Its jersey had red and white vertical stripes honoring the Alumni team that dominated Argentine football in those years, with black pants and gray or black socks. In the early days, the team wore a blue blazer on top of the jersey when entering the pitch.
The stadium on 1st Avenue opened on 25 December 1907. Before the advent of professionalism, Estudiantes won the 1913 league title.
When professionalism was adopted in Argentina in 1931, Estudiantes had a famous offensive lineup: Lauri-Scopelli-Zozaya-Ferreyra-Guayta, known as Los Profesores (The Professors), and still regarded as one of Argentina's all-time finest. Guayta and Scopelli played for the Italy national team that conquered the 1934 World Cup. The Sbarra brothers (Raúl and Roberto) and Armando Nery were feared defensive players. Alberto Zozaya scored the first goal of professional football in Argentina and was the top goalscorer of the first professional tournament.
In 1937, a pioneering lighting system was installed in the stadium, allowing night games.
The 1950s saw the rise of goalkeeper Ogando, Garcerón, Bouché, Urriolabeitia, Infante, Antonio, and the last days of striker Manuel Pellegrina, who is the all-time top scorer with 221 goals. The team was relegated in 1953 but was promoted the following year.
In the 1960s, Miguel Ignomiriello coached the Estudiantes under-19 team known as La Tercera que Mata (The Killer Juveniles), which would evolve, together with a few acquisitions, into the team coached by Osvaldo Zubeldía that won the 1967 Metropolitano championship (since 1967, Argentina has two championships per season).
Thus, Estudiantes became the first club outside of the "five greats" (Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing Club, Independiente, and San Lorenzo) to obtain a professional title. This opened the gates for other "small" clubs (Vélez Sarsfield won a championship in 1968 and Chacarita Juniors one year later).
Estudiantes went on to win the Copa Libertadores de América three years in a row (1968 to 1970), and the 1968 Intercontinental Cup against the powerful Manchester United. It lost the series against A.C. Milan (1969) and Feyenoord (1970). In 1969 the club also won the Interamerican Cup.
The last part of the Zubeldía era was marred by the antics of some players. Following a very violent Intercontinental match against Milan, the entire team was arrested on orders from Argentine President Juan Carlos Onganía; in an unprecedented step, goalkeeper Poletti was suspended for life (he was later pardoned) and did time in jail, together with teammates Aguirre Suárez and Madero. Because of several such events, it became a cliché to refer to Zubeldía's football as el antifútbol.
The Zubeldía team counted two physicians among its stars: Carlos Salvador Bilardo and Raúl Madero graduated from the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medicine during their playing days.
Juan Ramón Verón was the most gifted player on that team. He profited from the no-nonsense playing of Conigliaro, Echecopar, and Madero, and the tactical guidance provided by Bilardo. Right-back Manera was a very talented player, but suffered from repeated injuries and did not realize his full potential.
During the 1970 season, Carlos Bilardo retired from play and got involved in his family's furniture business. Soon he started to coach, alternating between Estudiantes and Colombian teams. He coached Estudiantes in 1982, when the team won the Metropolitano championship. Under his successor Eduardo Luján Manera, also a member of the Zubeldía team, Estudiantes won the 1983 Nacional tournament as well. Both wins were at the expense of a star-studded Independiente.
Those championship teams were anchored by a solid defense (Camino on the right and Herrera on the left were also fearsome attackers, and Brown provided security as a sweeper), and also had three creative mid-fielders (Ponce, Sabella, Trobbiani, with Russo to guard their backs) and two top-notch strikers (Gottardi and Trama).
Bilardo went on to coach the Argentine national team that won the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The captain of Estudiantes' 1982 champions, José Luis Brown, scored the opening goal in the final against West Germany. Four years later, Argentina reached the final of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Madero was team physician on both events, and Ricardo Echevarría, also from Estudiantes, was fitness coach.
Estudiantes was relegated in 1994 and returned to the first division the next season, which was the breakout season for Juan Sebastián Verón. In the following years, the club became known the breeding ground for strikers such as Martín Palermo, Luciano Galletti, Bernardo Romeo, Ernesto Farias and Mariano Pavone, and quality players such as José Ernesto Sosa and Pablo Piatti.
Following some mediocre years, Bilardo returned as coach in 2003, and started the process of rebuilding the club in his winning ways. The later year, under coach Reinaldo Merlo, Estudiantes finished both the Apertura and the Clausura tournaments in the fourth place. Merlo's successor was Bilardo alum Jorge Burruchaga. The team made history when it came from behind (0-3 in midtime) to win 4-3 against Peru's Sporting Cristal in a Libertadores match played on 21 February, 2006.
On May 18, 2006, Burruchaga was replaced with another former Argentine great, Diego Simeone, who built the team around Juan Sebastián Verón, who returned to Estudiantes after 11 years. The Simeone team was eliminated by São Paulo in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Copa Libertadores, but went on to an impressive campaign in the local league.
Estudiantes defeated Gimnasia by an unprecedented 7-0 score in the derby played October 15 2006 as part of the Apertura tournament, as part of a string of 10 straight wins (tying the club record), and finished in first place tied with Boca Juniors (per the Argentine rules, goal difference is not used).
The final [1] was played on December 13, 2006; Estudiantes coming from behind to defeat Boca Juniors 2-1 and thus securing its first premiership title in 23 years. During this campaign, Estudiantes defeated all the "five greats", allowed the least goals, and three of its players (Pavone, Verón and Braña) were ranked as the league's top three by sports diary Olé [2].
Simeone left the team after the 2007 Apertura, and was replaced by former S.S. Lazio teammate Roberto Sensini. After a weak finish in the 2008 Clausura, Sensini was replaced with Leonardo Astrada. Since Simeone's arrival, Estudiantes has won five derbies in a row.
Titles
Amateur era
- Campeonato de la Federación Argentina de Football (1): 1913
- Segunda División Argentina (1): 1911
- Copa Río de La Plata (1): 1913
Professional era
National titles
- Primera División Argentina (4): Metropolitano 1967 and 1982, Nacional 1983, Apertura 2006
- Segunda división argentina (2): Primera "B" 1954, Nacional "B" 1994/95.
International titles
- Copa Libertadores (3): 1968, 1969, 1970
- Copa Intercontinental: 1968
- Copa Interamericana: 1969
Stadium and Training Grounds
Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium is located on 1st Avenue, between 55th and 57th Streets, in central La Plata. In its previous incarnation, it had room for 23,000. The cheaper stands behind the goal-lines were standing-room only. The stands next to the avenue were sitting-room, and were separated from the avenue by a row of tile trees. The opposite side was roofed and had the best seating arrangements. The noisiest fans used to occupy the 55th Street popular, while visiting fans were welcome in the 57th St. popular, opposite a technical high school (whose inconvenient location is often blamed for the small size of the pitch).
For its international games, Estudiantes has traditionally used Boca Juniors' La Bombonera.
With the erection of Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, a modern stadium built in the 1990s, both Estudiantes and Gimnasia decided initially against relocating their home games. Estudiantes was denied permission for upgrading its stadium, which was closed down in September 2005 because of new safety regulations that forbid standing-only wooden stands.
During the 2005 Apertura tournament, Estudiantes played its home games in the nearby Gimnasia stadium, and after that in the Quilmes field. There, Estudiantes made history with a come-from-behind 4-3 Libertadores win against Sporting Cristal.
On April 2006 a court decree allowed the re-opening of 1 y 57, but mayor Julio Alak intervened again to avoid this from happening. [3]. Estudiantes contemplated building a new stadium in the port town of Ensenada, a few kilometers east of La Plata. In August 2006, an agreement was reached [1] to build sitting room for 20,000 and using the city stadium for games exceeding that capacity.
Renovation work on the stadium started in 2007. In 2008, the projected capacity of the stadium was set at 23,000.
Meanwhile, Estudiantes settled in the new stadium, where it earned five consecutive derby wins, and went undefeated for 40 home games (the streak is current as of 3/Nov/2008).
Estudiantes' training grounds in the Country Club premises (in City Bell, north of La Plata) are among the most advanced in Argentina. Many facilities were financed by Juan Sebastián Verón while he played in Europe. Verón was also instrumental in the negotiations over the stadium, meeting then president Néstor Kirchner to unlock the process that was being stalled by mayor Alak [4].
Fan Base
Following its international successes in the 1960s, Estudiantes gained, and retained, many follower outside of La Plata, who have remained true to its colors in good times and bad. The fan base is known as one of the most loyal in Argentina.
Within the La Plata area, Estudiantes was traditionally regarded as the club of the middle class, while rival side Gimnasia y Esgrima was identified with the working class. This characterization was blurred with time. Statistics are inconclusive as to which club has the larger following in the city, even though support for Estudiantes is much stronger outside the La Plata area.
For several periods in the club's history, a cadre of fans from Buenos Aires (los porteños) were a powerful element within the base. A noted fan since the 1970s is el pelapapas ("the potato peeler"), famous for lighting small bonfires during games.
In the 1983 presidential election, Estudiantes fans were, together with their peers from Vélez Sarsfield, the first to voice their support for eventual winner Raúl Alfonsín in his bid against the Peronistas. The friendship with Vélez supporters has since vanished, especially after an Estudiantes win denied Vélez the 2003 championship.
Estudiantes fans are on friendly terms with most clubs from the South side of Greater Buenos Aires who make it to the top divisions. This was especially true of Quilmes and Temperley.
Platense, from the North side of Greater Buenos Aires, held a special place in the hearts of Estudiantes fans, as it cemented Gimnasia's relegation in 1979. Platense currently plays in the lower divisions.
On an international note, Estudiantes is friendly with the Uruguayan fan base of Peñarol.
Author Ernesto Sabato is an Estudiantes sympathizer. Even though his interest in football is limited, the club has honored Sabato with a ceremony in which he was given a No. 10 jersey.
Nicknames
The nickname pincharratas (rat-stabbers), often shortened to pinchas, is generally attributed to the laboratory work done by the many Medicine students among the club's early members. This nickname extends to the fans.
Another version maintains that the name comes from the nickname of one Felipe Montedónica, a bodyguard of the team in the 1910s, who was known as "el pincharratas".
A third version claims that the early training fields were infested with rats, and the players spent much time and effort chasing after them.
Fans also call the team el león (the lion), orgullo de la ciudad (pride of the city), los capos de La Plata (the bosses of La Plata), and Tricampeón (three-time champion) because of its Libertadores three-peat.
List of Famous Players
This list follows a rough chronological sequence
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Los Profesores
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1930s-1960s
Zubeldía's team
1970s-1980s
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1980s-present
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see also Cat:Estudiantes de La Plata footballers
Current Squad
As of November 2, 2008
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Top Goalscorers
- Manuel Gregorio Pellegrina: 234 goals in 489 matches
- Ricardo Roberto Infante: 180 goals in 328 matches
- Alberto Máximo Zozaya: 144 goals in 181 matches
- Hugo Ernesto Gottardi: 125 goals in 310 matches
References
- ↑ "Apertura 2006 playoff game - Tactical Formation". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on April 22, 2007.
- ↑ Ole newspaper: Equipo embrujado
- ↑ Ole newspaper: La cancha tuvo otro pinchazo
- ↑ La Nacion newspaper: La Plata hace su felicidad: "Verón, Verón...
External links
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Primera División 2008/09
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Copa Libertadores 2008
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