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Estudiantes de La PlataEstudiantes de La Plata is a sports club in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, with a history of achievement in professional football.
HistoryThe club was founded on 4 August 1905 by university students who felt left out by the management of Gimnasia y Esgrima de 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 with red top socks. In the early days, the team wore a blue blazer on top of the jersey when entering the pitch. The stadium opened on 25 December 1907. Before the advent of professionalism, Estudiantes won the 1913 league title. When professionalism was adopted in Argentina on the year 1930, Estudiantes had a famous offensive lineup: Lauri-Scopelli-Zozaya-Ferreyra-Guayta, known as Los Profesores (The Professors), still regarded as one of Argentina's all-time finest. Then, Guayta and Scopelli went on to play for the Italy national team that conquered the 1934 World Cup. The Sbarra brothers (Raúl and Roberto) were feared defensive players as also was Armando Nery. Alberto Zozaya scored the first goal of professional football in Argentina and was the top scorer of the first professional tournament. In 1937, a pioneering lighting system was installed, allowing night games. The 1950s saw the rise of Ogando, Garcerón, Bouché, Urriolabeitia, Infante, Antonio, and striker Pellegrina. In the 1960s, Miguel Ignomiriello coached the under-19 team known as La Tercera que Mata (The Killer Juveniles), which became the basis, together with a few acquisitions, of the team coached by Osvaldo Zubeldía that won the 1967 Metropolitano championship (Starting in 1967, Argentina holds two championships each season). Thus, Estudiantes became the first club outside of the "five greats" (Boca Juniors, River Plate, Racing Club, Independiente, and San Lorenzo) to obtain professional titles. Other "small" clubs such as Chacarita Juniors and Vélez Sarsfield would follow suit in the coming years. Estudiantes went on to secure the Copa Libertadores de América for three times in a row (1968 to 1970), and the 1968 Intercontinental Cup against the powerfulManchester United. It lost the series against AC Milan (1969) and Feyenoord (1970). 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 unprecendented step, goalkeeper Poletti was suspended for life. Because of several such events, it became a cliché to refer to Zubeldía's football as el antifútbol. Juan Ramón Verón was the most gifted player on that team, but he profited from the no-nonsense playing of Conigliaro, Echecopar, and Madero. Right-back Eduardo Luján Manera was a very talented player, but suffered from repeated injuries and did not realize his full potential. The Zubeldía team was maybe the only successful professional side ever to count two physicians among its stars: captain Carlos Salvador Bilardo and teammate Raúl Madero graduated from the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medicine during their playing days. After graduation, 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 next tournment as well (the 1983 Nacional). 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), had three creative mid-fielders (Ponce, Sabella, Trobbiani, with Russo to guard their backs) and two top-notch strikers (Gottardi, Trama). Bilardo went on to coach the Argentine national team that won the 1986 World Cup (the captain of the 1982 champions, José Luis Brown, scored the opening goal in the final against West Germany). The national team also reached the final of the 1990 edition. Madero was team physician on both events. Estudiantes was relegated in 1994, only to return to the top division on the very next season. Its performances ever since have been uneven; the club became more known as the breeding ground for such players as Juan Sebastián Verón, Martín Palermo, Luciano Galletti , Bernardo Romeo , and Ernesto Farias . In 2004, under coach Reinaldo Merlo , the team was a contender in the Apertura championship, finishing in fourth place. On 17 April 2005, Estudiantes de La Plata became the sixth team in Argentina to win 1,000 professional games when it came back from behind to defeat Newell's Old Boys 3-2. Stadium and Training GroundsThe Jorge Luis Hirschi stadium has room for 23,000 and is located on 1st Avenue, between 55th and 57th Streets, in central La Plata. Most stands are wooden boards. The western side is roofed and has better seating arrangements. The eastern side of the stadium also has seats. The noisiest fans ocupy the northern popular (opposite 55th Street), while visiting fans are welcome in the southern popular (opposite 57th Street). The club usually sets aside 3,000 places for visiting fans (this number can be expanded up to 8,000 for the larger contingents). The police usually cuts off traffic on 1st Avenue both before and after the games. Even though a new stadium has been built for the City of La Plata, neither Estudiantes nor rival Gimnasia y Esgrima have decided on relocating their home games. The matter is a contested political issue between the clubs, their supporters, and mayor Julio Alak . Estudiantes has asked for permission to upgrade its stadium to no less than 20,000 seats plus 15,000 standing room. For international games, Estudiantes has traditionally used the Boca Juniors field (La Bombonera). The training grounds are in the Country Club facilities in City Bell, a few kilometres north of La Plata. These have been recently upgraded through a gift from former player Juan Sebastián Verón. Fan BaseFollowing its international successes in the 1960s, Estudiantes gained more followers in all of Argentina. They have remained true to its colors in good times and bad, giving the club a country-wide fan base, widely known as one of the most loyal in Argentina. Within the La Plata area, Estudiantes is regarded as the club of the middle class, while rival side Gimnasia y Esgrima is identified with the working class. In the 1983 presidential election, Estudiantes fans were, together with their peers from Vélez Sársfield, the first to voice their support for (eventual winner) Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín in his bid against the Peronistas. The friendship with Vélez supporters since has vanished, especially after an Estudiantes win denied Vélez the 2003 championship. Estudiantes fans are on friendly terms with clubs from the South side of Greater Buenos Aires that made it to the top divisions. This was especially true of Temperley and Quilmes. 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 has since been relegated itself. On an international note, Estudiantes is friendly with the Uruguayan fan base of Peñarol. NicknamesThe legend has it that the early training fields were infested with rats, and the players spent much time and effort chasing after them. Hence the nickname pincharratas (rat-stabbers), often shortened to pinchas. (This nickname extends to the fans.) Some claim that the "rat-stabbing" actually refers to the laboratory work done by the many Medicine students among the club's early members. The 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 El Tricampeón de América (three-peat Champion of America) because of its three Libertadores Cup wins. List of Famous Players
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