Why River Plate is one of the biggest soccer institutions worldwide
It was founded on May 25th, 1901 in Buenos Aires Argentina.
Since its foundation, River Plate inspired and promoted good sportsmanship and soccer excellence due to the quality of its players.
River Plate and its prestigious academy have produced countless world-class players over their 114-year history. A club associated with the three G’s – ‘Ganar, Gustar y Golear’ (Win, Enjoy & Thrash) – tries to instill their young charges with this philosophy from an early age and ensure that those on their books are technically outstanding, comfortable on the ball and, above all, intelligent footballers.
The nickname ‘Los Millonarios’ came after the acquisition of winger Carlos Peucelle in 1931 for $10,000 and Bernabé Ferreyra for $35,000 (Large sum of money for the period) in 1932.
In a survey published by the Argentine Football Association in 2016, 6 out of 11 players of the all-time Argentine national team had played for River Plate.Previously, in 2000, River Plate had been honored by FIFA as the 9th best club of the century in the world and the best Argentine football club in that ranking.
River Plate consolidated its place as one of the most popular team of Argentina, and the 20th century brought much success. The clubs record of 28 official tournaments saw them dubbed El Campeón del Siglo (The Champions of the Century).
River Plate is so big that is not only a soccer institution, it also has its own school (from kinder to high-school) and a university. On top of that River Plate holds 65 different sports apart from soccer.
ALL-TIME Worldwide recognized River Plate soccer stars
Di Stefano, Amadeo Carrizo, Labruna, Pedernera, Enzo Francescoli, Aimar, Saviola, Crespo, Sorin, Ortega, Ramón Díaz, Radamel Falcao, Higuaín, Mascherano, Marcelo Gallardo, Passarella, Alonso, Cavenaghi, D’Alessandro, Pablo Aimar, and Almeyda, among many other legends.
River Plate, one of the most iconic football clubs in the world, has produced some of the greatest soccer players in history. Legends such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Amadeo Carrizo, Ángel Labruna, and Adolfo Pedernera helped shape the club’s legacy. The brilliance of Enzo Francescoli, the elegance of Pablo Aimar, and the agility of Javier Saviola captured the hearts of fans worldwide. Hernán Crespo, Juan Pablo Sorín, and Ariel Ortega brought unforgettable moments to the field.
Ramón Díaz, known for his success as both player and coach, along with Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Javier Mascherano, further extended River Plate’s international recognition. Marcelo Gallardo, Daniel Passarella, Norberto Alonso, Fernando Cavenaghi, Andrés D’Alessandro, and Matías Almeyda are additional legendary figures who have worn the famous red-and-white jersey, contributing to River Plate’s status as a football powerhouse.
These stars, and many others, have etched their names in football history, making River Plate a global symbol of soccer excellence.
Torino (Italy)
Founded as Foot-Ball Club Torino in 1906, Torino are among the most successful clubs in Italy with seven league titles, including five consecutive league titles at the time of the Grande Torino, widely recognized as one of the strongest teams of the 1940s.
whilst returning from a friendly match against Benfica in Lisbon, disaster struck. In poor weather conditions, the plane that the team and officials were traveling on crashed into the Basilica of Superga near Turin. There were no survivors.
Upon hearing the news of the tragedy, River Plate president Antonio Vespucio Liberti decided that his team should go to Italy in order to show solidarity with Torino, with the idea that a match between the two teams could also raise money for the victim’s families. Therefore, just 22 days after the tragedy on May 26 1949, River Plate played a friendly against a team representing the symbol of Torino, made up of a selection of the best players in the Italian league, the match finished 2-2.
Despite being over sixty years since Superga, River Plate and Torino still maintain a close affiliation, with Torino fans appreciative of River’s role in the healing process that was necessary after the disaster. In the Torino Museum in Grugliasco, a current River Plate shirt can be found, thus showing that the match between the two teams is still regarded as a significant fixture in the clubs history. The fact that Torino’s current away kit echoes the traditional diagonal sash shirt made famous by River Plate, is another way in which the affiliation continues in the present day.
Millonarios (Colombia)
Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá.The team was initially created in 1937.
Millonarios greatly benefited from a major players’ strike in the Argentinian league in 1948, which caused a great diaspora of players towards Colombia. The most successful period for the club was during the early 1950s due the notable Argentinean presence. During this period with the squad that was known as The Blue Ballet, that featured great players such as Alfredo di Stefano, Adolfo Pedernera, Néstor Rossi, Julio Cozzi, Antonio “Maestrico” Báez, Hugo Reyes, Reinaldo Mourin and other figures in Argentina, mainly from River Plate.
River Plate’s player Adolfo Pedernera was the first player in Millonarios’ Ballet Azul, which won four Colombian league championships between 1949 and 1953 and a Mini Club World Cup title against leading South American and European teams.
After taking on player/coach duties in 1950 his influence remained huge, and it was as a coach that he further cemented his place in the history of Colombian football, guiding the national team to the FIFA World Cup for the very first time at Chile 1962.
‘Fundacion River Plate’ promotes greater social inclusion. Through educational, cultural, sports and social programs, the River Foundation is the means to encourage the integral development of those people who live in a context of vulnerability.
Rayo Vallecano (Spain)
River Plate assisted and helped many other soccer clubs around the world and these institutions honored River Plate in different ways
Rayo Vallecano was born on 29 May 1924 in the hometown of Prudencia Priego, Spain. Greatly inspired by River Plate, in 1949, after an agreement with Atlético Madrid, a red diagonal stripe was added to the team’s kit.
