La Bombonera

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

On 4 August 1905, in the shoe store 'New York' on 7th Street in La Plata, the club was founded under the name 'Club Atlético Estudiantes'. Its first president, Miguel Gutiérrez, was elected that same night. On 28 February 1906, Estudiantes adopted a jersey design of striped red and white in honor of Alumni, which had won ten championships between 1900 and 1911. The first pitch was at the intersection of 19th and 53rd streets, with the first match played on 7 November 1905 against Nacional Juniors. The stadium on 1st Avenue opened on 25 December 1907. In 1967, Estudiantes became the first team outside the traditional 'big five' to win a professional league title. The club won four additional league titles and six international titles: four Copa Libertadores (including three straight from 1968 to 1970), an Intercontinental Cup, and an Interamerican Cup.

In Their Own Story

In 1967, Osvaldo Zubeldía coached the team that won the Metropolitano championship, opening the floodgates for other 'small' clubs to win titles. The team went on to win the Copa Libertadores three years in a row (1968, 1969, and 1970) and the 1968 Intercontinental Cup against Manchester United. That latter game is still remembered for the violent behavior of Estudiantes' players. After a violent Intercontinental match against Milan, the entire team was arrested on orders from Argentine President Juan Carlos Onganía. Goalkeeper Alberto Poletti was suspended for life (later pardoned) and did time in jail with teammates Ramón Aguirre Suárez and Eduardo Luján Manera. The Zubeldía era became a cliché for 'anti-football' due to physical violence and timewasting tactics. The Times commented that Estudiantes is 'one of the most despicable teams ever to emerge from South America.'

Reader's Guide

To understand Estudiantes, start with the founding: a break from Gimnasia on 4 August 1905. The club's first achievement was the 1911 Primera B title, earning promotion to the top tier. Just two years later, Estudiantes won its first Primera title playing in the dissident Federación Argentina de Football, disputing 18 matches, winning 14 with only 1 loss and scoring 64 goals. In the professional era starting 1931, the famous offensive lineup known as 'Los Profesores' featured Miguel Ángel Lauri, Alejandro Scopelli, Alberto Zozaya, Manuel Ferreira, and Enrique Guaita. Zozaya scored the first goal of professional football in Argentina and was the top goalscorer of the first professional tournament. Manuel Pelegrina remains Estudiantes' all-time top scorer with 221 goals. Under Bilardo, the team won the 1982 Metropolitano championship, and under his successor Eduardo Luján Manera, the 1983 Nacional tournament, both at the expense of a star-studded Independiente.

Did You Know?

• The club was founded on 4 August 1905 in a shoe store called 'New York' on 7th Street in La Plata.
• Alberto Zozaya scored the first goal of professional football in Argentina in 1931.
• Manuel Pelegrina is Estudiantes' all-time top scorer with 221 goals.
• In 1967, Estudiantes became the first team outside the traditional 'big five' to win a professional league title.
• After a violent Intercontinental match against Milan in 1969, the entire team was arrested on orders from Argentine President Juan Carlos Onganía.