Argentinos Juniors

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Lore & Background

The club was founded in the Villa Crespo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires on 14 August 1904, by a group of anarchist boys that were part of club 'Mártires de Chicago'. Leandro Ravera Bianchi was named president. The club immediately adopted red and white colors as an homage to deputy Alfredo Palacios. The first match was a 12–1 loss to Club La Prensa, but the squad was crowned champion at the end of the season. In 1912, Argentinos re-adopted green and white colors because there were teams in the league using red jerseys. In 1925, the club moved to its current location in La Paternal, acquiring land at San Martín Avenue and Punta Arenas Street and building a stadium with a capacity of 10,000. Argentinos was runner-up in 1926 behind champions Boca Juniors. The club has the nickname 'El Semillero del Mundo' (The World's Seedbed) and is renowned for producing talented players through their youth system, most notably Diego Maradona, who played for the club between 1976 and 1981. Their stadium, 'Estadio Diego Armando Maradona', is named after him.

In Their Own Story

The most defining moment arrived on Thursday, 20 October 1976, when fifteen-year-old Diego Armando Maradona made his debut for Argentinos Juniors against Talleres de Córdoba. The match ended in a 1–0 loss, but the teenager became the league's youngest player ever until Sergio Agüero broke the record in 2003. Over the next four years, Maradona propelled the club forward, becoming the youngest top scorer in Argentine history in the 1979 Metropolitano with 14 goals and matching José Sanfilippo's record by leading the charts for four consecutive tournaments. In 1980, the team reached their best finish since professionalism began in 1931, taking second place in the Metropolitano. Although Maradona was sold to Boca Juniors in 1981 for £1 million, his departure nearly cost Argentinos their top-flight status until a last-day victory over San Lorenzo secured their safety. Under manager Ángel Labruna in 1983, the team reached the Nacional semi-finals before his sudden death on 20 September 1983. Manager Roberto Saporiti led the squad to stability, culminating in the 1984–1985 season where they won their first major title by a single point over Ferro Carril Oeste.

Reader's Guide

The club's colors shifted to green and white in 1912 due to league conflicts; the source does not mention a return to red and white later. The move to La Paternal occurred in 1925, not 1926. The club's first Copa Libertadores win was in 1985, in its first entry to the contest.

Did You Know?

• The club was founded in Villa Crespo in 1904, not in La Paternal.
• Diego Maradona made his debut for Argentinos Juniors on 20 October 1976 at age 15.
• The club's stadium is named after Diego Maradona.
• Argentinos Juniors won the Copa Libertadores in 1985, their first entry to the tournament.