Ángel Labruna All-Time Top Scorer

Lore & Background

Labruna was born on 28 September 1918 at the Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires. He joined River Plate's youth system in 1932, playing as an inside-right. He made his first-team debut in the Primera División on 18 June 1939. He played for River Plate for 20 years, winning 9 domestic championships (1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957) and being the top scorer twice (1943 with 23 goals and 1945 with 25). He holds the record of 16 goals in the superclásico derby with Boca Juniors. He left River Plate in 1959, having scored 317 goals in 515 matches. He later played for Chilean C.S.D. Rangers, Uruguayan Rampla Juniors, and Argentine Platense. He played 37 matches for Argentina, scoring 17 goals, and won two South American Championships (1946 and 1955). As a coach, he won the Nacional championship with Rosario Central in 1971 and multiple titles with River Plate in the 1970s.

Reader's Guide

Labruna is the all-time top scorer of the Argentine Primera División (293 league goals, tied with Arsenio Erico). He is the oldest-ever outfield player in Primera División history (41 years and 14 days). He scored 564 goals in his entire career. He was part of the legendary attacking line La Máquina alongside Muñoz, Moreno, Pedernera, and Loustau.

Did You Know?

• Labruna scored his first goal for River Plate's first team in an exhibition game against Talleres de Córdoba on 12 October 1938.
• Labruna's father, Ángelo, was an Italian immigrant from Avellino who worked as a barber and clockmaker.
• He died on 19 September 1983 from a heart attack and is buried at La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires.
• A 6.7-metre bronze statue of Labruna was unveiled outside River Plate’s Monumental stadium in 2021.