Angel Labruna

Lore & Background

Labruna was born on 28 September 1918 at the Palermo barrio in Buenos Aires. His father, Ángelo, was an Italian immigrant from Avellino. Labruna started playing at Club Barrio Parque, then joined River Plate in 1932. He made his Primera División debut on 18 June 1939 as a replacement for José Manuel Moreno.

He played for River Plate for 20 years, winning 9 domestic championships (1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957) and being top scorer twice (1943 with 23 goals, 1945 with 25). He was part of the legendary forward line with Juan Carlos Muñoz, José Manuel Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera, and Félix Loustau. Labruna holds the record of 16 goals in the superclásico derby. He left River Plate in 1959, having played 515 matches and scored 317 goals, including 293 in the Argentine first division, making him the competition's all-time highest goalscorer along with Arsenio Erico.

At age 41 years and 14 days, he became the oldest-ever outfield player in Primera División history. He later played for Chilean C.S.D. Rangers, Uruguayan Rampla Juniors, and finished his career at Platense at age 43. He played 37 matches for Argentina, scoring 17 goals, and won two South American Championships (1946 and 1955). He played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

As a coach, he won the Nacional championship with Rosario Central in 1971, and with River Plate won Metropolitano 1975, Nacional 1975, Metropolitano 1977, Nacional 1979, Metropolitano 1979, and Metropolitano 1980. He died on 19 September 1983 from a heart attack at age 64.

Reader's Guide

Labruna is remembered as River Plate's all-time top scorer and a key figure in La Máquina. His records include most goals in the superclásico and oldest outfield player in Primera División history. He is celebrated by fans on 28 September as International River Plate Fan's Day. A 6.7-metre bronze statue of Labruna was unveiled outside River Plate’s Monumental stadium in 2021.