Estudiantes de La Plata

Founded in 1905 by a group of dissent students from Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Estudiantes is one of the most traditional clubs in Argentine football. It became world-renowned for the consecutive three-time championship of the Copa Libertadores between 1968 and 1970 and for the 1968 Intercontinental title.

History

Club Atlético Estudiantes de La Plata was born on August 4, 1905, when a group of players and supporters separated from Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, a club that prioritized other sports over football. The team played its home games in a small stadium in the area of calle 1 and 57, inaugurated in 1907 with capacity for two thousand spectators. The most glorious phase in the club's history occurred at the end of the 1960s, under the command of coach Osvaldo Zubeldía. With an extremely disciplined and physical style of play, nicknamed by rivals as 'anti-football', Estudiantes won three consecutive Copa Libertadores titles (1968, 1969, and 1970), defeating Palmeiras, Nacional-URU, and Peñarol in the respective finals. In 1968, it became world champion by defeating Manchester United in the Intercontinental Cup. The team also built one of the greatest rivalries in Argentine football, the Clásico Platense against Gimnasia itself, the club from which it originated. Icons like Juan Ramón Verón, nicknamed 'The Witch', were part of that legendary squad, and a young Diego Simeone also wore the 'Pincharrata' shirt early in his career, before transferring to Europe. After decades without major continental conquests, the club experienced a renaissance at the end of the 2000s, culminating in the conquest of the 2009 Copa Libertadores, now with Juan Sebastián Verón, son of Juan Ramón, as the main reference on the field. The title marked the beginning of a new victorious generation, which also won the 2010 South American Recopa. Currently, Estudiantes plays its home games at Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, popularly known as 'El Uno', although it also uses Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in matches with larger audiences.