 Labruna in 1940 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ángel Amadeo Labruna | ||
| Date of birth | (1918-09-28)28 September 1918 | ||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires,Argentina | ||
| Date of death | 19 September 1983(1983-09-19) (aged 64) | ||
| Place of death | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1939–1959 | River Plate | 515 | (294) |
| 1960–1961 | Rampla Juniors | 16 | (3) |
| 1961 | Platense | 2 | (0) |
| 1961 | Rangers de Talca | 5 | (1) |
| Total | 538 | (298) | |
| International career | |||
| 1942–1958[1] | Argentina | 37 | (17) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1968–1970 | River Plate | ||
| 1971–1972 | Rosario Central | ||
| 1973 | Racing Club | ||
| 1974 | Talleres de Córdoba | ||
| 1975–1981 | River Plate | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 29 Dec 2018 | |||
Ángel Amadeo Labruna (28 September 1918 – 19 September 1983) was an Argentinefootballer and coach who played as aforward. With 323 goals scored in official matches, which include 294 league goals, Labruna is the 2nd all-timetop scorer ofPrimera División afterParaguayanArsenio Erico. Labruna was also part of the celebratedRiver Plate offense, nicknamedLa Máquina (The Machine), and he was considered one of the best South-American footballers of his generation. In his career, Labruna scored 564 goals.[2]
Labruna was born inBuenos Aires.
Labruna made his debut in thePrimera División as a replacement forJosé Manuel Moreno, who had been suspended by the club, wearing thenumber 10 shirt. The match was disputed on 18 June 1939 in La Plata againstEstudiantes, which defeated River by 1–0.
His goals and outstanding performances caused Moreno to play on the right side of the field when he was allowed to play again. Labruna played in River for 20 years, winning 9 domestic championships with the team (1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957) and being the top scorer twice (1943 with 23 goals and 1945 with 25).[3]
He was part of his club's legendary team along withJuan Carlos Muñoz,José Manuel Moreno,Adolfo Pedernera, andFélix Loustau, where he played as aninside-left forward. Although this attacking line only disputed 18 games with those players, they were regarded as one of the best forward line in the history of Argentine football. They were nicknamedLa Máquina (The Machine) due to their skills with the ball and synchronized play. Coach and former playerCarlos Peucelle said that his team was formed by "A goalkeeper and 10 forwards", using an imaginary "1–10".
Labruna holds a number of records for River Plate, including his record of 16 goals in thesuperclásico derby with fierce rivalBoca Juniors.[4]
In 1959, Labruna leftRiver Plate having defended the club's colors in 515 matches and scoring 317 goals, including 293 in theArgentine first division, making him thecompetition's all-time highest goalscorer along withArsenio Erico, a record that remains nowadays.[4] At the age of 41 years and 14 days, Labruna became the oldest-ever outfield player in the history of the Primera División, another record that he still holds.[5] He later played two seasons in the ChileanC.S.D. Rangers, and the Uruguayan teamRampla Juniors of Montevideo, before returning to Argentina to finish his career atPlatense, when he was 43 years old.
Labruna played 37 matches for theArgentina national team, scoring 17 goals. He also won twoSouth American Championships (1946 and 1955) and as a nearly 40-year-old he played in the final phase of1958 FIFA World Cup held inSweden.[6]
As other great players of his generation, Labruna could not participate in other World Cups due to the event's suspension during World War II and later for the decision taken by the Argentine Football Association, which did not compete in the World Cups ofBrazil andSwitzerland.
After ending his career as a player he became Assistant Coach and Coach in River Plate,Defensores de Belgrano,Platense,Rosario Central (where he won his firstNacional championship, in 1971),Talleres de Córdoba,Racing Club,Lanús,Chacarita andArgentinos Juniors.
In 1975 River called Labruna to offer him work as coach. Labruna won two championships that same year, breaking a "curse" of 18 years without titles. Labruna's period in charge of River Plate brought the club much domestic success, a side endowed with players such asDaniel Passarella,Norberto Alonso andLeopoldo Luque.
Labruna had two sons, Daniel (died in 1969) and Omar, who worked withRamón Díaz in River Plate and then coachedOlimpo de Bahía Blanca and other teams.
Labruna died on September 19, 1983, from a heart attack, at 64 years old. He is buried atLa Chacarita Cemetery inBuenos Aires. Every September 28, River Plate's fans celebrate the "International River Plate Fan's Day" as a tribute to one of the club's greatest idols.
In 2021, a 6.7-metre bronze statue of Labruna was unveiled outside River Plate’s Monumental stadium.[7]
| Team | Years | Matches | Goals | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River Plate[8] | 1939–1959 | 533 | 317 | 0.62 |
| Rampla Juniors | 1960 | 16 | 3 | 0.19 |
| C.S.D. Rangers | 1960 | 3 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Platense | 1961 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Argentina national team[9] | 1942–1958 | 37 | 17 | 0.46 |
| Total Career | 1939–1961 | 573 | 341 | 0.59 |
River Plate
Argentina
Media related toAngel Labruna at Wikimedia Commons
Argentina squads | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
