Independiente was officially founded on 1 January 1905 as Independiente Foot-Ball Club, although the institution had been formed on 4 August 1904. Originally fromMonserrat, a neighbourhood ofBuenos Aires city, the club moved toCrucecita in 1907 and then to Avellaneda in 1928. Thefootball team achieved promotion to theArgentine Primera División for the first time in1911, and has participated there ever since, except for the2013–14 season, when they were relegated.
Inaugurated in 2009, theEstadio Libertadores de América serves as homeground for the men's football team and, on special occasions, for thewomen's team. It has a capacity of 49,500. Their fanbase is the third largest in the country.
Over time Independiente has won 16Primera División titles (14 of them in the professional era) and 9 first-tier and one second-tierNational cups, being the fourth most decorated club on the national stage. They also have the most victories at theAvellaneda derby, the second most important derby in the country behind theSuperclásico.
They also achieved now defunct competitions such as twoCopa Aldao, a record threeCopa Interamericana, twoSupercopa Libertadores and the2018 Suruga Bank Championship. Over time these achievements made Independiente win the nicknames of "Rey de Copas" (King of Cups) and "Orgullo Nacional" (National Pride), the latter after the team won, at the 1984 Intercontinental, the first encounter between an Argentine and British teams after theFalklands War. With 18 FIFA-recognized international titles, Independiente is the most successful club at this category in theAmericas, alongsideBoca Juniors, and third in the world.
Independiente was founded in 1904 by a group of employees from a luxuryfashion store called "A la Ciudad de Londres" (To the City of London), located in theMontserrat neighborhood ofBuenos Aires. These employees, the youngest and most affected byprecarious work in the store, despite paying the club fee, were marginalized from the 1903-founded team Maipo-Banfield Football Club (made up of the store's mostelite workers). They were only allowed to attend as spectators.
On 4 August of that year, they met in a bar on Perú Street (just two blocks from thePlaza de Mayo and theCasa Rosada), there they made the decision to reject an invitation to be part ofAtlanta (also founded those days) and proclaimed the creation of the "Independiente Foot-Ball Club", symbolizing their independence ideals. Rosendo Degiorgi was the one who gave the club its name and was elected as its first president, opening the club's headquarters in his ownhouse. The team's first shirts were white, reused from aBarracas team called Plate United, which ceased to exist in 1903. These shirts featured a blue emblem with white details, very similar toSt. Andrew's Athletic Club's emblem. It is unknown whether this similarity was intentional or coincidental.
Fifteen days after the first meeting, on 19 August, they played the first game in their history, a 2–2 tie withAtlanta, on a field located in theFlores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.
During its short stay in the Argentine capital, Independiente wandered in various improvised fields in the neighborhoods ofFlores andLa Paternal. They also acted as hosts inRecoleta, where they rented a very expensive field belonging to theNational School of Buenos Aires for five months.
The club competed in 1905 in zonal tournaments like the Villalobos Cup, where they faced for the first time toBoca Juniors (created just four months before) on 27 August, being victorious 4–1 in Flores.
The club joined theAFA in 1906 and was registered to begin competing that year, like neighbors Atlanta, but was disqualified at the last moments for not complying with the strict stadium rules demanded by the then English-directed AFA, therefore that they registered to compete in the Central Football League. At this championship they faced short-lived teams like Highland Forest, Gutemberg, Presidente Roca, Imperio, Mariano Moreno, General Arenales, La Prensa, Primero de Mayo and others. Among them, the only team that survived over that time isPlatense.
While the team competed at the Central League, a committee composed by club president Arístides Langone and secretaries Carlos Degiorgi, Antonio Díez, Severo Rodríguez and Juan Darnay was seeking to relocate the club at a new field where they could build a stadium. By recommendation from Juan Irigoyen (secretary and player) they found an available field inCrucecita East, nearDock Sud. Consequently, they began playing the Central League in Buenos Aires and finished it in Crucecita (Avellaneda suburb).
In 1907 they left the local tournaments being champions of the CFL summer tournament, ahead of Platense, as that year they were finally accepted to compete in AFA. They were about to be rejected again as the field still didn't comply with all the strict requirements, but they made it by insistence from Carlos Degiorgi.
Starting from the Second Division, their first official match in the AFA leagues was a 1–3 defeat to Comercio in Crucecita. In June of that year, they metRacing for the first time, a match that from the first moment was aderby since their new neighbors were not happy sharing the city. The derby was won by Independiente 3–2, with a goal from Rosendo Degiorgi close to the hour mark. They also metRiver Plate in a friendly match, where the white IFBC won 3–1 with goals from Julio Mantecón, Juan Irigoyen and Miguel Peluffo.
Independiente players with the club's first official trophy (1909)
There was a clear difference in level between the AFA's Second Division and the Central League to which they were accustomed. Their first participation in AFA culminated in the second-to-last place, which relegated them to the 1908 Third Division and led to the departure of some original players, such as Rosendo Degiorgi. With a bad performance at the league, poor stadium condition and the members having to travel onhorse to a field far away from their houses, it was a matter of discussion whether Independiente should have continued existing, but passion for football won and further efforts were made.
Soon after, thanks to the incorporation of twelve champion footballers withRacing, who "crossed the street" after an internal conflict of that club (among them Germán Vidaillac, founder), Independiente radically changed its face and once again gained access to the Second Division after being runner-up in the only season of the club's history in Third Division, with an impressive record of 14 victories out of 14 games played (40 goals for and only 4 against), but, unfortunately, they failed to finish the season with a title as they lost the championship final toBanfield 0–3 at theEstadio GEBA. The newcomers also helped to improve the stadium condition.
Independiente adopted, also in 1908, its distinctivered color, about which there are two theories; the "traditional" one is that it was the idea of the president and goalkeeper Aristides Langone, due to his fanaticism for the English teamNottingham Forest, whotoured Argentina against local teams and left the Argentine public amazed. On the other hand, it is also true that Julio Mantecón, an important member of theSocialist Party, was the general secretary and forward, for whom bright red symbolized the workers' struggle. The red shirts where accompanied by the club's first red "emblem" (a redseal), and theacronym continued to be IFBC (until 1914).
In 1909 arrivedJosé Buruca Laforia, the club's first "professional" incorporation, with whom Independiente won its first official title as champions of theBullrich Cup (a second-tierleague cup), beating important teams of the time such asGEBA (4–0),Ferro Carril Oeste (1–0),Estudiantil Porteño (3–2) and the second teams ofAlumni (1–0) andSan Isidro (1–0). The final game against San Isidro was played on 8 September at theFerro Stadium (the oldest stadium still standing in Argentina), and the winning goal was scored by Francisco Viegas. In the league, after playing two more years in the Second Division, in 1911 they were transferred to the newly createdIntermediate Division.
During the Intermedia season (1911) the club continued its institutional grow, as they settled in another field in the Mitre Avenue, centre of Crucecita. There they built theEstadio Crucecita, made up completely inwood for around 4,000 spects (later expanded to 10,000), and inaugurated with a victory overEstudiantil Porteño. That year the red team fought for the championship until the end alongEstudiantes, losing to them at the last date and finishing as runners-up. However, due to theleagues being reorganized again, Independiente was promoted to thePrimera División, seven years after its foundation.
On 4 February 1912 the red team won its first friendly international cup, the Anglo-Argentine Association Trophy, by 3–0 over Uruguayan sideUniversal, with a brace fromEnrique Colla and one from Francisco Roldán.
In 14 July,1912, Independiente debuted in the Primera División againstKimberley (winning 3–0 in Avellaneda), finishing the tournament as runners-up after the red squad decided to withdraw the final versusPorteño claiming an unfairly disallowed goal.Enrique Colla of Independiente was the top scorer of the tournament, with 12 goals. In October, the Reds traveled toMontevideo to play a match abroad for the first time, which resulted in a 2-0 victory for the Uruguayan teamRiver Plate.
In 1914, Julio Mantecón proposed to Spanishize the club name from the original IFBC to "Club Atlético Independiente", since theEnglish language had already fallen into disuse. The motion was approved by club presidentJuan Mignaburu. Later, other sports began to be added, the first beingbasketball.
The 1926 squad won the club's second league title and the nicknameDiablos Rojos
In1916 Independiente reached theCopa Jockey Club final, which they lost toRosario Central 1–2. The following year, they reached thefinal again, beatingEstudiantes 2–1 and winning its first title under its current name with goals from Juan Cánepa and Guillermo Ronzoni, thus also achieving its first first-tier title and its first classification to an international tournament; the1917 Tie Cup. There they lost toMontevideo Wanderers, Uruguayan champions, 0-4.
In relation to the previous achievement, Independiente had reached the final of the 1914La Nación Cup, but it was cancelled because its rivalsArgentino de Quilmes were disaffiliated from the AFA before the final, leaving Independiente "championsby desk".
The Avellaneda team managed to become champions of theArgentine Primera División for the first time in1922, a tough championship where Independiente finished ahead ofRiver Plate,San Lorenzo andRacing, who finished second, third and fourth respectively, with an impressive record of 97 goals in that season, of whichManuel Seoane scored 55 of them, keeping a record of most goals in a single Primera División championship by one player. In1923, Independiente finished as runners-up, in part as a result of Seoane and Ronzoni being banned for one year due to an incident with a referee.
Manuel Seoane returned to the team in1926 and led Independiente to win its second Primera División title, being nicknamed "Diablos Rojos" (Red Devils) since this moment among the football public, after the journalist Hugo Marini of the Crítica journal described as "devilish" the forward line (the old 2-3-5 style) starringManuel Seoane, Alberto Lalín,Raimundo Orsi,Luis Ravaschino andZoilo Canavery.
In 1925 club presidentPedro Canaveri made an offer to buy theEstadio Crucecita land, but it was rejected. That meant they had to move again, so they purchased a low-priced uninhabited swampy land located within the limits of the Avellaneda city between theRacing Stadium and theGreat Southern Railway tracks, further fueling the rivalry with its neighbors. There he built theAlsina y Cordero Stadium (later named "la Doble Visera"), the first cement stadium in Argentina and third in the world. It was built on a largeswamp, which had to be dried and filled with tons ofstone and earth. The club had to go through repeated attempts by the "racinguist" mayor of Avellaneda, Alberto Barceló, to try tosabotage the construction of the stadium by sending municipal employees to take the material, trying to paralyze the works and, finally, trying to invent a street where the swamp had just been filled in. However, the club managed to move forward with the construction, taking the cause to the main media inBuenos Aires and even firing the municipals withgunshots.
stadium was inaugurated on 8 March 1928 in a friendly againstPeñarol, and served for more than ten years as the main stadium for theArgentina national team. Some of the stands where reused from the former Crucecita stadium, until they were replaced by concrete ones.
After the first experience with Third Lanark, new European clubs made it to Argentina, and consequently Independiente beatFC Barcelona (Spanish champions) 4–1 in 1928 andBologna (Italian champions) 1–0 in 1929. They also facedChelsea (1–1 tie) andTorino (1–2 defeat). Contrary to the Europeans, Independiente was still an amateur club.Arcadi Balaguer, president ofFC Barcelona, became surprised after realizing that Independiente defender Guillermo Ronzoni was the guy selling tickets at the stadium's entrance a few minutes before the match started. That day, the Diablos Rojos won the Catalans with a brace fromManuel Seoane and a goal from Canavery and Orsi each, with theArgentine coat of arms sewn on the jersey by initiative of the Argentine PresidentHipólito Yrigoyen.
Independiente was among the 18 clubs that broke from AFA to form theLiga Argentina de Football in1931, the first professional league in the country. They also were already considered one of theBig Five, alongBoca Juniors,Racing,River Plate andSan Lorenzo.Zoilo Canavery, who retired in 1930 wearing the red shirt, was appointed as the club's first official manager in 1932.
Manuel Seoane retired in 1933 with an impressive record of 241 goals in 264 appearances with the red shirt, setting a record of all time scorer of the Primera División. At the end of the 1930s the club, now professional, entered a path of titles led by its three new figures:Arsenio Erico,Antonio Sastre andVicente de la Mata, one of the most offensive tridents in the history of football, with 556 goals in total. This team led Independiente to win two Primera championships (1938 and1939), three national cups and three international cups. In1938 they won the club's first international title at the legendaryEstadio Centenario inMontevideo (place whereUruguay wasworld champion in 1930), beatingPeñarol 3–1 with goals from De la Mata, Zorrilla and Erico. The coach responsible for the two triple crowns wasGuillermo Ronzoni, today the winningest coach in the history of Independiente, who also was a defender between 1917 and 1928.
Independiente friendly match v Real Madrid in 1953
In 1939, an Independiente-River Plate combined team beat 3–1 aFlamengo-Vasco da Gama combination, in an overcrowdedEstadio Gasómetro, winning the "Copa Confraternidad Argentino-Brasileña". Erico and Juan Maril of Independiente scored two out of the three Argentine goals. At the end of 1939, the Independiente team touredBrazil for the first time, meeting clubsVasco da Gama,Flamengo,Botafogo,Atlético Mineiro,América Mineiro,Internacional andGrêmio. The peak moment of the tour was an 8-1 victory over Botafogo. In 1941 they won the Ministry of the Treasury Cup inParaguay by 4–2 overCerro Porteño, champions of that country.
In 1940 the biggest win in theClásico de Avellaneda took place, with Independiente defeatingRacing 7–0 with braces from Zorrilla, Erico, De la Mata and one from Leguizamón. That same day, the same record had already occurred among the reserve teams, where Independiente won 10–0. The famous offensive trident was dismantled in 1941 with the departure ofAntonio Sastre toSão Paulo. Some time later theArgentine Football Association considered him the "most complete Argentine player of all time."
Arsenio Erico, for his part, retired in 1946 having become the new top scorer in the history of theArgentine Primera División with 295 goals (a record he still holds) overshadowing Manuel Seoane's record, andVicente de la Mata was the last to retire, leading "el Rojo" to become champions in1948 under the coaching ofFernando Bello, who was the goalkeeper for eleven seasons between 1933 and 1944.Alfredo Di Stéfano (2008) consideredArsenio Erico "the most extraordinary player" he saw in his life.
In 1953 the Avellaneda team made its first tour of Europe, where it debuted at theBernabéu Stadium achieving a historic 6-0 win overReal Madrid at a full stadium, a Real Madrid starringAlfredo Di Stéfano,Paco Gento and other future "Galácticos" who would later win five consecutiveEuropean Cups.Rodolfo Micheli scored ahat-trick, while the other three goals were scored by Bonelli, Grillo and Cecconatto.
The 1963 squad won the league and later went on to win the club's first two Copa Libertadores
The "golden era" of the club started in the early 1960s, along the birth of the South American continental cups. As1963 Primera División champions, they won theCopa Libertadores de América for the first time in1964, being the first Argentine team to do so, beatingMillonarios (champions ofColombia),Alianza Lima (champions ofPeru) andSantos (champions ofBrazil) in the initial phases, and in the final againstNacional (champions ofUruguay) 1–0, with a goal fromMario Rodríguez Varela. Then they defended the title in1965, won four consecutive Libertadores in1972,1973,1974,1975, and obtained his last one in1984, establishing themselves as the competition's top winner with seven titles, to which are added the difficult records of being champions in four consecutive editions; and seven finals played, without having lost any of them. As a colorful note, in the1964 Libertadores they eliminated in the semifinals the difficult team of the BrazilianSantos, current two-time world champion, starringPelé and other stars of the two-time world championBrazilian national team. The English magazineFourFourTwo (2024) described Independiente from 1971-1975 as the third best team in the history of theAmericas, just behind Santos from 1955-1968 andBrazil from 1970.
In 1975, the club from Avellaneda made its first tour ofAsia, performing friendly games againstIndonesian andHong Kong teams. Since almost all Asian teams wore red, and Independiente didn't carry any alternative kits, they were given yellowSweden jerseys, which were later used in the1975 Copa Libertadores finals againstUnión Española.
At the local level, Independiente continued to win titles. The most particular was the1977 Nacional, a tournament where they facedTalleres in the final. Having tied in Avellaneda, the teams played the definition inCórdoba. The Córdoba team took the lead with a controversial handball goal, validated byreferee Barreiro, who also sent off three Independiente players for protesting. However, with only seven field players, Independiente won through an excellent goal from a play scored byRicardo Bochini shortly before the end of the match. The main media stated that the referee would have been, at halftime, "influenced" byLuciano B. Menéndez, one of the generals of thecivil-military dictatorship. Bochini (2010) stated that this fact cost him the call to the1978 and1982World Cups, making his debut in1986 againstBelgium.
In1983, another unprecedented event occurred again at the local level when Independiente became Argentine champion, competing on the last date inLa Doble Visera against archi-rivalsRacing, a team that was relegated toPrimera B for the first time in its history. This title led to winning the1984 Copa Libertadores, the club's seventh, beatingGrêmio in thefinals with a goal fromJorge Burruchaga.
On the world stage, they won the aforementionedCopa Interamericana three times, in1973,1974 and1976 against theCONCACAF champions, and participated six times in the prestigiousIntercontinental Cup; being world champion in1973, beating ItalianJuventus 1–0 at theStadio Olimpico inRome (goal by Bochini), and in1984, beating Liverpool at theTokyo Olympic Stadium (goal byJosé Percudani). The duel against Liverpool was special, since it was the first confrontation between Argentine and British teams after theFalklands War that occurred two years earlier and marked the end of the civil-military dictatorship. The entire Argentine public supported Independiente, and its victory gave it the nickname of "National Pride" in all the newspapers. The other four participations in the Intercontinental ended in defeats againstInter Milan (twice),Ajax Amsterdam andAtlético Madrid (although not without having visited historic stadiums such as theSan Siro, theBernabéu, theAmsterdam Olympic andVicente Calderón).Ricardo Bochini, who completed a long career at the club between 1973 and 1991, is remembered as the institution's greatest idol, scoring the goal against Juventus and having a 19-year career at Independiente, where he won twelve titles (record which he shares withRicardo Pavoni).
Pavoni with five Libertadores trophies at Independiente Stadium
Other highlights on the non-competitive stage include the winning of the 1965 Consular Cup 2–1 on aggregate overNapoli (first inNew York and then inToronto), beating GreekPanathinaikos (champions ofEurope) 1–0 inAthens in 1972, beatingInter Milan 1–0 in theEstadio Azteca in 1974, tying 2–2 with the famous American teamNew York Cosmos on their 1985 farewell season, and playing an unofficial club world championship in1989 againstArsenal (champions ofEngland), which they lost inMiami 2–1.
The "golden era" of Independiente came to an end in 1995 and, from then on, the sporting achievements occurred in a more isolated way. Nothing that relevant occurred between the 1995–2010 period, except for the isolated2002 Aperture title, where the pillar was team captainGabriel Milito. In 2004 club legendJosé Pastoriza died while at his fifth stint as the club manager. Some days before, Independiente won the DAIA Cup 1–0 toEl Salvador. Among other players, a youngSergio Agüero was sold toAtlético Madrid for a record US$28,75 million in 2006, which was planned to be used for a complete renovation of theLa Doble Visera to a brand new stadium.
As the old Doble Visera stadium was in severe decay, the project of a new and modern stadium advanced, made possible by theSergio Agüero record transfer to Europe. On 8 December,2006, the farewell match took place againstGimnasia with 1–2 defeat. While theEstadio Libertadores de América was under construction, Independiente acted as home team at several Primera División stadiums, mostly the nearRacing Stadium. The "Estadio LDA" was officially inaugurated on 28 October,2009 with a 3-2 victory overColón. However, as the construction costs were higher than the estimated, it was inaugurated half built, even with the old Almirante Cordero grandstand left standing.
Despite the also millionaire transfers ofOscar Ustari andGermán Denis, Independiente went through critical moments in the institutional and football sphere with million-dollar debts, embargoes, inhibitions from AFA andFIFA and evenbankruptcy petitions. The team finished at the league's last places on various occasions. However, the club performed well at the2009–10 season and qualified to the2010 Copa Sudamericana, which they won at home soil after defeatingGoiás at thefinals through the penalty shootout. Nonetheless, at the same time they finished at the bottom place of the2010 Aperture. On the fifth date of the2012 Clausura, Independiente beat reigning Argentine championsBoca Juniors 5–4 away atLa Bombonera.
In the new century, Independiente won twoCopas Sudamericanas (2010 and 2017).
As a result of the poor performances since the 2010 Aperture, aggravated by the bad management and institutional crises, Independiente finished in second-to-last place in the point averages at the end of the2012-13 season, getting relegated to thePrimera B Nacional for the first time after 101 years in the Primera División (after a 0-1 home loss toSan Lorenzo at the second-to-last date) alongsideSan Martín (18th) andUnión (20th). At the institutional level, the crisis had theEstadio Libertadores de América half built and in a state of abandonment, like all the facilities and club training fields, and the club directors being threatened bybarra bravas (hooligans). One month later, the team debuted in the B with a 1-2 home defeat to a promoted third division team,Brown, remaining five rounds without knowing the victory and facing relegation to thePrimera B Metropolitana.
Between the sales of important players the club earned approximately US$42 million. But despite this, in 2022 the Moyanos left the presidency of the club having once again led it to another critical financial situation, with more thanUS$22 million in debt. By 2023, in addition to former players, Independiente was in big debt with four Mexican clubs (América,UNAM,Tijuana andMazatlán), with the América one putting Independiente under aTAS-imposed embargo. As a result, a collection was carried out among fans and other donors through adigital wallet raising US$3.5 million, an amount of money that managed to help the club lift that dangerous embargo. At the same time, the team had the worst Primera División campaign in its history, finishing the tournament in 24th place. However, after an austere season and a strong appreciation of theArgentine peso under thePresidency of Javier Milei, the club overcame the red numbers and earned a spot to the2025 Copa Sudamericana.[citation needed] However, the team was disqualified from the competition afterclashes broke out between spectators at a match againstUniversidad de Chile at theEstadio Libertadores de América inBuenos Aires, resulting in 10 injuries, 90 arrests, and the suspension of the game.[9][10]
First emblem of Independiente, inspired on St. Andrew's A.C.
The first shirt worn by the club since its foundation in 1904 was white, with a blue badge on its chest with the acronym "IFBC" ("Independiente Football Club"). That badge was inspired onSt. Andrew's Athletic Club's. a club established by Scottish descendants that had been the first Primera División champion in1891.
The traditional red shirt was not worn until 1908, and was inspired on English sideNottingham Forest, which hadtoured Argentina in 1905. Independiente executives were so impressed by the performance ofThe Forest that they decide to adopt the red colors for the club. The red shirt debuted on 10 May 1908.[11][12][13]
The first badge of the club was also inspired on Saint Andrew's and was used until 1912 when the club switched to a red seal. The logo changed again in 1930, being the closest version of the current emblem. It has been modified (with minor alterations) several times since then.[14]
The stadium was built on the site of the historicDoble Visera, used from 1928 to 2006, where Independiente won national and international titles and hosted early Argentina national team matches. It was Argentina’s first concrete stadium and the third worldwide.
During construction (2006–2010), the club played home games at the stadiums ofLanús,Huracán, andRacing, including key matches in the2010 Copa Sudamericana, which it won.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The following tables lists the players that have been named top scorers playing for Independiente inPrimera División. Independiente has 15 top scorers.[16][17]
^The Copa Bullrich was an official football competition contested by clubs playing in the Second Division. TheAFA has not included this competition into thelist of national cups because only teams inPrimera División participated in those competitions.[22]
^Although the meeting where a group of football enthusiasts decided to establish a club was held on 4 August 1904, the official date of establishment of the club was set on 1 January 1905, then signed and initialled on the act of foundation.[5]
