Club Atlético Independiente

History

Early years in Buenos Aires

Independiente was founded in 1904 by a group of employees from a luxury fashion store called "A la Ciudad de Londres" (To the City of London), located in the Montserrat neighborhood of Buenos Aires. These employees, the youngest and most affected by precarious 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 most elite 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 the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada), there they made the decision to reject an invitation to be part of Atlanta (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 own house. The team's first shirts were white, reused from a Barracas team called Plate United, which ceased to exist in 1903. These shirts featured a blue emblem with white details, very similar to St. 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 with Atlanta, on a field located in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

During its short stay in the Argentine capital, Independiente wandered in various improvised fields in the neighborhoods of Flores and La Paternal. They also acted as hosts in Recoleta, where they rented a very expensive field belonging to the National 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 Boca Juniors (created just four months before) on 27 August, being victorious 4–1 in Flores.

The club joined the AFA in 1906 and was registered to begin competing that year, like neighbors Atlanta, but was disqualified at the last moment for not complying with the strict stadium rules demanded by the then English-directed AFA. Therefore, 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 is Platense.

Crucecita period

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 in Crucecita East, near Dock 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 met Racing for the first time, a match that from the first moment was a derby 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 met River Plate in a friendly match, where the white IFBC won 3–1 with goals from Julio Mantecón, Juan Irigoyen and Miguel Peluffo.

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 on horse 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 with Racing, 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 to Banfield 0–3 at the Estadio GEBA. The newcomers also helped to improve the stadium condition.

Relocation to Avellaneda

In 1925 club president Pedro Canaveri made an offer to buy the Estadio 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 the Racing Stadium and the Great Southern Railway tracks, further fueling the rivalry with its neighbors. There he built the Alsina y Cordero Stadium (later named "la Doble Visera"), the first cement stadium in Argentina and third in the world. It was built on a large swamp, which had to be dried and filled with tons of stone and earth. The club had to go through repeated attempts by the "racinguist" mayor of Avellaneda, Alberto Barceló, to try to sabotage 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 in Buenos Aires and even firing the municipals with gunshots.

stadium was inaugurated on 8 March 1928 in a friendly against Peñarol, and served for more than ten years as the main stadium for the Argentina 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 beat FC Barcelona (Spanish champions) 4–1 in 1928 and Bologna (Italian champions) 1–0 in 1929. They also faced Chelsea (1–1 tie) and Torino (1–2 defeat). Contrary to the Europeans, Independiente was still an amateur club. Arcadi Balaguer, president of FC 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 from Manuel Seoane and a goal from Canavery and Orsi each, with the Argentine coat of arms sewn on the jersey by initiative of the Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.

Independiente was among the 18 clubs that broke from AFA to form the Liga Argentina de Football in 1931, the first professional league in the country. They also were already considered one of the Big Five, along Boca Juniors, Racing, River Plate and San Lorenzo. Zoilo Canavery, who retired in 1930 wearing the red shirt, was appointed as the club's first official manager in 1932.

The golden era

The "golden era" of the club started in the early 1960s, along the birth of the South American continental cups. As 1963 Primera División champions, they won the Copa Libertadores de América for the first time in 1964, being the first Argentine team to do so, beating Millonarios (champions of Colombia), Alianza Lima (champions of Peru) and Santos (champions of Brazil) in the initial phases, and in the final against Nacional (champions of Uruguay) 1–0, with a goal from Mario Rodríguez Varela. Then they defended the title in 1965, won four consecutive Libertadores in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, and obtained his last one in 1984, 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 the 1964 Libertadores they eliminated in the semifinals the difficult team of the Brazilian Santos, current two-time world champion, starring Pelé and other stars of the two-time world champion Brazilian national team. The English magazine FourFourTwo (2024) described Independiente from 1971-1975 as the third best team in the history of the Americas, just behind Santos from 1955-1968 and Brazil from 1970.

It is also worth noting that Independiente achieved its Copa Libertadores title record after winning its fourth one at the 1973 finals defeating Chilean champions Colo-Colo 2-1 at Estadio Centenario, therefore surpassing Peñarol and Estudiantes three-title record. That same year, the red team also achieved the 1973 Copa Interamericana and the 1973 Intercontinental Cup, giving rise to the nickname of "Rey de Copas" (King of Cups).

In 1975, the club from Avellaneda made its first tour of Asia, performing friendly games against Indonesian and Hong Kong teams. Since almost all Asian teams wore red, and Independiente didn't carry any alternative kits, they were given yellow Sweden jerseys, which were later used in the 1975 Copa Libertadores finals against Unión Española.

At the 1976 Copa Libertadores, after four years of success, the red team finally got knocked out by River Plate 1–0 in the semifinals, very close of reaching a fifth consecutive final. However, soonly after they won the postponed 1976 Copa Interamericana (the third in a row) against Mexican side Atlético Español through the penalty shoot-out after two ties at the Venezuelan Olympic Stadium.

New stadium and hard times

As the old Doble Visera stadium was in severe decay, the project of a new and modern stadium advanced, made possible by the Sergio Agüero record transfer to Europe. On 8 December, 2006, the farewell match took place against Gimnasia with 1–2 defeat. While the Estadio Libertadores de América was under construction, Independiente acted as home team at several Primera División stadiums, mostly the near Racing Stadium. The "Estadio LDA" was officially inaugurated on 28 October, 2009 with a 3-2 victory over Colón. 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 of Oscar Ustari and Germán Denis, Independiente went through critical moments in the institutional and football sphere with million-dollar debts, embargoes, inhibitions from AFA and FIFA and even bankruptcy petitions. The team finished at the league's last places on various occasions. However, the club performed well at the 2009–10 season and qualified to the 2010 Copa Sudamericana, which they won at home soil after defeating Goiás at the finals through the penalty shootout. Nonetheless, at the same time they finished at the bottom place of the 2010 Aperture. On the fifth date of the 2012 Clausura, Independiente beat reigning Argentine champions Boca Juniors 5–4 away at La Bombonera.

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 the 2012-13 season, getting relegated to the Primera B Nacional for the first time after 101 years in the Primera División (after a 0-1 home loss to San Lorenzo at the second-to-last date) alongside San Martín (18th) and Unión (20th). At the institutional level, the crisis had the Estadio 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 by barra 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 the Primera B Metropolitana.

Despite the serious macroeconomic crisis of the club, former champion players Daniel Montenegro, Federico Insúa, Federico Mancuello and Facundo Parra returned to lend a hand, with whom "el Rojo" recovered from the bad start and achieved promotion again in 2014 by winning a final for the third promotion spot to Huracán. Under the presidency of Hugo Moyano, chief of the CGT, Independiente advanced in the completion works of the stadium and was champion in the 2017 Copa Sudamericana versus Vinícius Júnior's Flamengo and, later, the 2018 Suruga Bank Championship held in Osaka, Japan, which extended the international record of the club recognized by CONMEBOL to 18 titles and recovered its record as the club with the most international titles in the Americas (shared with Boca Juniors). The team captain Nicolás Tagliafico continued his career in AFC Ajax and ultimately won two times the Copa América and the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Argentine national team along goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who also emerged from Independiente's youth ranks.

Kit and badge

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 on St. Andrew's Athletic Club's. a club established by Scottish descendants that had been the first Primera División champion in 1891.

The traditional red shirt was not worn until 1908, and was inspired on English side Nottingham Forest, which had toured Argentina in 1905. Independiente executives were so impressed by the performance of The Forest that they decide to adopt the red colors for the club. The red shirt debuted on 10 May 1908.

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.

Stadium

Independiente plays home matches at the Libertadores de América–Ricardo Enrique Bochini Stadium, located in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, with a capacity of 49,000. Opened unfinished in 2009 and completed in 2016 (except for the roof), it stands beside the General Roca Railway tracks.

The stadium was built on the site of the historic Doble 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 of Lanús, Huracán, and Racing, including key matches in the 2010 Copa Sudamericana, which it won.

Before moving to Avellaneda in 1906, Independiente had various home grounds in Buenos Aires, notably in Flores, La Paternal, and Recoleta, including a site later used by River Plate at Alvear and Tagle.

Its first stadium in Avellaneda was a rented field in East Crucecita (1906–1911), followed by the West Crucecita Stadium, used from 1911 to 1928.

Players

Current squad

As of 11 September 2026

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Top-scorers by season

The following tables lists the players that have been named top scorers playing for Independiente in Primera División. Independiente has 15 top scorers.

Honours

Other titles

Titles won in lower divisions:

Copa Bullrich (1): 1909

Friendlies

Trofeo Asociación Anglo-Argentina (1): 1912

Torneo Internacional Nocturno Rioplatense (1): 1936

Copa Confraternidad Argentino-Brasileña (1): 1939 (shared with River Plate)

Copa Ministerio de Hacienda (1): 1941

Torneo Cuadrangular de Lisboa (1): 1953

Torneo Internacional de Chile (1): 1964

Festa d'Elx Trophy (1): 1967

Trofeo Montilla Moriles (1): 1967

Trofeo Villa de Madrid (1): 1981

Lunar New Year Cup (1): 1975

Torneo Internacional de Fútbol Miami (1): 1986

Copa de las Instituciones (1): 1993

Copa Presidente Carlos S. Menem (1): 1994

Notes