Rosario Central

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Rosario Central
Crest
Full name Club Atlético Rosario Central
Nickname(s) Los Canallas (The scoundrels)
La Academia rosarina (The Academy of Rosario)
Founded December 24, 1889
Ground Estadio Gigante de Arroyito
Rosario, Santa Fe
(Capacity: 41,824)
Chairman Horacio Usandizaga
Manager Ariel Cuffaro-Russo
League Argentine Primera División
Apertura 2009 10th
Home colours
Away colours

Club Atlético Rosario Central (usually simply Central) is a football club in Rosario, Argentina. It is the sixth most popular team in the country.[1] [2] The club has won the Argentine´s First Division four times, and the Conmebol Cup once. Central plays the Rosario derby against Newell's Old Boys, its local historical rival .

Contents

[edit] History

The Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club was founded in December 24, 1889 by English railway workers of the British-owned Central Argentine Railway company. The first president was Colin Calder, and all club activities were carried out in the English language. When the company took over the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway company in 1903, the name of the club was formally changed to Club Atlético Rosario Central.

The original jersey colors were red and white; later, the club would change to a checkered blue and white, and finally settle on the blue and gold vertical stripes design used to this day.

Alternate logo

The team played in the local Rosario league until it joined the Argentine league in 1939 together with rivals Newell's Old Boys. Rosario Central was relegated in 1942 and again in 1951; both times, it was promoted on the very next season.

Rosario Central won the Nacional championship in 1971 with Angel Labruna as coach, and again in 1973, being the first of many such achievements won by the coach Carlos Timoteo Griguol.

For the 1974 season, Central acquired striker Mario Kempes from Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba (Kempes and Instituto mate Osvaldo Ardiles were to be reunited in the national team that won the 1978 World Cup).

Even though the winning of the Campeonato Argentino 1974 was not considered official by the AFA, it is considered by Central's supporters to be their "sixth" championship.

After seven years whitout titles, Central won the 1980 Nacional with veteran Ángel Tulio Zof on the bench. That team was called "La Sinfónica" (the symphony orchestra) because they played very good, beautiful football.

After a few years with bad seasons, the team was relegated in 1985, but returned to first division the following year, and won the 1986/87 Championship. This was a first in Argentine football (oddly, Central Español performed a similar feat in Uruguay in the years 1983/84, also a first).

In 1995 Rosario Central won their only international title to date, the CONMEBOL Cup (the precurssor of the current Copa Sudamericana).

The club has participated in ten editions of the Copa Libertadores, and is currently tied for fifth place with Estudiantes de la Plata and Vélez Sarsfield, all of which trail participation leaders Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente, and San Lorenzo.

Even though the badge shows 6 stars, Rosario Central has only won 5 official championships (4 national and one international). The sixth one (the Argentino 1974 achievement) was added in the 115 anniversary of the institution, two weeks after their biggest rival, Newell's Old Boys, won their fifth championship in 2004.

Rosario Central fans display a gigantic banner

[edit] Stadium

Rosario Central plays in the Gigante de Arroyito stadium, located in the confluence of Avellaneda Boulevard and Génova Avenue, in the Lisandro de la Torre neighborhood (popularly known as Arroyito), in north-east Rosario.

It has an official capacity of 41,654, but crowds of 45,000 have been accommodated after it underwent major conditioning for the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina.

In that tournament, all three second-round games of the Argentine squad were played in the Gigante. Local hero Kempes enjoyed the support of the fans and went on to become the top scorer of the tournament.

[edit] Nicknames

Central's common nickname is canallas ("scoundrels", which is a rather mild insult in Argentina) because it is said that they refused to play a charity match for a leprosy clinic in the 1920s; rival side Newell's acquired their leprosos (lepers) nickname when they did play in that event.

Rosario Central team picture from 1919

In a January 2007 press conference presenting the new jersey, Rosario native Roberto Fontanarrosa revised the definition and spelling of Central's nickname. The new spelling he gave was canaya, because according to him, people from the city of Rosario do not use the Spanish word canalla for any other reason than referring to the club.

Central are also known as La Academia (like the Argentine team Racing Club) due to the amount of players that become professional from their youth teams, and to the amount of consecutive Rosario's League titles that the club won in the amateur era, in comparison to Racing Club (called La Academia), that won a lot of championships in the Buenos Aires´ League at the same time too.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Amateur titles (1905-1938)

[edit] National

  • Concurso por Eliminación: (1) 1913
  • Copa Dr. Carlos Ibarguren: (1) 1915
  • Copa de Honor:(1) 1916
  • Copa de Competencia Jockey Club: (1) 1916
  • Copa de Competencia: (1) 1920

[edit] Regional

  • Rosario's League: (12) 1908, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1937, 1938

[edit] Professional league titles (1939-present)

[edit] International Titles

[edit] Players

[edit] Current Squad

Current squad for Rosario Central as of 7 November 2009 (edit)

No. Position Player
1  Argentina GK Jorge Broun
2  Argentina DF Nahuel Valentini
3  Argentina DF Guillermo Burdisso
4  Argentina DF Alexis Danelón
5  Argentina MF Jesús Méndez
6  Argentina DF Diego Braghieri
7  Argentina FW Andrés Franzoia
8  Argentina DF Diego Chitzoff
10  Argentina MF Jonathan Gómez
11  Argentina MF Gervasio Núñez
12  Argentina GK Hernán Galíndez
13  Argentina DF Mario Vallejo
15  Argentina MF Lucas Moya
16  Uruguay FW Gonzalo Choy González
17  Argentina FW Milton Caraglio
No. Position Player
18  Argentina MF Martín Astudillo
19  Argentina FW Emilio Zelaya
20  Argentina MF Matías Ballini
21  Argentina FW Gonzalo Castillejos
23  Argentina MF Darío Ocampo
24  Argentina DF Ignacio Boggino
25  Argentina GK Facundo Lupardo
26  Argentina MF Milton Zárate
27  Argentina DF Leandro Gurrieri
28  Argentina DF Santiago García
29  Argentina MF Mario Paglialunga
30  Ecuador DF Paúl Ambrosi
32  Argentina FW Adrian De León
36  Argentina MF Horacio Calcaterra

Manager: Ariel Cuffaro Russo

[edit] Notable former players

see also Cat:Rosario Central footballers

[edit] Famous Supporters

[edit] External links

[edit] References