RIVER PLATE C.A.
2002-2003
Match Worn Shirt
D’Alessandro Andres
Things to Know:
D’Alessandro was born in the La Paternal section of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He joined the labor force as a pizza delivery boy before becoming a professional footballer. Known as El Cabezón (“The Big Headed”) for how large his big head looks on his small frame rather than any ego connotations, he emerged through the River Plate youth system that has produced much of Argentina’s top talent over the years. He followed the likes of Santiago Solari and Pablo Aimar through the ranks, together with Javier Saviola, with whom he shared the limelight in the 2001 Youth World Championship. With the River Plate senior team, he won the 2001–02 and 2002–03 Primera División titles. D’Alessandro attracted attention from European clubs following his success and performances at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship so in 2003 he moved to Europe where he played for 4 years. After San Lorenzo and Internacional he he returned to River Plate after 12 and a half years on a loan deal. He won his second Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa Argentina during his stay at the club.
RIVER PLATE C.A.
2016
Match Worn Shirt
Driussi Sebastian
Did you Know?
This shirt was worn by Sebastian Driussi over the season 2016. This shirt is the limited edition team’s kit of 2016 released by Adidas to celebrate the 30th anniversary of River Plate 1985/86 league title. The shirt is inspired by events surrounding River’s 2-0 win over arch-rivals Boca Juniors on April 6, 1986 at the Bombonera. The result saw Los Millonarios (The Millionaires) win the 1985/96 Argentina Primera División. While River Plate wore their famous red sashed white primary kit for the game, an orange adidas Tango soccer ball was used for the first half of the match. This is the basis of the color choice of the shirt. The River Plate 2016 third kit features a black rounded collar for a different look from the club’s current home and away shirts. The sash on its front, its Adidas logo and shoulder stripes and its sleeve cuffs are also black. A commemorative patch with the 1986 adidas Tango ball appears on the left breast. The the text “Campeonato 85-86, 30° aniversario, 6 de Abril 1986” is included within the patch.
Things to Know:
Driussi made his debut for River Plate as a starter in an Argentine Primera División match against Argentinos Juniors,on December 2nd 2013, playing 73 minutes in a 1–0 victory. His first league goal for the club came over a year later, as he scored in a 2–2 draw against Unión de Santa on 8 March 2015. On 8 July 2017, Driussi joined Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg on a four-year deal, after six seasons with River Plate.
RIVER PLATE C.A.
2016
River Plate vs Independiente
Match Worn Shirt
Larrondo Marcelo
Did you Know?
On December 5th 2016 River Plate played against Independiente. The team wore a special one-off green jersey in honour of Chapecoense following the previous week’s tragic air disaster. The footballing world has banded together to pay tribute to Chapecoense after players, backroom staff and officials from the Brazilian outfit were among the 71 people to lose their lives when a flight carrying them to the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional went down in Cerro Gordo, La Union in Colombia. As many other teams around the world River Plate paid respect by playing in a green kit for Sunday’s Primera Division clash against Independiente. The shirt has a special Chapecoense’s Tribute badge on chest but what really makes this shirt unique is that this version of shirt is the regular season goalkeeper’s shirt. All of the players played with the goalkeeper’s jerseys as it was green like the Chapecoense’s shirts. This shirt was used only in this match.
RIVER PLATE C.A.
2018
Copa Libertadores Final
River Plate vs Boca Juniors
Match Worn Shirt
Quintero Juan Fernando
Did you Know?
This shirt was issued for Juan Fernando Quintero for second leg of the Copa Libertadores Final 2018, which took place in Madrid, “Santiago Bernabeu” Stadium, on December 9th 2018. The 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals was the two-legged final to decide the winners of the 2018 Copa Libertadores, the 59th edition of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier international club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The finals were contested in a two-legged home-and-away format between Argentine clubs Boca Juniors and River Plate, making it the first Superclásico final of an international competition. The first leg was hosted by Boca Juniors at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 11 November 2018, while the second leg took place outside South America at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain (a neutral venue) on 9 December 2018. This was the last final to take place over two legs, as starting from 2019 the final would be played as a single match at a venue chosen in advance. The second leg was originally to be hosted by River Plate at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 24 November 2018. However, due to safety concerns resulting from the attack on the bus of Boca Juniors prior to the match, the second leg was moved outside of Argentina and South America, later confirmed to be the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain. This was the first time that the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final has been held outside of South America, and the first final held outside of the Americas. The second leg finally went ahead in front of a crowd of approximately 72,000 in the Bernabéu. Most of the early opportunities fell to Boca, and finally Dario Benedetto, who had also scored in the first leg, scored in the 44th minute to give Boca a half-time lead. In the second half, River Plate fought back and finally equalised after another first-leg scorer, Lucas Pratto, scored in the 68th minute. The match then went to extra time, during which Boca were reduced to 10 men after Wilmar Barrios was sent off. River Plate took advantage, with Juan Quintero putting them into the lead in the 109th minute. An injury to Fernando Gago in the 116th minute, left Boca to just 9 men having used all substitutions. In the final minute Leonardo Jara hit the post for Boca, only for River Plate to break upfield and make the final score 3–1, with an empty net goal from Pity Martínez. “It’s been almost 60 days since this started and there is tremendous sadness,” said the Boca manager, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. River Plate won its fourth Copa Libertadores title. As winners, they qualified as the CONMEBOL representative at the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, entering in the semi-finals. They also earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018 Copa Sudamericana in the 2019 Recopa Sudamericana. River Plate also automatically qualified for the group stage of the 2019 Copa Libertadores. Due to the intense rivalry between Boca and River, the match was referred to as the “Superfinal”, and “the Final to end all Finals”. The press called it the “most important final in Argentina’s football history”. According to Richard Martin, a Reuters reporter, River’s win “guarantees them bragging rights over their neighbours for many years to come”.
RIVER PLATE C.A.
June 28th 2019
Colossus Cup
River Plate vs Chivas de Guadalajara
Match Worn Shirt
Perez Enzo
Did you Know?
This shirt was worn by Enzo Perez during the “Colossus Cup” game between River Plate and Chivas de Guadalajara which took place in San Diego, “SDCCU Stadium” on June 28th 2019. River Plate defeated Chivas de Guadalajara 5-1. This is the River Plate 2019-20 fourth shirt designed by Adidas. The color is inspired by the Torino Calcio’s shirt in homage to the legendary Torino team that suffered the horrible Superga air disaster on May 4th 1949. The friendship between the two teams is something special started on May 29th 1949, when River Plate went to Torino with its best players, including Di Stefano, Lostau and Labruna, to celebrate and to play a friendly game against Torino, raising money for the families of people dead in the air disater. The game was played in Torino, “Stadio Comunale”, on May 29th 1949, between River Plate and “Torino Simbolo” which was an Italian Serie A “all star team”. The game ended 2-2. This 2019 fourth shirt has printed in the front that match’s details alongside with the #EternaAmicizia hashtag (#EternalFriendship). The shirt also tributes Torino Calcio in the back since the numbers have the Toro’s logos inside. Enzo Nicolás Pérez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for the Argentina national team. He played four years for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, where he won five trophies, most notably the domestic treble in the 2013–14 season, and reached two consecutive UEFA Europa League finals. Born in Maipú, Mendoza, Pérez began his career in Deportivo Maipú, like his father, and started his professional playing career with Godoy Cruz, where he wrote his name into club history by scoring a fifth-minute goal in the 1–1 draw with Belgrano on 9 September 2006. This was the first goal ever scored by Godoy Cruz in the Argentine first division. In total, he scored 12 goals in his career at Godoy Cruz, most coming from penalties. In 2007, Pérez joined Estudiantes de La Plata, where he finished as runner-up with the team in the 2008 Copa Sudamericana. He was then a first team regular in the team that won the 2009 Copa Libertadores. He joined Benfica in 2011 and he spent three years and a half before he moved to Valencia. On 2 January 2015, Spanish La Liga club Valencia CF signed Pérez for a transfer fee of €25 million, the tenth-highest ever fee for an Argentine player. On 4 January, he debuted for Valencia in a home win over Real Madrid (2–1) in La Liga. On 29 June 2017, Pérez returned to Argentina and signed for River Plate.