Rosario Central

The beginning

The squad in 1903, still using the squared jersey.

Rosario Central posing with its first national cup, the Copa de Competencia La Nación in 1913.

Rosario Central in 1915, after winning the Copa Ibarguren.

The Rosario Central team that won the Rosarian League title in 1919.

Central won its second promotion to Primera División in 1951.

The club was founded as the Central Argentine Railway Athletic Club on December 24, 1889, by 16 British railway workers of the British-owned Central Argentine Railway company as a football club. They wanted to be unlike Rosario Cricket Club (current name: Club Atlético del Rosario) which was focused on rugby union.

Both the first president (Colin Bain Calder, a Scot) and the first vice-president (Thomas Hooper, an Englishman) were British. The recently created club played its first match with the crew of a British ship, playing it in May 1890. The game ended 1–1 so a new game was played, that was won by the Argentine club by 2–1.

During many years Central Argentine played only internal matches or faced the Rosario Cricket Club occasionally. The British-owned railway did not allow people from outside the company to become a member. In 1904 the railway companies Central Argentino and Buenos Aires merged so the club's members decided to modify the name of the institution. The club changed to "Club Atlético Rosario Central" and also decided to accept new members with no restrictions.^[10]

The Liga Rosarina de Football (Rosario's Football League) was created in March 1905, formed by teams from the city of Rosario, Santa Fe. The first tournament managed by the league was the "Copa Santiago Pinasco", named that way because the Mayor of Rosario, Santiago Pinasco, donated the trophy.

Central debuted on May 21, 1905, defeating Rosario Athletic by 3–1. On June, Central played a friendly match against English team Nottingham Forest, losing 5–0. Rosario Central won its first regional title in 1908.

In 1913 the club disaffiliated from the Liga Rosarina, founding with other clubs the dissident "Federación Rosarina de Football". Central won this league in 1913.

In 1914 Central would return to Liga Rosarina, winning the championship after playing 20 matches, winning 19 games with 1 draw. The team scored 99 goals and only conceded 10, being Harry Hayes the top scorer of the tournament with 51 goals.^[11]

The squad also would win the 1915, 1916 and 1917 regional titles, becoming four-champion of the Rosarian League.^[12] In 1919, Central won the Rosario´s league title again, winning 3–2 the final match against their history rivals: Newell's Old Boys.^[13]

In 1920 Rosario Central left the league again, and joined other clubs to form the Asociación Amateur, winning the 1920 and 1921 titles. Two years later, Central and the dissident clubs would return again to the Rosarian league.

In the following years, Central won the 1923, 1927, 1928 (won against Newell´s in the final match),^[14] and 1930 championship, becoming the most successful team in Liga de Rosario's history.

National cups

The first national title came in 1913 when Rosario Central won the Copa de Competencia La Nación after defeating Argentino de Quilmes by 3–2.^[15]

In 1915 Central won its second national title, obtaining the Copa Dr. Carlos Ibarguren. That was a trophy contested by the champions of Buenos Aires and Rosario. Central defeated Racing Club 3–1 in the final match.^[16]

In 1916 Central won the Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires after beating Independiente 1–0. That same year the Rosarino team won the Copa de Competencia Jockey Club defeating Independiente again. A new national title would come in 1920, when Central won the Copa de Competencia against Almagro.

In 1931 football became professional in Argentina, so a new Association, the Asociación Rosarina de Fútbol was created in Rosario to organize the first professional championships. The Copa Nicasio Vila changed its name to Torneo Gobernador Luciano Molinas, honoring then Governor of Santa Fe Province Luciano Molinas. Rosario Central won the 1937 and 1938 titles.

Primera División

In 1939, Rosario Central and its arch-rival Newell's Old Boys requested Argentine Football Association to be added to the main league championship of Argentina, the Primera División. The Association accepted the requirement.

In 1941 Rosario Central was relegated to Primera B, after losing 20 matches with only 6 won. Nevertheless, Central only lasted one season in second division, returning one year later, after 25 matches won and only 4 lost. In 1950 Central was relegated again after a poor campaign in Primera. As its precedent relegation, Central promoted to the top division one year after being relegated, so the team returned to Primera in 1951.

Rosario Central's team that won the National Championship in 1971.

Rosario Central won its first national league title, the in 1971 National championship with Angel Labruna as coach defeating San Lorenzo in the final game. Central had previously beat arch-rival Newell's by 1–0 in semi-finals with a goal scored by Aldo Poy, who dove to head the ball (a way of heading known as "palomita" in South America). That goal is still remembered by Central supporters who usually reunite on December 19, to recreate the goal. Many times Poy himself has taken part of the celebration.^[17]

The second professional title for the club came two years later, winning the 1973 Nacional with Carlos Griguol as coach. Some of the most notable players were Poy, Carlos Aimar and Eduardo Solari. The most frequent line-up was: Carlos Biasutto, Jorge González, Aurelio Pascuttini, Daniel Killer, Mario Killer, Carlos Aimar, Eduardo Solari, Aldo Poy, Ramón Bóveda, Roberto Cabral and Daniel Aricó.

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).

The 1980s

The team of Rosario Central that won the Argentine 1987 championship.

After seven years without titles, Central won the 1980 Nacional with Ángel Tulio Zof on the bench. That team was called La Sinfónica (the Symphony Orchestra) because of the exquisite playing displayed by the team on the field. Central defeated Racing de Córdoba 5–0 in the first final game, and lost 2–0 in the second match but proclaimed champion due to goal average. Daniel Carnevali, Juan Carlos Ghielmetti, Edgardo Bauza, Oscar Craiyacich, Jorge García, José Gaitán, Daniel Sperandío, Eduardo Bacas, Félix Orte, Víctor Marchetti and Daniel Teglia was the frequent line-up on the fields.

After a few years with bad seasons, the team was relegated in 1984, but returned to first division just one year later after winning the Primera B championship, coached by Pedro Marchetta. Central returned to Primera to play the 1986–87 season, winning the title at the end of the tournament but coached by Zof again. This was a first in Argentine football (oddly, Central Español performed a similar feat in Uruguay in the years 1983–84, also a first).

The 1986–87 team was formed by Alejandro Lanari, Hernán Díaz, Jorge Balbis, Edgardo Bauza, Pedernera, Omar Palma, Adelqui Cornaglia, Roberto Gasparini, Osvaldo Escudero, Fernando Lanzidei and Hugo Galloni.

International titles

The first years of the decade of 1990 Central did not make good campaigns in domestic tournaments, although the team won the CONMEBOL Cup (the precursor of the current Copa Sudamericana) in 1995, being the only international title achieved by a Santa Fe Province based team to date. Central defeated Brazilian squad Atlético Mineiro 4–0 in Arroyito after losing by the same score in the first match in Brazil. Finally Central won the Cup by Penalty shoot-out, with a score of 4–3.

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

Decline and resurrection

After the 2010 Clausura, Rosario Central's poor form over the past three years forced it into a relegation/promotion play-off against Nacional B side All Boys, which won the tie over two legs 4–1 on aggregate (defining the series with a thrashing 3–0 in Arroyito), relegating Rosario Central to Primera B Nacional, the second tier of Argentine football. It was the fourth time the club was relegated to play in the second division.

Rosario Central spent several seasons in the B Nacional until May 19, 2013, when the squad secured the promotion to Primera División after beating Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy by 3–0. The three goals were scored by Javier Toledo. The team was coached by Miguel Ángel Russo.^[18][19]

Uniform evolution

1890–1903

1903–04 [lower-alpha 1]

1904–present

Kit manufacturers and jersey sponsors

Since July 2012, Rosario Central's clothing was supplied by the company Olympikus, who provided their uniforms up to the casual sports clothing. Starting in 2015 all the clothing line will be provided by Nike. In turn, the jacket is sponsored by the Argentinean bank: Banco Municipal.

Badge evolution

• 
  1903-73 ^{[lower-alpha 2][21]}
• 
  1973–present ^{[lower-alpha 3][21]}

Current squad

As of 8 October 2018.^[24]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Jeremías Ledesma 2 DF Matías Caruzzo 3 DF Elías Gómez 4 DF Gonzalo Bettini 5 DF Leonardo Gil 6 MF Marcelo Ortiz (on loan from Boca Unidos) 7 MF Joaquín Pereyra 8 MF Federico Carrizo 9 FW Marco Ruben 10 MF Néstor Ortigoza 11 MF José Fernández 14 MF Diego Arismendi 15 DF Washington Camacho 17 FW Germán Herrera 18 MF Andrés Lioi 19 DF Miguel Barbieri (on loan from Racing Club) 20 FW Fernando Zampedri 21 DF Ángel Gómez

No. Position Player 22 MF Diego Becker 23 FW Agustín Maziero 24 DF Alfonso Parot 25 MF Emmanuel Ojeda 26 DF Óscar Cabezas (on loan from Patriotas) 27 DF Luciano Recalde 28 FW Agustín Coscia 30 GK Marcelo Miño 31 GK Josué Ayala (on loan from Temperley) 34 FW Maximiliano Lovera 36 MF Leonel Rivas FW Renzo Alfani DF Nicolás Giménez MF Félix Banega MF Matías Mansilla FW Rodrigo Migone FW Renzo Reynaga

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player GK Diego Rodríguez (at JEF United Chiba) DF Fernando Alarcón (at Villa Dálmine) DF José Leguizamón (at Olimpia) DF Marco Torsiglieri (at Vélez Sársfield) MF Jonás Aguirre (at Belgrano)

No. Position Player MF Hernán Da Campo (at San Martín) MF Maximiliano González (at Tigre) MF Joel López (at Emelec) MF Marcos Martinich (at Villa Dálmine) FW Pablo Becker (at Deportes Antofagasta)

National

International

• Copa Conmebol (1): 1995

Regional

• Federación Santafesina:
  • Santa Fe Cup (1): 2017 ^[26][27]
• Liga Rosarina:
  • Copa Nicaso Vila (10): 1908, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930
  • Copa Estímulo (1): 1922
• Federación Rosarina (1)²: 1913 ^[28]
• Asociación Amateurs Rosarina (2)²: 1920, 1921 ^[28]
• Asociación Rosarina de Fútbol:¹
  • Torneo Luciano Molinas (2): 1937, 1938 ^[28]
  • Torneo Preparación (1): 1936 ^[28]
  • Torneo Hermenegildo Ivancich (1): 1937 ^[28]

Notes

• ¹ In 1939 the senior squad of Rosario Central begun to participate in the Argentine's top division, Primera División. From then on, the club has taken part in regional tournaments by the ARF with reserve teams only.
• ² Dissident associations.