Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata facts for kids
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| Full name | Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata | ||
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| Nickname(s) | El Lobo (The Wolf) Los Triperos (The gut-handlers) |
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| Short name | CGE | ||
| Founded | 3 June 1887 | ||
| Ground | Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo, La Plata, Argentina |
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| Capacity | 24,500 | ||
| President | Mariano Cowen | ||
| Manager | Leonardo Madelón | ||
| League | Primera División | ||
| 2023 | 22nd | ||
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Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata is an Argentine sports club from La Plata. It's often called Gimnasia for short. The club was started in 1887. It's famous for its football (soccer) team. This team plays in the Primera División, which is the top league in Argentina.
A famous football legend, Diego Maradona, was the team's manager from 2019 until he passed away in 2020.
Besides football, Gimnasia also has many other sports. These include athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, fencing, futsal, gymnastics, field hockey, martial arts, swimming, roller skating, tennis, volleyball, and weightlifting.
Contents
History of Gimnasia
The "Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata" was founded on June 3, 1887. It is the oldest football club still playing in the Argentine league today. The club was created just five years after the city of La Plata was built in 1882.
The first sports offered to members were gymnastics and fencing. These sports were popular among upper-class people in the late 1800s. Later, other sports like football, basketball, and rugby were added.
The club's name changed a few times. For a short period in 1897, it was called "Club de Esgrima" (Fencing Club). This was because fencing was the only activity at that time. It soon went back to its original name. From 1952 to 1955, the club was named after Eva Perón, as the city of La Plata was also renamed. When the city went back to its old name, so did the club.
Gimnasia y Esgrima moved up to the first division in 1915. This happened after they won the División Intermedia championship. In 1929, the club won its first ever Primera División championship. They also won the Primera B league in 1944, 1947, and 1952. In 1994, they won the Copa Centenario de la AFA. The team has also finished second in the Primera División five times. Gimnasia has played in the top Argentine football league for 73 seasons. This makes them one of the clubs with the longest time in the top league.
The La Plata Derby
The Clásico Platense, or La Plata derby, is the name for the football match between Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and Estudiantes de La Plata. These are the two main football teams in La Plata.
The first official derby game was on August 27, 1916. Gimnasia won that match 1–0. The first derby in the professional era was on June 14, 1931. Gimnasia won five derby games in a row between 1932 and 1934. This was a record until Estudiantes did the same from 2006 to 2008.
On June 25, 1963, Gimnasia had its biggest win against Estudiantes, with a score of 5–2. However, Gimnasia's worst loss was 7–0 on October 15, 2006.
A very interesting derby happened on April 5, 1992. Gimnasia won 1–0 at Estudiantes' stadium. When Gimnasia fans cheered for the goal, the local Astronomical Observatory's seismograph (a machine that measures earthquakes) recorded a small tremor! This goal, scored by José Perdomo, is still known as "El gol del terremoto" (The earthquake goal).
Club Presidents
Over more than 120 years, Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata has had 56 presidents. These are elected people who lead the club. Many of them helped the club grow over the years. Some are remembered for their achievements.
Saturnino Perdriel was the founder and first president of Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. He was a merchant and also worked for the government. He sadly passed away in 1888, after being president for one year.
Today, the President of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata is chosen by the club's members. Elections happen every three years. Any club member over 18 who has been a member for at least three years can vote. Members who have been with the club for over seven years can be elected to the club's leadership team.
Club Facilities
Gimnasia has many facilities. Besides its football stadium, it has a large training campus. There's also a campus for children's football, a sports center, a kindergarten, a primary school, and a high school. The club also has many smaller branches in Argentina and around the world.
- Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo: This is the football stadium. It's also known as El Bosque (Spanish for "the forest") because it's in a park. It can hold about 24,544 fans.
- Estancia Chica: This is a large property where the professional football team trains before games.
- El Bosquecito: This is a campus where younger football teams practice and play.
- Schools: The club opened a kindergarten in 1999. A primary school, "Dr. René Favaloro," opened in 2001. A high school opened in 2008.
- Polideportivo Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata: This sports complex opened in 1978. It's where the basketball and volleyball teams play. It can hold 2,600 people for sports, and up to 3,500 for music shows.
- Headquarters: This building handles the club's administration and member services. Members can also play sports like basketball and volleyball here. It also has a gym.
Club Anthem
Gimnasia's official anthem was written in 1915. The words were by the poet Délfor B. Méndez. The music was composed by Juan Serpentini.
The anthem was first sung on July 9, 1915. This was during a welcome event for the delegation from the River Plate club from Uruguay. In 1967, the official anthem was recorded by the Buenos Aires Police musical group.
Emblems and Colors
Club Badge
The current badge of Gimnasia y Esgrima looks like a wreath. At the top, there's a helmet with a special crest. In the middle, on a white and navy-blue background (the club's colors), you can see the club's letters. On the sides, there are parts of a saber and a foil (fencing swords). Laurels spread around the helmet.
The club's badge has changed a few times since it started. The first symbol was on a document from 1888. It had the coat of arms of La Plata. The first real artistic badge was designed in 1901 by Emilio Coutauret. This design was very detailed. Later, in 1928, a simpler badge was created by Raúl Felices. This design is still used today.
For a while, the letters "CGE" (Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima) in the middle of the badge were changed to "GELP" (Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata). But later, it was decided to go back to the original "CGE" abbreviation.
Team Uniform
The official uniform of Gimnasia y Esgrima uses the colors from the club's badge. It's a white jersey with a single horizontal navy-blue stripe across the chest.
When the club first started, the colors were white and light blue. This was to show that it was an Argentine club. The first jerseys had vertical white and light blue stripes.
In 1905, the club decided to change the colors. They wanted to be different from Racing Club. So, they chose vertical stripes of white and navy-blue.
Finally, in 1910, the design changed again. The vertical stripes became the horizontal navy-blue band on a white jersey. This design has been used ever since.
Uniform Evolution
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Apparel and Sponsors
Here are the companies that have made the team's uniforms and sponsored the club since 1980:
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Club Supporters
Fan Base
In the city of La Plata, Gimnasia's fans are often seen as coming from working-class backgrounds. Most of Gimnasia y Esgrima fans live in the Greater La Plata area.
The club currently has 35,000 members. This makes it one of the top 10 clubs in Argentina with the most members.
Surveys in Argentina show that Gimnasia is usually ranked eighth for having the most fans in the country.
Like other clubs in Argentina's First Division, fans celebrate the "Worldwide Day of Gimnasia's Fans" on December 10. They have a big party and gathering outside.
Team Nicknames
Since the 1960s, Gimnasia has been called El Lobo (The Wolf). This nickname comes from "El Lobo del Bosque" (the wolf in the Forest). It's like the story of "Red Riding Hood," because the team's stadium is in the middle of La Plata's main park, which is called El Bosque ("the forest"). Another nickname, mensanas, comes from the Latin phrase on the club's badge: Mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body).
An older nickname, still used today, is triperos (meaning "tripe" or "gut-handlers"). This name comes from the fact that many of Gimnasia's first supporters worked in meat-processing plants nearby. In old newspaper cartoons, Gimnasia was shown as a "butcher" instead of a "wolf." Fans still often cheer with "Tripa corazón!" (Spanish for "Heart of tripe!").
Another nickname is basureros ("garbage or waste collectors"). This name came about in the 1970s. At that time, the club's president also managed the company that collected trash in La Plata.
Club Stadium
The Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium is known as El Bosque (Spanish for "the forest"). It's called this because it's located in the La Plata park of the same name. It used to hold 31,460 people and was used all the time until 2005.
When a new city stadium was built for La Plata, both Gimnasia and Estudiantes wanted to keep playing at their own fields. But new safety rules closed both fields. So, in 2006, Gimnasia started using the city stadium for home games.
During the Copa Sudamericana 2006, in a match against Fluminense, Gimnasia set a stadium record. Over 50,000 fans attended! This record is still valid. Gimnasia won that match 2–0.
In March 2008, Gimnasia made changes to its old stadium. They wanted to get permission to use it again for some games. In June 2008, "El Bosque" was approved again for top-division games. On June 21, 2008, Gimnasia played its first game back at its old home against Lanús. Now, the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium can hold 24,544 people.
Team Records
- Best position in First Division: 1st – First Division 1929
- Historic position in Argentine First Division: 8th with 3461 points. They are behind River Plate, Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, Club Atlético Independiente, Racing Club, Vélez Sarsfield, and Estudiantes de La Plata.
- Largest victories:
- 10–1 against River Plate (in 1905, playing in a lower division)
- 8–1 against Racing Club (November 22, 1961)
- In international tournaments: 5–1 against Alianza Lima (at the Copa Libertadores 2003)
- Most consecutive victories:
- 8 (Apertura 2005) – This is the 6th best in Argentine football history for small tournaments.
- 9 (1962)
- Worst defeats:
- In national championships: 0–8 against Huracán in First Division 1968.
- In international tournaments: 0–4 against IA Sud América (at the Copa Conmebol 1995)
- Participation in international competitions:
- Copa Conmebol (3 times): 1992 (reaching the Semi-finals), 1995, and 1998.
- Copa Sudamericana (4 times): 2002, 2006, 2014, and 2017.
- Copa Libertadores (2 times): 2003 and 2007.
Players
In its long history, over 800 players have played for Gimnasia's first team. Many famous football players have come from its youth teams. Some of these include Guillermo and Gustavo Barros Schelotto, Mariano Messera, Lucas Lobos, Roberto "Pampa" Sosa, Andrés Guglielminpietro, Sebastián Romero, Lucas Licht, Hernán Cristante, and Leandro Cufré.
Current Squad
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Players Out on Loan
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Individual Player Records
Most Appearances
| No. | Player | Pos. | Time Played | Matches |
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| 1 |  Jorge San Esteban |
DF | 1992–2003, 2004–09 | 462 |
| 2 |  Guillermo Sanguinetti |
DF | 1991–2003 | 393 |
| 3 | Oscar Montañéz |
MF | 1932–45 | 343 |
| 4 | Rodolfo Smargiassi |
DF | 1947–58 | 333 |
| 5 | Enzo Noce |
GK | 1990–2004 | 321 |
Top Scorers
| No. | Player | Pos. | Time Played | Goals |
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| 1 | Arturo Naón |
FW | 1927–43 | 95 |
| 2 | Manuel Fidel |
FW | 1933–42 | 80 |
| 3 | Gabino Arregui |
LW | 1934–46 | 75 |
| 4 | Diego Bayo |
FW | 1955–58, 1961–66 | 71 |
| 5 | Facundo Sava |
FW | 1997–2002 | 64 |
Team Managers
Since 1931, Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata has had 63 different managers (coaches). The first one was Emérico Hirschl from Hungary. He coached the team from 1932 to 1934. He was also the first non-Argentine coach in Argentine football history.
Some important coaches for the team include Nito Veiga, who helped the team get promoted in 1984. Roberto Perfumo won the Copa Centenario de la AFA with the team. Carlos Griguol coached Gimnasia for ten years. Former player Pedro Troglio also coached the team.
- José Ripullone (1929–1930)
- Rafael Lafuente (1931)
Emérico Hirschl (1932–1934)- Manuel Álvarez (1935)
Máximo Garay (1937)- Roberto Scarone (1948–51)
- Adolfo Pedernera (1955)
- Carlos Aldabe (1960–61)
- Enrique Fernández Viola (1962)
- Adolfo Pedernera (1962)
- Enrique Fernández Viola (1966), (1967)
- Juan Carlos Murúa (1968–69)
- José Varacka (1968–71)
- Juan Carlos Murúa (1971)
- José Varacka (1973–74), (1978–79)
- José Ramos Delgado (1989–90)
- Alberto Fanesi (1990–91)
- Roberto Perfumo (1993–94)
- Gregorio Pérez (1 Jan 1999 – 30 June 2000)
- Carlos Griguol (2000–01)
- Carlos Ramacciotti (1 Jan 2002 – 31 December 2003)
- Carlos Griguol (2003–04)
- Mario Gómez (2004)
- Carlos Ischia (1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005)
- Pedro Troglio (2005–07)
Francisco Maturana (1 April 2007 – 25 August 2007)- Julio César Falcioni (1 July 2007 – 31 December 2007)
- Guillermo Sanguinetti (31 Dec 2007–29 Sep 2008)
- Leonardo Madelón (30 Sep 2008–2 Dec 2009)
- Pablo Fernández (interim) (1 Dec 2009 – 16 December 2009)
- Diego Cocca (1 Jan 2010–30 Sep 2010)
- Pablo Morant (30 Sep 2010–31 Dec 2010)
- Ángel Cappa (1 Jan 2011 – 28 April 2011)
- Darío Ortiz (29 April 2011 – 4 October 2011)
- Osvaldo Ingrao (1 July 2011 – 5 October 2011)
- Pedro Troglio (6 Oct 2011 – 14 Mar 2016)
- Gustavo Alfaro (20 Mar 2016 – 13 May 2017)
- Leandro Martini (interim) (13 May 2017 – 24 Jun 2017)
- Mariano Sosa (26 Jun 2017 – 28 Dec 2017)
- Facundo Sava (5 Jan 2018 – 21 Apr 2018)
- Darío Ortiz (interim) (22 Apr 2018 – 14 May 2018)
- Pedro Troglio (15 May 2018 – 17 Feb 2019)
- Darío Ortiz (18 Feb 2019 – 31 Aug 2019)
- Diego Maradona (5 Sep 2019 – 25 Nov 2020)
- Mariano Messera and Leandro Martini (26 Nov 2020 – 29 Aug 2021)
- Néstor Gorosito (31 Aug 2021 – 30 Dec 2022)
- Sebastián Romero (30 Dec 2022 – 2 Sep 2023)
- Leonardo Madelón (5 Sep 2023 – 14 Apr 2024)
Other Sports at Gimnasia
Basketball started at the club in the 1920s. In 1924, the club built a basketball stadium. Since then, basketball has been one of the club's main sports.
The basketball team was very successful in 1978 and 1979. They won two Metropolitano championships. They beat Obras Sanitarias, which was a very strong team at the time. The team had great players like "Gallego" González and "Finito" Gehrmann. They also had American players like Michael Jackson and Lawrence Jackson Jr. The team's star player, Clarence Edgar Metcalfe, was named the league's best player in 1979. Rolando Sfeir coached these championship teams.
Gimnasia also finished second in the 2003–04 Liga Nacional de Básquetbol's top tournament. They lost to Boca Juniors in the final.
In the next season, the team moved down to the second division. This happened because the club's president reduced the basketball budget. This caused many of their best players to leave.
Some of Gimnasia's famous basketball players include Carlos "Gallego" González and Ernesto "Finito" Gehrmann. Notable coaches were José Ripullone and Gonzalo García.
Gimnasia y Esgrima also has a women's volleyball team. They are one of the original nine clubs that started the "Federación de Voleibol y Pelota al Cesto." This federation is now called the "Federación Metropolitana de Voleibol" (FMV). Gimnasia is still playing volleyball in the top division.
Past Sports
Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata used to have other sports that are no longer played at the club:
- Rugby union: In 1933, the rugby union decided not to allow clubs that also played professional football. So, Gimnasia's rugby team had to change its name. Four years later, the rugby activities became a separate club called "La Plata Rugby Club." This club still plays today.
- Table tennis: The "La Plata Association for Table-tennis" existed from 1945 to 1951. Gimnasia helped start this association and won most of the tournaments during those years.
- Greco-Roman wrestling: From 1924 to 1928, the club had a Greco-Roman wrestling team.
- Gymnastics: In the 1930s, gymnastics was a very important activity at the club. Members of the Gimnasia team were part of Argentina's team at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. This sport stopped being offered after 1976.
Other sports that were available at the club at different times included water polo, boxing, cycling, pétanque, auto racing, and judo.
Club Honours
Senior Titles
- Keys
- Record
- (s) Shared record
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
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| National (League) |
Primera División | 1 | 6 | 1929 | 1924 AAmF, 1995 Clausura, 1996 Clausura, 1998 Apertura, 2002 Clausura, 2005 Apertura |
| Primera B Nacional | — | 1 | — | 2012–13 | |
| Primera B | 3 | 1 | 1944, 1947, 1952 | 1946 | |
| División Intermedia | 1 | — | 1915 | — | |
| National (Cups) |
Copa Centenario de la AFA | 1 | — |
1993
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| Copa Argentina | — | 1 | — |
2017–18
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| Copa Bullrich | 1 | — |
1915
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Friendly Titles
- Trofeo Eva Perón (1): 1953
- Copa Gobernador Alende (1): 1960
- Copa Diario El Día (1): 1974
- Copa Diario La Gaceta (2): 1975 y 1977
- Copa Amistad (1): 1977 y 2006
- Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires (1): 1998
- Copa Municipalidad de La Plata (2): 1999 y 2001
- Copa Malvinas Argentinas (1): 2003
- Copa Ciudad de Mar del Plata (1): 2009
- Copa Ciudad de Necochea (1): 2012
- Copa Amistad Ciudad de La Plata (1): 2014
- Copa Ciudad de Ensenada (1): 2016
- Copa Banco Provincia (1): 2017
- Copa de Verano Schneider (2): 2018, 2019
Basketball Honours
- Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (1): 2000–01
- Campeonato Argentino de Clubes (2): 1979, 1980
- Federación de Capital Federal's League (3): 1937, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985
- Asociación Platense de Básquet (13): 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973
- Copa "Ismael Genaro Cerisola" (1): 1996
Women's Volleyball Honours
Official Titles
- Argentine National League (3): 1999–00, 2000–01, 2002–03
- Federación Metropolitana (1): 2000
- Liga Metropolitana (1): 2004
Friendly Titles
- Copa Morgan (1): 1951
- Torneos Evita (1): 1954
- Torneo Lola Berta (1): 1955
- Torneo Cuadrangular Chile (1): 1972, 1975
- Torneo Cuadrangular Náutico de Uruguay (1): 1976
- Torneo Norma Rimoldi (1): 2005
See also
In Spanish: Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata para niños
- History of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (Football)
- Gimnasia y Esgrima (basketball)
- Presidents of Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
- Estadio Juan Carlos Zerillo
- La Plata derby
