The Racing Club de Avellaneda, also called Racing Club or simply Racing, is an Argentine professional sports club based in Avellaneda, a city in Buenos Aires. A member of the “big five” clubs of Argentine soccer, Foot Ball Racing Club was founded in 1903.
The Argentine professional sports club has earned the title “El Primer Grande” (The first big club) for becoming the first football team in the world to win seven straight consecutive championships (Primera División league titles), win a national cup, and the first club to win a world championship (Intercontinental Cup).
Nicknamed La Academia, Racing Club de Avellaneda competes in the top division of the Argentine leagues, the Primera División. The team’s home stadium is called Estadio Presidente Perón, or El Cilindro de Avellaneda.
Although the club has enjoyed considerable success over the years, they have also faced their share of difficulties. In December 2001, the club ended a hiatus of 35 years without a Primera División league title. Two years before, they were forced to shut their doors after declaring bankruptcy temporarily.
Yet, despite such adversity, the club’s fans remained united, defending their reputation as one of the country’s most loyal bands of supporters.
There have been 18 titles won by Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Primera División, including seven consecutive titles between 1913 and 1919, five of which were undefeated. The club has also won 13 national cups, including five Copa Ibarguren, four Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires, and one Copa Beccar Varela. In addition, the club has won six titles on the international stage. They include one Libertadores Cup, one Intercontinental Cup, one Copa de Honor Cousenier, and a Supercopa Libertadores.
Early History Of Racing Club de Avellaneda
When the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was founded at the end of the 19th century, employees requested permission to play football on the company’s land. Accordingly, they established a club in 1898, “Argentinos Excelsior Club.” The newly formed club’s officials met at the Mercado de Hacienda on 25 March 1903 to discuss merging with another club, Barracas al Sur. A French auto racing magazine gave the new club its name.
Racing was the first football team integrally formed entirely of local-born (Criollo) people. In 1905, Racing Club de Avellaneda became affiliated with the Argentine Football Association and began competing in the lower divisions of the Argentine league system.
A white shirt was first worn by the new club, and then four squares, two light blues, and two pinks were added. 1910 marked the 100th anniversary of the May Revolution, so they changed the colors to light blue and white.
The club registered to play in the Segunda División in 1906. In 1910, Boca Juniors was defeated in a playoff, and Racing finally promoted into the Primera División.
In 1912, Racing Club de Avellaneda won its first domestic cup, the Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires, beating Newell’s Old Boys 3–0. The team won its first league title in 1913. After that, the La Academia established itself as the best league club globally by winning seven successive championships titles in the Primera División. (1913-1919)
After winning the league title in 1921 and 1925, it took until 1949 before the Argentine professional sports club won the championship. After that, they won it three years running, taking the 1950 and 1951 titles. They won the Primera División league title once again in 1958, then finished second to San Lorenzo de Almagro the following year. The first world champion won the league title again in 1961.
Estadio Juan Domingo Perón Stadium
1945 saw the construction of the club’s present-day ground, the Estadio Juan Domingo Perón in Avellaneda. As the fans call it “El Cilindro,” it is located only two blocks away from the stadium of Racing Club de Avellaneda’s archrival: Club Atlético Independiente. Clashes between the two sides usually divide loyalties in the neighborhood and have people taking sides across the city and beyond.
The Estadio Presidente Perón initially opened in 1950 becoming the second-largest stadium in Argentina. In its first season at the new stadium, the football club won its third consecutive league title in 1951. Its initial capacity was 120,000 spectators.
The Racing Club stadium was restructured in 1997. One hundred five meters x seventy meters is the size of the soccer field. After restructuring, the venue’s capacity was reduced to 64,161. After the River Plate stadium, Racing’s stadium is still the second largest in Argentina. 
Copa Libertadores And Intercontinental Cup
Racing Club de Avellaneda won the 1967 Copa Libertadores after beating Uruguayan team Nacional 2–1 in the final. In a playoff game, Racing defeated Celtic to win the Intercontinental Cup. The first leg had been played in Glasgow, Scotland, where Racing was beaten 1–0 while they won the second game 2–1 in Avellaneda. The final playoff match to separate the teams was played in Montevideo, where Racing Club de Avellaneda achieved its second continental championship, winning 1–0 with a goal scored by Juan Carlos Cárdenas.
In 1988, the team won its third international competition, when they defeated Brazilian team Cruzeiro in the 1988 Supercopa Libertadores. Racing Club and Cruzeiro faced each other in the 1992 Supercopa Libertadores finals. Cruzeiro won 4-1.
Bankrupted Club
Fans were outraged when Daniel Lalin, the club president, declared bankrupt in July 1998. Racing Club de Avellaneda was administered by the Blanquiceleste PLC, which took over the club’s running after it declared bankruptcy during the country’s financial crisis in 1999 and continued to run the La Academia until 2008.
Back To Success
While in administration, the Argentine professional sports club won the professional league championship in December 2001 for the first time in 35 years. In 2012, Racing lost to Boca Juniors 2–1 in the Copa Argentina final. The club’s subsequent success in the Primera Division occurred in 2014. Racing Club de Avellaneda won its 18th championship in 2019.
Racing Club de Avellaneda Facts and Figures
City: Buenos Aires
Founded: 25 March 1903
Honors:
- 18 Argentine league titles (Primera División)
- 1 Copa Libertadores
- 1 Copa Intercontinental
- 1 Supercopa Sudamericana
- 1 Copa de Honor Cousenier
- 2 Copa Aldao
Legendary Players:
Enrique García, Juan José Pizzuti, Orestes Corbatta, Juan Carlos Cárdenas, Roberto Perfumo, Oscar Martín, Evaristo Barrera, Alfio Basile, Enrique Wolff, Humberto Maschio, Agustín Cejas, Ubaldo Fillol, Gustavo Costas, Rubén Paz, Claudio Ubeda.
Racing Club de Avellaneda Records:
- Natalio Perinetti – 405 appearances
- Alberto Ohaco – 244 goals
Largest Victory In Primera División:
- 11–3 versus Rosario Central
Interesting Facts:
- Since its formation, it has only had Argentine-born nationals as its coach. In January 2021, they appointed their first overseas-born coach. That was Juan Antonio Pizzi from Spain. He lasted only 7 months before being sacked.
- Independiente is the club’s fiercest rivals and their local derby.
- Racing is the fifth most popular football team in Argentina in a recent poll. Boca Juniors is the most supported team throughout the country, followed by River Plate, Independiente, and San Lorenzo.
