Club Atlético Tigre

Tigre
Full name	Club Atlético Tigre
Nickname(s)	El Matador (The Killer); Azules del Norte (Northern Blues)
Founded	3 August 1902; 119 years ago
Ground	Estadio José Dellagiovanna, Victoria, Buenos Aires
Capacity	26,282
Chairman	Ezequiel Melaraña
Manager	Juan Carlos Blengio
League	Primera Nacional
2018–19	9° (Relegated)
Website	Club website

Club Atlético Tigre is an Argentine football club located in Victoria, Buenos Aires. Its name comes from Tigre, the city in which it was founded in 1902. Its colors have always been blue and red. The senior squad currently competes in Primera Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league system.

Tigre plays its home venues at Estadio José Dellagiovanna (named after one of its founders and first president) which has a capacity of 26,282 spectators.

History[]

First team of Tigre, 1902

On 3 August 1902, a group of twelve young men led by José Dellagiovanna, met at his house in Partido de las Conchas (former name of Tigre Partido) with the purpose of establishing a sports club. The name given to the recently formed institution was "Club Atlético Juventud del Tigre", with Dellagiovanna elected as its first president. They played their first football match vs C.A. Las Conchas, won by Juventud del Tigre 3–1. The club wore a blue shirt with red collar, black short and socks.

The team registered to Argentine Football Association to compete in official tournaments. By those times, the institution changed its name to "Club Atlético de Tigre". When dissident Federación Argentina de Football was established in 1912 after the first schism in Argentine football, Tigre affiliated to it. The team began to wear a striped blue and red shirt.

The first title won by the club came in 1912, when Tigre crowned champion of División Intermedia (the second level by then), promoting to Primera División after beating Argentinos de Vélez Sarsfield 4–2 in the final held in Estadio G.E.B.A.. On 1 May from 1913, Tigre made its debut in the top division of Argentine football.

Tigre debuted in Primera División on 1 May 1913, against Porteño, ending in a 0–0 draw. The team played its home matches on a field located on Rocha street, near Reconquista River in Rincón de Milberg. Its first field was inaugurated on 2 December 1913. When a new schism came in 1919, Tigre registered to dissident Asociación Amateurs de Football, which lasted until 1927, when both leagues, AAmF and AFA joined.

In 1931, the first professional league of Argentina, Liga Argentina de Football, was created, with Tigre affiliating to it. Under professionalism, Tigre debuted on 31 May 1931 vs San Lorenzo at Viejo Gasómetro stadium. Nevertheless, in 1934 a reduction in the number of participating teams caused Tigre and Quilmes were relegated to the Second Division. Tigre left the top division after 21 consecutive seasons.

Bernabé Ferreyra, the first great player of the club

At the beginning of 1931, Tigre sold striker Bernabé Ferreyra to River Plate for m$n50,000. The transaction was described as "the most expensive pass for a player in the history of world football" by the local media. Ferreyra had played for Tigre during 6 years, with an average of +1 goal per game.

After the selling of Ferreyra, another forward, Juan Marvezzi, arrived to the club in 1937. He would score 116 goals over 173 matches between 1937 and 1943, becoming Tigre's all-time top scorer.

In October, 1944, the club received then vice-president of Argentina, colonel Juan Domingo Perón. In front of a crowded stadium, the president of Tigre, Mario Piotti, appointed Perón –a confessed supporter of the club– as "honoary president of the club".

The 1945 team that won the Primera B title, returning them to the Primera División.

In 1945, Tigre won its first official title, the Second Division championship, returning to Primera. The club remained in the top level a few seasons before being relegated again in 1950, along with Rosario Central.

The 1953 that won another promotion to Primera that same year

In Primera B, Tigre remained a few seasons until 1953, when the team won its second title, returning to Primera División,^[2] where the club remained until 1958 when it was relegated. During that brief stint in the top level, Tigre got its best performance until then, when in 1955 finished 6th. It was at that time that Tigre was nicknamed El Matador (The Killer) by El Gráfico journalist Osvaldo Ardizzone.

Tigre returned to Primera División in 1967, after promoting along with Club Atlético Los Andes in the "Reclasificatorio", a tournament contested by the last six teams of Metropolitano and the four top teams from Primera B. Nevertheless, the club would be relegated again, and in 1971 was sent to Primera C, the third division of Argentine by then.

1979: Tigre returned to Primera División, with Juan Carlos Lorenzo as the sports director. A curiosity of that year: while Tigre was on the rise, he sold more tickets than Racing Club, San Lorenzo de Almagro and Independiente. At mational level, it finished 4th only behind Boca Juniors, River Plate and Rosario Central.

1982: Tigre and San Lorenzo set the attendance record in the second division. More than 70,000 tickets are sold for the match that was played at the River Plate stadium. As of today and by different regulations of AFA, it will hardly be exceeded at any time.

1994: After many years, Tigre returned to be the center of attention of promotion tournaments, and as it happened every time, his convocation power extended much more than to the partisan media of the minor divisions. He is the champion of the first short tournament of the season.

2005: The team became two-time champion of the promotion with a record of points obtained in Argentine football.

2007: Tigre again returns to the First Division, and achieves the second position in his first tournament. The external factor to this campaign was the massive support, recognized by all: in almost all the matches of the tournament, Tigre sold out his popular tickets, both in Victoria and as a visitor. All this left the popular recognition in the football environment that Tigre had been widely the revelation of the tournament, and that Argentine football had recovered a great.

2008: For the 2008 Apertura, Tigre was one goal away from becoming champion, finally reaching the runner-up again. He finished with a total of 39 points, tied for first place along with San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors, but ends as runner-up after playing a historic triangular final. It must be considered that the AFA modified, in the midst of their dispute, the rules of this tournament. Originally it had established that in the event of a tie for first place, the champion would be decided according to the result of the game (s) between the teams occupying that place. Tigre defeated San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors, both as visitors, so it was appropriate to award him the title. However, with the imposed modification, the triangular had to be disputed.

2012: Again runner-up in the First Division. Tigre started the season thinking about the promotion table, but he ended up fighting the tournament until the last date.

And at the end of that same year, after eliminating Millonarios FC in the semifinals for the 2012 Copa Sudamericana, he reached his first international final in its history.

The Tigre squad that won its first top-division title in 2019, against Boca Juniors

Despite having been relegated at the end of the 2018–19 Primera División championship, 2019 was the most successful year in the history of the club so Tigre won its first title in Primera División, the Copa de la Superliga beating Boca Juniors 2–0 in the final at Mario Kempes Stadium. Coached by Néstor Gorosito, Tigre's initial line-up was Gonzalo Marinelli; Matías Pérez Acuña, Gerardo Alcoba (c), Néstor Moiraghi, Nicolás Colazo; Sebastián Prediger, Lucas Menossi, Diego Alberto Morales, Walter Montillo, Lucas Janson; Federico González. The goals were scored by González and Janson. Besides, 20,000 supporters of El Matador travelled to Córdoba to attend the match.

That win allowed Tigre to play the Trofeo de Campeones vs Racing Club (winner of the 2018–19 league) at Estadio José María Minella in Mar del Plata. Nevertheless, Racing beat Tigre 2–0.

In 2020, Tigre was the only Argentine team that played the top continental competition, Copa Libertadores, that was not competing in the top division but in Primera B Nacional.

Kit evolution[]

During the first years of the club, shirt was electric blue with red collar. On the chest, the legend "Juventud del Tigre" (original club name). For the first game v C.A. Las Conchas, the team wore that shirt. A blue and red striped jersey appeared between 1911 and 1911, being alternated with the traditional blue.

With the affiliation to dissident "Asociación Amateurs de Football", in 1919, the regulation of the use of colors privileged San Lorenzo de Almagro in the use of a striped design. The now traditional blue with a red horizontal strip began to be worn in the middles 1940s. During the 1960s, the club worn a blue and red hoops jersey that had been worn by Italian club Sampdoria.^[3]

Stadium[]

Aerial view of the Colosseum stadium in Victoria

Throughout its history, Club Atlético Tigre had 3 courts, although the most popular is the current Jose Dellagiovanna Stadium. Is located in Victoria, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 1935 the land of Guido Spano was acquired and on 29 December the Foundation Stone was placed where the current Victoria stadium would be built. The land in front of the avenue was acquired with the certain possibility of expanding the number of supporters. Many internal struggles were generated by this determination. Former members, who did not understand at the time the perspective that this change offered to the club, deserted, definitively breaking their link with the institution. The president at that time was León Bourdieu.

It was inaugurated on 20 September 1936, in a friendly against Boca Juniors.

It is on 27 September, when the first game for the First Division championship organized by the AFA is played, facing Independiente de Avellaneda, with whom Tigre was defeated 1-0. On 6 December, Tigre's first victory occurs in Victoria, defeating Ferro Carril Oeste 2-0.

Players[]

Current squad[]

As of 7 October 2020.^[4]

Numbers used in 2020 Copa Libertadores

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ARG	Felipe Zenobio
2	DF	ARG	Ezequiel Rodríguez
3	DF	ARG	Néstor Moiraghi
4	DF	ARG	Facundo Giacopuzzi
5	DF	ARG	Fernando Alarcón
6	MF	ARG	Víctor Cabrera
7	FW	ARG	Tomás Fernández
8	MF	ARG	Lucas Menossi
9	FW	ARG	Enzo Díaz
10	MF	ARG	Cristian Zabala
13	DF	ARG	Francisco Oliver
14	DF	ARG	Lucas Blondel
15	MF	ARG	Juan Ignacio Cavallaro
16	MF	ARG	Román Martínez
17	MF	ARG	Gabriel Compagnucci
18	MF	ARG	Franco Bustamante
19	MF	ARG	Francisco Metilli
20	DF	ARG	Martín Galmarini
21	MF	ARG	Sebastián Prediger
23	GK	ARG	Gonzalo Marinelli
25	DF	ARG	Brian Leizza


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
27	MF	ARG	Agustín Cardozo
28	FW	ARG	Iván Bolaño
29	DF	ARG	Diego Sosa
31	DF	ARG	David Gallardo
32	MF	ARG	Diego Becker (on loan from Rosario Central)
33	DF	ARG	Nicolás Sansotre
34	FW	ARG	Ijiel Protti
35	FW	ARG	Pablo Magnín
36	DF	ARG	Abel Luciatti
37	DF	ARG	Facundo Monteseirín
38	DF	ARG	Sebastián Prieto
39	FW	ARG	Ivo Kestler
40	GK	ARG	Federico Gomes Gerth
41	GK	ARG	Nicolás Navarro
42	MF	ARG	Mateo Cáceres
43	MF	ARG	Agustín Baldi
44	DF	ARG	Francisco Alegre
45	MF	ARG	Franco Cardozo
46	FW	ARG	Gonzalo Flores
47	MF	ARG	Iván Vera

Former players[]

Player records[]

Most appearances[]

No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Match.
1	Martín Galmarini	MF	2002–	372
2	Pedro Pellegata	DF	1969–80	360
3	Adolfo Heisinger	FW	1914–29	346
4	Edgardo Paruzzo	FW	1980–89	345
5	Juan Carlos Blengio	DF	2000–18	335