Adolfo Pedernera
Encyclopedia
Adolfo Alfredo Pedernera (15 November 1918 – 12 May 1995), born in Avellaneda
, Argentina
, was a football (soccer) player and coach. Nicknamed "El Maestro" ("The Master"), He is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Argentine players of all-time. He was elected the 12th best South america
n footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2000. Adolfo Pedernera usually played as an inside forward and was renowned for his technique and ability to create chances for others whilst also being a prominent goalscorer.
During his time at River Plate he was part of five Argentine Championship
winning squads in 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1945.
With Argentina he won the Copa America
1941
and 1945
.
The Second World War kept Pedernera away from the game as he could not participate in a World Cup
, but afterwards, his career continued to progress. Still with the Club Atlético River Plate, he played with the likes of Ángel Labruna
, José Manuel Moreno
, Félix Loustau
, and Juan Carlos Muñoz
. He also collaborated with Hugo Reyes, Antonio El Maestrico Báez, Néstor Rossi
, and Alfredo Di Stéfano
who he would later be teammates with them for CD Los Millonarios in Colombia
, but first, in 1947, he was offered a million pesos to play for Club Atlético Atlanta
.
Pedernera's time with the Club Atlético Atlanta was short. After the club was relegated for the first time, he returned in 1948 to the Club Atlético Huracán where he started his career. However, Carlos Aldabe
, the trainer of Millonarios, visited Pedernera in Buenos Aires
and convinced him to come to Bogotá
, Colombia
. There, Pedernera joined the Millonarios on 8 June 1949. He arrived in Bogotá on 10 June and was greeted at the Aeropuerto de Techo by 5,000 fans transported by 200 cars and 25 buses.
) with a score of 6-0. On 25 June, Pedernera played for the first time with the club, helping them defeat the Club Deportes Caldas with a score of 3-0. The press of Bogotá received Pedernera well and commented the next day that "El Maestro" ("The Master") was "a phenomenon, an artist, a master of passing, and a show of intelligence. After the debut of El Maestro, everything is possible."
Along with Alfredo Di Stéfano
and Nestor Rossi
, Pedernera helped the Millonarios to their Colombian championship title in 1949. According to Di Stéfano, the team played with the "5 and dance" strategy, in which they would try to not humiliate their opponents by scoring when they were leading by five goals. This strategy was employed in nine consecutive victories. In championship play, Pedernera scored the two decisive goals in the championship deciding play-off matches against Deportivo Cali
in 1949.
After Carlos Aldabe retired as coach from Millonarios Pedernera took over as player-manager and was in this position instrumental in winning the three consecutive championships from 1951 to 1953 and the Colombian cup of 1953
.
In this era the Millonarios defeated such other strong teams at the time as Argentina
's Club Atlético Huracán
, Bolivia
's Club Bolívar
, Austria
's SK Rapid Wien
, and even his old team, Argentina's Club Atlético River Plate
, which had won Primera División Argentina
's championship tournament in 1952 and 1953.
In March 1952, when Pedernera was 33 years old, he was part of the Millonarios tour of Europe. On this trip, they won against the Real Madrid
in Chamartín Stadium (now called Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
) with a score of 4-2. The Spanish club sought a rematch, but they lost to the Millonarios two more times.
Pedernera also led his team to victory in the Pequeña Copa del Mundo in 1953, which is now called the Intercontinental Cup
. He, along with Don Alfonso Senior and Mauro Mórtola, were placed on a list of noted Millonarios. The team credits him with establishing their mark on Colombia football.
In 1954, the Lima Pact forced all "illegal" players to return to their clubs of origin, so Pedernera returned briefly to Huracán.
in Uruguay
, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, Huracán
, Independiente
, Boca Juniors
, América de Cali
and River Plate
Pedernera coached Colombia
and Argentina
at international level. In 1969 Argentina failed to reach the finals of the World Cup
under his coaching.
In 1994, Pedernera was reunited for the last time with his lifelong friends Alfredo Di Stéfano and Pipo Rossi at the Feria Internacional del Libro in Bogotá. Pedernera died the next year.
Avellaneda
Avellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, was a football (soccer) player and coach. Nicknamed "El Maestro" ("The Master"), He is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Argentine players of all-time. He was elected the 12th best South america
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2000. Adolfo Pedernera usually played as an inside forward and was renowned for his technique and ability to create chances for others whilst also being a prominent goalscorer.
Early career
As an adolescent, Pedernera displayed talent for football. The first club he joined was Cruceros de la Plata, but he soon joined the professional Club Atlético Huracán. In 1933, he joined the Club Atlético River Plate. In 1935, at the age of 16, he debuted with this club.During his time at River Plate he was part of five Argentine Championship
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
winning squads in 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1945.
With Argentina he won the Copa America
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
1941
South American Championship 1941
The sixteenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Santiago, Chile from February 2, 1941 to March 4, 1941.With the purpose of celebrating the fourth centenary of Santiago's foundation by Pedro de Valdivia, Chile requested to host this tournament's edition...
and 1945
South American Championship 1945
The eighteenth edition of the South American Championship was held in Santiago, Chile from January 14, 1945 to February 28, 1945. This tournament an extra edition, with no trophy handed to the winners, but considered official by CONMEBOL....
.
The Second World War kept Pedernera away from the game as he could not participate in a World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, but afterwards, his career continued to progress. Still with the Club Atlético River Plate, he played with the likes of Ángel Labruna
Ángel Labruna
Angel Amadeo Labruna, , was a football player and coach in Argentina. He is tied with Arsenio Erico as the all-time highest goalscorers in the Argentine first division...
, José Manuel Moreno
José Manuel Moreno
José Manuel Moreno Fernández , nicknamed "El Charro", was an Argentine football inside forward who played for several clubs in Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia, and was the first footballer ever to have won top division league titles in four different countries .Moreno...
, Félix Loustau
Félix Loustau
Félix Loustau is a former Argentine footballer who was a key player on the River Plate squad known as La Máquina. La Maquina is considered to be one of the greatest team ever assembled in the history of South American football...
, and Juan Carlos Muñoz
Juan Carlos Muñoz
Juan Carlos Muñoz was a footballer from Argentina who played right wing for River Plate, from 1939 to 1950, playing 184 games and scoring 39 goals. He started playing professionally for Sportivo Dock Sud in 1938. and he was sold in June 1939 to River Plate...
. He also collaborated with Hugo Reyes, Antonio El Maestrico Báez, Néstor Rossi
Néstor Rossi
Néstor Raúl "Pipo" Rossi was an Argentine football midfielder.-Playing career:Nicknamed "Pipo", he started his career at River Plate, playing from 1945 to 1949, and then again from 1955 to 1958, winning a total of 5 Argentine leagues. In total, Rossi played 155 matches for River Plate scoring 7...
, and Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
who he would later be teammates with them for CD Los Millonarios in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, but first, in 1947, he was offered a million pesos to play for Club Atlético Atlanta
Club Atlético Atlanta
Club Atlético Atlanta is an Argentine sports club from Buenos Aires. Nicknamed Los Bohemios , its football team won the 2010/11 Primera B Metropolitana championship and promoted to the Primera B Nacional for the 2011/12 season.-History:The club was founded on October the 12th, 1904 in Buenos...
.
Pedernera's time with the Club Atlético Atlanta was short. After the club was relegated for the first time, he returned in 1948 to the Club Atlético Huracán where he started his career. However, Carlos Aldabe
Carlos Aldabe
Carlos Roberto Aldabe was an Argentine Association Football player and coach. He is mostly known for leading the then prominently staffed Colombian club CD Los Millonarios as player-manager to their first championship.As player Roberto "Cacho" Aldabe was from 1939 to 1944 a defender with CA...
, the trainer of Millonarios, visited Pedernera in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and convinced him to come to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. There, Pedernera joined the Millonarios on 8 June 1949. He arrived in Bogotá on 10 June and was greeted at the Aeropuerto de Techo by 5,000 fans transported by 200 cars and 25 buses.
Joining the Millonarios
Pedernera settled in the north of Bogotá after being received into the club. On 11 June, he attended his first game with the Millonarios, in which they defeated the Club Atlético Municipal (now the Atlético NacionalAtlético Nacional
Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional is a Colombian football team based in Medellín. They play their home games at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium which also serves as home to Deportivo Independiente Medellín...
) with a score of 6-0. On 25 June, Pedernera played for the first time with the club, helping them defeat the Club Deportes Caldas with a score of 3-0. The press of Bogotá received Pedernera well and commented the next day that "El Maestro" ("The Master") was "a phenomenon, an artist, a master of passing, and a show of intelligence. After the debut of El Maestro, everything is possible."
Along with Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
and Nestor Rossi
Néstor Rossi
Néstor Raúl "Pipo" Rossi was an Argentine football midfielder.-Playing career:Nicknamed "Pipo", he started his career at River Plate, playing from 1945 to 1949, and then again from 1955 to 1958, winning a total of 5 Argentine leagues. In total, Rossi played 155 matches for River Plate scoring 7...
, Pedernera helped the Millonarios to their Colombian championship title in 1949. According to Di Stéfano, the team played with the "5 and dance" strategy, in which they would try to not humiliate their opponents by scoring when they were leading by five goals. This strategy was employed in nine consecutive victories. In championship play, Pedernera scored the two decisive goals in the championship deciding play-off matches against Deportivo Cali
Deportivo Cali
Asociación Deportivo Cali is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, Colombia. Mostly known for its football team, it also sponsors basketball, volleyball and swimming...
in 1949.
After Carlos Aldabe retired as coach from Millonarios Pedernera took over as player-manager and was in this position instrumental in winning the three consecutive championships from 1951 to 1953 and the Colombian cup of 1953
Copa Colombia
The Copa Colombia is a football tournament in Colombia. It is contested the 36 professional clubs of DIMAYOR. Although played for the first time in 1950, the tournament has only been held ten times and four times consecutively since its revival in 2008...
.
In this era the Millonarios defeated such other strong teams at the time as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
's Club Bolívar
Club Bolívar
Club Bolívar, a football team from Bolivia, was founded in La Paz on April 12, 1925, with the name Atletico Bolívar Literario Musical later changed to "Club Atlético Bolívar"...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
's SK Rapid Wien
SK Rapid Wien
The Sportklub Rapid Wien is an Austrian football club playing in the country's capital city of Vienna. Rapid is the most popular club in Austria and also record title holder having won the Austrian national football title 32 times...
, and even his old team, Argentina's Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
, which had won Primera División Argentina
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
's championship tournament in 1952 and 1953.
In March 1952, when Pedernera was 33 years old, he was part of the Millonarios tour of Europe. On this trip, they won against the Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in Chamartín Stadium (now called Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
) with a score of 4-2. The Spanish club sought a rematch, but they lost to the Millonarios two more times.
Pedernera also led his team to victory in the Pequeña Copa del Mundo in 1953, which is now called the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
. He, along with Don Alfonso Senior and Mauro Mórtola, were placed on a list of noted Millonarios. The team credits him with establishing their mark on Colombia football.
In 1954, the Lima Pact forced all "illegal" players to return to their clubs of origin, so Pedernera returned briefly to Huracán.
Titles
- Copa AméricaCopa AméricaThe Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
: 1941, 1945 - Championship od ArgentinaPrimera División ArgentinaThe Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
: 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1945 - Championship of Colombia: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953
- Cup of ColombiaCopa ColombiaThe Copa Colombia is a football tournament in Colombia. It is contested the 36 professional clubs of DIMAYOR. Although played for the first time in 1950, the tournament has only been held ten times and four times consecutively since its revival in 2008...
: 1953
Coaching career
In later years Pedernera also coached NacionalClub Nacional de Football
Club Nacional de Football is a Uruguayan sports club based in Montevideo. It is best known for its professional football team, which plays in the Uruguayan Primera División....
in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán is a sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Huracán home stadium is the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.Huracán was...
, Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente
Club Atlético Independiente is an Argentine athletic, sports and social club, which has its headquarters and stadium in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province. The club is best known for its football team, that plays in the Argentine Primera División....
, Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
, América de Cali
América de Cali
Corporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
and River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
Pedernera coached Colombia
Colombia national football team
The Colombian national football team represents Colombia in international football competitions and is controlled by the Colombian Football Federation. It is a member of the CONMEBOL...
and Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
at international level. In 1969 Argentina failed to reach the finals of the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
under his coaching.
Later years
In 1993 he published his autobiography named "El fútbol que viví ... y que yo siento" (the football I lived ... and I feel), assisted by journalist Alejandro Yebra.In 1994, Pedernera was reunited for the last time with his lifelong friends Alfredo Di Stéfano and Pipo Rossi at the Feria Internacional del Libro in Bogotá. Pedernera died the next year.