The 43 Best River Plate Players of All Time

By YPB TeamApr 22

Choose the best players ever to wear the famous red sash of River Plate, Argentina's most glamorous football club.

1
Enzo Francescoli
Uruguayan midfielder nicknamed 'El Príncipe' who is universally regarded as River's greatest modern player, inspiring Zinedine Zidane's given name for his son and producing fluid, visionary football.
1000pts
2
Bernabé Ferreyra
Centre-forward nicknamed 'La Fiera' whose world-record transfer from Tigre in 1932 earned River the 'Millonarios' tag, scoring more than a goal a game.
747pts
3
Juan Carlos Muñoz
Right winger of the legendary 'La Máquina' forward line of the 1940s, famed for his dribbling and crosses as River won four league titles.
721pts
4
Radamel Falcao
Colombian striker who developed at River, scored regularly from 2005 to 2009 and won the 2008 Clausura before his move to Porto.
661pts
5
Walter Gómez
Uruguayan forward and 1950 world champion whose goals helped River win the 1952, 1953 and 1955 league titles, celebrated in a famous fans' chant.
627pts
6
Carlos Peucelle
1930 World Cup finalist who joined River in 1931 and starred on the wing for a decade, winning the 1932, 1936 and 1937 league titles.
606pts
7
Ángel Labruna
Argentine forward who spent 21 years at River and was the cornerstone of the legendary 'La Máquina' side of the 1940s, scoring 293 league goals and winning nine championships.
589pts
8
Ramón Díaz
Striker who won titles across two playing spells and became River's most successful coach of the 1990s, collecting the 1996 Copa Libertadores.
547pts
9
Leonardo Ponzio
Tough midfielder and captain of Gallardo's era who won the 2015 and 2018 Copa Libertadores and a long list of domestic cups with River.
547pts
10
Ignacio Fernández
Creative midfielder who won the 2018 Copa Libertadores and the 2019 Copa Argentina under Gallardo before returning to River in 2023.
547pts
11
Hernán Crespo
Argentine striker of clinical efficiency who was one of the most feared forwards of his generation, first emerging at River before his prolific European career at Lazio, Inter, and Chelsea.
501pts
12
Omar Sívori
Mischievous inside-forward who won the 1955 and 1956 league titles before Juventus paid a world-record fee in 1957, funding the Monumental's completion.
501pts
13
Lucho Gonzalez
Argentine midfielder who was a key driving force in River Plate's squad through various domestic titles, his tenacity and technique making him a fan favourite at the Monumental.
501pts
14
José Manuel Moreno
Inside-forward of 'La Máquina' regarded among Argentina's greatest players, starring across two River spells between 1935 and 1948 and winning five league titles.
501pts
15
Leopoldo Luque
Powerful centre-forward who scored freely for River's late-1970s champions and was a key striker in Argentina's 1978 World Cup triumph.
501pts
16
Nery Pumpido
World Cup-winning goalkeeper who kept goal as River won the 1986 Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup against Steaua Bucharest.
501pts
17
Fernando Cavenaghi
Striker who won titles across three spells, scoring in River's 2003 title run and leading the club back to the top flight in 2012.
448pts
18
Juan Fernando Quintero
Colombian playmaker whose stunning extra-time strike in Madrid put River ahead in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final against Boca Juniors.
448pts
19
Amadeo Carrizo
Argentine goalkeeper widely regarded as the first modern keeper, pioneering the sweeper-keeper role in the 1950s during his extraordinary 20-year River Plate career.
448pts
20
Américo Gallego
World Cup-winning midfielder who captained River to the 1986 Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup, later winning league titles as coach.
448pts
21
Reinaldo Merlo
One-club midfielder nicknamed 'Mostaza' who played more than 500 matches for River from 1969 to 1984, the club's record appearance maker.
448pts
22
Félix Loustau
Tireless left winger of 'La Máquina' nicknamed 'El Ventilador', who spent 17 seasons at River from 1940 and won a string of league titles.
448pts
23
Rodrigo Mora
Uruguayan forward who scored crucial goals in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and 2015 Copa Libertadores triumphs under Marcelo Gallardo.
388pts
24
Juan Gilberto Funes
Bustling striker nicknamed 'El Búfalo' who scored in the 1986 Copa Libertadores final first leg, helping River win their first continental crown.
388pts
25
Pablo Aimar
Argentine playmaker nicknamed 'El Payaso' who enchanted River fans with his dribbling and vision before his move to Valencia, where Messi would later cite him as his personal footballing idol.
388pts
26
Daniel Passarella
Captain and goal-scoring centre-back who led River's late-1970s dynasty, lifted the 1978 World Cup and later coached the club to three titles.
388pts
27
Andrés D'Alessandro
Left-footed playmaker who dazzled with 'La Boba' feint in the early 2000s, winning the 2002 Clausura and returning to River in 2016.
388pts
28
Marcelo Gallardo
Academy playmaker of the 1990s who returned as coach and became River's most successful manager, winning the 2015 and 2018 Copa Libertadores.
320pts
29
Marcelo Salas
Chilean striker nicknamed 'El Matador' who fired River to three league titles and the 1997 Supercopa in the late 1990s, returning in 2003.
320pts
30
Norberto Alonso
Playmaker 'Beto' Alonso, idol of three spells from 1971 to 1987, who scored in the 1986 Copa Libertadores final as River won their first continental title.
320pts
31
Franco Armani
Goalkeeper who joined in 2018 and became a pillar of Gallardo's side, winning the 2018 Copa Libertadores and several league titles.
320pts
32
Ariel Ortega
Dazzling Argentine forward nicknamed 'El Burrito' whose individual brilliance during the late 1990s made him one of River's most beloved and exciting players of the modern era.
241pts
33
Ubaldo Fillol
World Cup-winning goalkeeper who guarded River's goal from 1974 to 1983, winning seven league titles and ending an 18-year drought in 1975.
241pts
34
Oscar Ruggeri
Uncompromising centre-back who crossed from Boca and won the 1985–86 league, the 1986 Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup with River.
241pts
35
Néstor Rossi
Commanding midfielder nicknamed 'Pipo' who anchored River's title-winning sides of the late 1940s and 1950s, famed for directing team-mates with his booming voice.
241pts
36
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Argentine-Spanish legend who emerged at River Plate in the 1940s, finishing as top scorer of the 1947 title side before his world-conquering careers at Millonarios and Real Madrid.
241pts
37
Gonzalo Martínez
Winger nicknamed 'Pity' who scored the decisive third goal in the 2018 Copa Libertadores final against Boca in Madrid and was South American Footballer of the Year.
241pts
38
Javier Saviola
Teenage striker nicknamed 'El Conejito' who won the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura and was voted South American Footballer of the Year in 1999.
149pts
39
Julián Álvarez
Academy forward who was top scorer as River won the 2021 league title, scoring six goals in one Libertadores match before joining Manchester City.
149pts
40
Germán Burgos
Eccentric goalkeeper of the 1990s who kept goal as River won several league titles and the 1996 Copa Libertadores.
149pts
41
Oscar Más
Left winger nicknamed 'Pinino' and one of River's all-time leading scorers, who starred at the Monumental from 1964 to 1973 and in later spells.
149pts
42
Adolfo Pedernera
Deep-lying centre-forward and brain of 'La Máquina' from 1935 to 1946, a five-time league champion whose movement redefined attacking football in Argentina.
0pts
43
Enzo Pérez
Midfield leader who won the 2018 Copa Libertadores and famously played in goal during a 2021 Libertadores match when River had no fit goalkeeper.
0pts