Newell's Old Boys: Facts, trophies, famous players & everything you need to know

Founded in 1903, Newell's does not have the worldwide prestige of Boca Juniors or River Plate.

Their six titles are dwarfed by River Plate's 36 and Boca's 34, while Racing Club (18), Independiente (16), and San Lorenzo (15) have also won more. So why are Newell's still one of the most popular clubs in Argentina and boast a large and loyal fan base?

Well, the club has a long history of developing football greats, and some of the most well-known players began their careers with the Rosario club before going on to have highly successful careers in Europe, including a certain Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of all time.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Newell's Old Boys, including the club's history, where they play, which trophies they have lifted, and which famous players have donned their colours.

Newell's Old Boys summary

When 16-year-old Isaac Newell relocated from England to Rosario in 1869, he would have never guessed the lasting impact he would leave on Argentine football.

Working as a railroad telegraphist and subsequently completing his teaching studies, he opened his own school in 1884, the Colegio Comercial Anglicano Argentino, at a time when British expats were establishing their own clubs amidst a rise in popularity for football.

That same year, Newell bought one of the country's first leather footballs, and with a set of official football regulations, a passion was born among students at the school. So in 1900, Isaac appointed his son Claudio as college director, and he would become the main factor behind Newell's Old Boys foundation.

In late 1903, after a meeting attended by teachers and senior students, Club Atletico Newell's Old Boys was officially formed. In 1939, after picking up several trophies at amateur and semi-professional levels, they began competing in the national league that had been established by the country’s Football Association eight years earlier.

Newell's Old Boys facts

• The Lepers strip, originally the white and blue colours of the college, was changed to black and red, derived from the colours of the English and German flags because Newell's wife was born in Germany.
• Because they play in a red and black shirt, they are also sometimes known as "Rojinegro" (red and black).
• Newell's nicknames 'Los Leprosos' (The Lepers) or 'La Lepra' (The Leprosy) stem from the 1920s when they agreed to play a charity match for victims of leprosy, but their rivals, Rosario Central, declined.
• Newell's won a friendly youth mini-tournament called the Little World Cup in 1988, featuring River Plate, Milan, Juventus, Real Madrid, and Manchester United.
• Newell's have a fierce rivalry with Rosario Central, known as the "Rosario Derby" or "Clásico Rosarino."
• The NOB emblem elements were inspired by the coat of arms made for Isaac Newell's school. The school's coat of arms had four panels, each displaying a different aspect, such as Mercury wings, a lamp (symbolising knowledge), the United Kingdom flag, and the Argentina flag.
• In 1925, Newell's Old Boys became the first South American club to have a player transferred to Europe, as Julio Libonatti made a high-profile move to Torino.
• The club's current president is Dr. Ignacio Astore, who was elected in September 2021 via an election by the members and has previously served as the club's first-team doctor.
• The Rosario-based outfit made headlines in 1993 with the signing of one Diego Maradona. And although El 10's stay was a short one, as he only played five games in the red and black of La Lepra, he etched his name into the club's history by making the choice to sign for Newell’s when other, perhaps more lucrative, options were on the table.
• In total, Lionel Messi scored 234 goals in 176 matches for Newell's various youth teams, according to Miguel Martínez, a former press officer for the Rosario Football Association.

What trophies have Newell’s Old Boys won?

In total, Newell's Old Boys have won the Primera División championship six times and the National Cup three times throughout their history.

The 1920s and 1930s were a golden era for Newell's Old Boys. Led by legendary players like Alfredo Fogel and Natalio Perinetti, the club captured six Primera División titles: 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1937, and 1938.

The dominance cemented Newell's place as one of the top clubs in Argentina, but they had to wait until 1974 for their first piece of silverware of the professional era, the 83rd season of Argentinian top-flight football.

They won the Torneo Metropolitano after rallying from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with their city rivals, Rosario Central, on the final day of the season.

Every year, fans commemorate Mario Zanabria's title-winning goal in a tradition that remains important to the Leproso faithful. Their second league title, in 1988, was also very special to the local community, as they claimed top honours with a squad of players who had all come through the youth ranks.

Further league titles followed in 1991 and 1992 under Marcelo Bielsa, offering some consolation for failures in the Copa Libertadores finals in 1988 and 1992, a trophy they have yet to win. Even though the 1990 Apertura was not officially recognised, Newell's supporters consider it to be their "seventh" championship.

In recent years, Newell's Old Boys have not been as successful as they once were. The club have not won a league title since 2014, and they have not qualified for the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South America, since 2016.

Led by Uruguayan manager Mauricio Larriera, the six-time champions finished the 2023 season 14th in the Argentine Primera División table, which has given them a solid base to build upon after battling for survival in the last few years.

Where is Newell's Old Boys stadium?

The Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, formerly known as the Coloso del Parque (The Colossus of the Park), was officially inaugurated on July 23, 1911, and is located in the heart of Rosario within the city's Parque de la Independence.

In 2009, it was renamed after former player and coach Marcelo Bielsa, who steered Newell's to two league titles and the Libertadores Cup final in the 1990s.

After being renovated in 1995 and 1997, the stadium currently has a capacity of 42,000 spectators, making it one of the largest stadiums outside the Argentinian capital.

In early 2023, Newell’s unveiled a four-stage plan, drawn up by architect and Newell’s fan Mario Corea, that ultimately aims to expand the stadium to a capacity of 65,000 within four years.

Notable former Newell's Old Boys players

Wikipedia

One of Newell's most valuable assets throughout their existence has been their youth teams, who have won more national titles than any other club in AFA’s youth tournaments. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that they won their second league title in 1988, with every single player in their squad coming through the youth academy.

Gabriel Batistuta, Ever Banega, Walter Samuel, Américo Gallego, Jorge Valdano, Gabriel Heinze, Roberto Sensini, Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelo Bielsa, and Maxi Rodriguez all came through the club's youth set-up.

Among the long list of football greats to have cut their teeth for NOB are Gerardo Martino, Abel Balbo, Sergio Almirón, and Maximiliano Rodriguez, while the late Argentine legend Diego Maradona also played for the club for a short period in 1993-1994.

However, Newell's greatest gift to world football is one Lionel Messi, whose relationship with the club dates back to 1994, when he joined their youth system as a six-year-old. After growing up in Rosario, in Santa Fe, Argentina, Newell's became Messi's local team, and therefore he supported them — and still does, to this day.

Web

Messi is said to have scored over 230 goals for Newell's youth teams between the ages of six and 13 as a member of the "Machine of 87," an all-conquering academy team named after the players' birth year.

He never actually got the chance to play for Newell's senior side, as he was snapped up by Barcelona at the tender age of 13, and the rest is history. He is now widely celebrated as the greatest footballer of all time and has won every major honour—team and individual—you can think of, including the prestigious World Cup with the Albiceleste more recently.

Note (*):- Messi only spent his tenure at Newell's in the club's youth ranks.