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Jordan

Great football club nicknames

By Jordan, in General Football and Sport

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Jordan

Jordan

Posted
Posted

I was reading about Argentine football yesterday, and while looking at some information about the clubs in the Primera División, it struck me how ridiculous some of the teams' nicknames were. This most recent top flight in Argentina must have had the greatest collection of team names in a single league this past season:

Estudiantes de La Plata: Los Pincharratas ("The Rat Stabbers," which has to be the best club nickname in the world)

Newell's Old Boys: bizarrely nicknamed La Lepra (Leprosy), but because the team once played a friendly to raise funds for a leper colony.

Racing Club: La Academia (The Academy, for its great success in its amateur days) or El Primer Grande ("The First Great Club," as they were the first Argentinian side to win the Intercontinental Cup)

Argentinos Juniors: Los Bichos Colorados (Red Bugs) or El Semillero (The Nursery/The Garden, as many great players have come through their youth teams, most notably a certain Mr. Maradona.)

Boca Juniors: Los Xeneizes (The Genoese, after the founders of the club)

San Lorenzo: El Ciclón (The Cyclone, as opposed to their rivals Huracán [Hurricane])

Vélez Sársfield: El Fortín ("The Little Fort")

Independiente: Known mostly as Los Rojos or Los Diabolos Rojos, also called "La Sangre de Avellaneda" (The blood of Avellaneda, their home city), or El Rey de Copas for winning the Copa Libertadores more than any other team

Godoy Cruz: Either La Tomba (The Grave) or Los Bodegueros (The Winemakers)

Arsenal de Sarandí: El Viaducto

Lanús: La Granate (The Garnets)

Tigre: El Matador

Belgrano: Los Piratas

Colón: Los Sabaleros (I'm not sure, but I think a "sabalero" is a type of fish.)

Unión de Santa Fe: Los Tatengues (I have no idea what this means, but it sounds cool.)

Atlético de Rafaela: La Crema (The Cream)

San Martín: Since they're from the city of San Juan, I suppose "El Santo" is a fitting nickname.

All Boys: Los Albos (the Whites, zzzz)

I cannot imagine sets of fans from most other countries cheering on the "Rat Stabbers" while the away fans are singing songs about how much they love "Leprosy."

I like some of the English team nicknames, particularly those with connections to the club's past or the club's hometown's history as opposed to simple allusions to the club's colors ("The Toffees" or "The Spireites" are disctinct, but how many teams have to be "The Blues?"). I think it's cool that Leicester are "The Foxes," considering the history of Leicestershire, but it's silly how every team that wears black and white in England have to be "The Magpies."

Albacete from Spain's lower divisions has another great bizarre nickname, "El Queso Mecánico" (The Mechanical Cheese).

What are your favorite club nicknames from home and around the world?

UrbanFox

UrbanFox

Posted
Posted

Im sure Cheivo in Italy are the flying donkeys, as up until recently they where the standard of a pub team.

City rivals Verona would laugh and say donkeys would fly before the 2 sides would ever be in the same division

Cheivo got all the way up to serie A a few years back, not sure where the 2 sides are now but I think Cheivo are the higher placed.

They also had a yellow shirt the other year with a blue donkey across one of the sleeves!

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