View source for Adolfo Pedernera

{{Short description|Argentine footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Adolfo Pedernera
| image = Pedernera argnationalteam.jpg
| caption = Pedernera with the Argentina national team, c.&nbsp;1945
| fullname = Adolfo Pedernera
| birth_date = 15 November 1918
| birth_place = [[Avellaneda]], Argentina
| death_place = Avellaneda, Argentina
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1995|5|12|1918|11|18}}
| height = 
| position = [[Inside forward]]
| youthyears1 = 1932
| youthyears2 = 1933–1934
| youthclubs1 = [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]]
| youthclubs2 = [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]]
| years1 = 1935–1946
| years2 = 1947
| years3 = 1948–1949
| years4 = 1949–1954
| years5 = 1954–1955
| clubs1 = [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]]
| clubs2 = [[Club Atlético Atlanta|Atlanta]]
| clubs3 = [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]]
| clubs4 = [[Millonarios F.C.|Millonarios]]
| clubs5 = [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]]
| caps1 = 278
| caps2 = 28
| caps3 = 20
| caps4 = 81
| caps5 = 10
| goals1 = 131
| goals2 = 4
| goals3 = 2
| goals4 = 33
| goals5 = 0
|totalcaps = 417
|totalgoals = 170
| nationalyears1 = 1940–1946
| nationalteam1 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]
| nationalcaps1 = 21
| nationalgoals1 = 7
| manageryears1 = 1951–1953
| manageryears2 = 1954
| manageryears3 = 1955
| manageryears4 = 1955
| manageryears5 = 1955–1956
| manageryears6 = 1957
| manageryears7 = 1960–1961
| manageryears8 = 1961–1962
| manageryears9 = 1962
| manageryears10 = 1963–1964
| manageryears11 = 1966–1967
| manageryears12 = 1968
| manageryears13 = 1969
| manageryears14 = 1969
| manageryears15 = 1970
| manageryears16 = 1975
| manageryears17 = 1976
| manageryears18 = 1977
| manageryears19 = 1978
| managerclubs1 = [[Millonarios F.C.|Millonarios]] (player-manager)
| managerclubs2 = [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]] (player-manager)
| managerclubs3 = [[Club Nacional de Football|Nacional]]
| managerclubs4 = [[Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata|Gimnasia y Esgrima LP]]
| managerclubs5 = [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]]
| managerclubs6 = [[Club Atlético Independiente|Independiente]]
| managerclubs7 = [[América de Cali]]
| managerclubs8 = [[Colombia national football team|Colombia]]
| managerclubs9 = Gimnasia y Esgrima LP
| managerclubs10 = [[Boca Juniors]]
| managerclubs11 = Boca Juniors
| managerclubs12 = [[Quilmes Atlético Club|Quilmes]]
| managerclubs13 = Independiente
| managerclubs14 = [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]]
| managerclubs15 = Huracán
| managerclubs16 = [[Club Atlético Talleres (Córdoba)|Talleres (Córdoba)]]
| managerclubs17 = [[Club Atlético Banfield|Banfield]]
| managerclubs18 = América de Cali
| managerclubs19 = [[Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro|San Lorenzo]]
}}

'''Adolfo Alfredo Pedernera''' (15 November 1918 – 12 May 1995)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/adolfo-pedernera/ |title=Adolfo Pedernera |work=worldfootball.net |access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref> was an Argentine [[association football|football]] player and coach. Nicknamed "El Maestro" ("The Teacher"), he was widely considered to be one of the best world football players in the 1940s<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150905075253/http://www.fifa.com/news/y=2015/m=5/news=pedernera-the-twinkle-toed-engine-driver-2604360.html FIFA.com]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/04/22/7-greatest-footballers-of-the-1940s/|title = 7 Greatest Footballers of the 1940's|date = 22 April 2018}}</ref> and one of the greatest Argentine players of all time.<ref name="Chiesa">{{cite magazine |last= Chiesa|first= Carlo F.|date= 22 August 1999|language= it|title= We are the champions - I 150 fuoriclasse che hanno fatto la storia del calcio| trans-title= The 150 champions that made football's history|magazine= Calcio 2000|publisher= Action Group S.r.l.|page= 128}}</ref> Pedernera was the natural conductor of both the famous [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]] team known as [[La Máquina]] ("The Machine"), with whom he won several Argentine and South American titles, and the [[Millonarios F.C.|Millonarios]] team called [[Ballet Azul]] ("Blue Ballet") that won the [[Small Club World Cup]] in 1953 among many others Colombian titles.

Pedernera's play with the [[Argentina national football team|Argentina national team]], helped win the [[Copa América]] in [[1941 South American Championship|1941]] and [[1946 South American Championship|1946]], the latter tournament being named the ''Best Player''.<ref name="CAA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/sachampfulltrivia.html|title = The Copa América Archive - Trivia}}</ref> He also was elected the 12th-best South American footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the [[IFFHS]] in 2000,<ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html IFFHS' Century Elections] - rsssf.org - by Karel Stokkermans, [[RSSSF]], 2000.</ref> and his name appears in the list of the 100 greatest all time footballers selected from the magazine ''FourFourTwo'' in 2017, in which he holds the 58th place.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/fourfourtwos-100-greatest-footballers-ever-60-51|title= FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: 60 to 51|last= Yorkhin|first= Michael|date= 25 July 2017|website= FourFourtwo|access-date= 2 August 2017 }}</ref>

Pedernera usually played as an [[inside forward]] and was renowned for his technique and ability to create chances for other players, whilst also being a prominent goalscorer.

==Early career==
[[File:Pedernera 1937 elgraf.jpg|thumb|left|170px|A young Pedernera with River Plate in 1937]]
[[File:La Maquina.jpg|thumb|right|Pedernera (third from left) as part of ''[[La Máquina]]'' in 1941]]
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2021}}
As an adolescent, Pedernera displayed a 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 Primera División|Primera División]] winning squads in 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1945.

With the Argentina national team he won the [[Copa America]] [[South American Championship 1941|1941]] and [[South American Championship 1946|1946]].

The [[Second World War]] kept Pedernera away from the game as he could not participate in a [[FIFA World Cup|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 (footballer, born 1919)|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 [[Club Deportivo Los Millonarios|CD Los Millonarios]] in [[Colombia]], but first, in 1947, he was offered a million pesos to play for [[Club Atlético Atlanta|Atlanta]] of Buenos Aires.

Pedernera's time with Atlanta was short. After the club was relegated for the first time, he returned in 1948 to [[Club Atlético Huracán|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.

==HOW HE DIED==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2021}}
Pedernera settled in the north of Bogotá after being received into the club. On 11 June 1949, he attended his first game with the Millonarios, in which they defeated the Club Atlético Municipal (now the [[Atlético Nacional]]) 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 Teacher"'') 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 [[Categoría Primera A|Colombian championship]] title in [[1949 Campeonato Profesional|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 [[Copa Colombia]] of 1953.

In this era the Millonarios defeated such other strong teams at the time as [[Argentina]]'s [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]], [[Bolivia]]'s [[Club Bolívar|Bolívar]], [[Austria]]'s [[SK Rapid Wien|Rapid Wien]], and even his old team, Argentina's [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]], which had won Primera División championships 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 achieved an outstanding win over [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] 4–2 at [[Santiago Bernabéu Stadium]]. The Spanish club asked for a rematch, playing two games else that were also won by Millonarios.

Pedernera also led his team to victory in the [[Small Club World Cup]] ("Pequeña Copa del Mundo", an international club tournament held in [[Venezuela]]) in 1953. He, along with Don Alfonso and Mauro Mórtola, were placed on a list of noted Millonarios players. 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.

==Coaching career==
In later years Pedernera also coached [[Club Nacional de Football|Nacional]] in [[Uruguay]], [[Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata|Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)]], [[Club Atlético Huracán|Huracán]], [[Club Atlético Independiente|Independiente]], [[Boca Juniors]], [[América de Cali]] and [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]]

Pedernera also coached [[Colombia national football team|Colombia]] and [[Argentina national football team|Argentina]] national teams. He is remembered in Colombia for helping the national team qualify for its first FIFA World Cup, the [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]] edition in Chile,<ref name="Chiesa" /> where Colombia had a good participation. On the other hand, under his coaching Argentina failed to [[1970 FIFA World Cup qualification|qualify]] to the [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970 World Cup]] when the team tied 2–2 with [[Peru national football team|Peru]] in ''[[La Bombonera]]''. This was the first time that Argentina failed to qualify to a World Cup tournament.<ref>[https://www.elgrafico.com.ar/articulo/1088/16573/argentina-peru-1969-el-peor-recuerdo-de-la-seleccion-en-la-bombonera Argentina-Perú 1969: el peor recuerdo de la Selección en la Bombonera], ''El Gráfico'', Nov 2016</ref>

==Later years==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2021}}
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.

== Honours ==

===Player===
'''River Plate'''
* [[Primera División Argentina]]: 1936, 1937, 1941, 1942, 1945
* [[Copa Ibarguren]]: 1937, 1941, 1942
* [[Copa Adrián C. Escobar]]: 1941
* [[Copa Aldao]]: 1936, 1937, 1941, 1945

'''Millonarios'''
* [[Categoría Primera A]]: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953
* [[Copa Colombia]]: 1953
* [[Small Club World Cup]]: [[1953 Small Club World Cup (1st tournament)|1953]]

'''Argentina'''
* [[Copa América]]: 1941, 1945, 1946

'''Individual'''
* Copa América Best Player: 1946<ref name="CAA" />
* [[International Federation of Football History & Statistics|IFFHS]] Argentina All Times Dream Team (Team C): 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iffhs.com/posts/1239|title=IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM|date=26 August 2021}}</ref>

== References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020025016/http://futbolfactory.futbolweb.net/index.php?ff=historicos&f2=00001&idjugador=156 |title=Official Millanarios website}} {{in lang|es}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020025016/http://futbolfactory.futbolweb.net/index.php?ff=historicos&f2=00001&idjugador=156 |date=20 October 2007 |title=Futbol Factory profile}} {{in lang|es}}

{{Commons category|Adolfo Pedernera}}

{{Argentina squad 1941 South American Championship}}
{{Argentina squad 1942 South American Championship}}
{{Argentina squad 1946 South American Championship}}
{{Colombia Squad 1962 World Cup}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Adolfo Pedernera managerial positions
|list1=
{{Huracán managers}}
{{Colombia national football team managers}}
{{Boca Juniors managers}}
{{Argentina national football team managers}}
{{San Lorenzo de Almagro managers}}
}}
{{Copa America MVP}}
{{Categoría Primera A winning managers}}
{{Argentine Primera División winning managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedernera, Adolfo}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:Footballers from Avellaneda]]
[[Category:Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Argentine men's footballers]]
[[Category:Argentina men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético Huracán footballers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético River Plate footballers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético Atlanta footballers]]
[[Category:Millonarios F.C. players]]
[[Category:Argentine Primera División players]]
[[Category:Categoría Primera A players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Colombia]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Colombia]]
[[Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Uruguay]]
[[Category:América de Cali managers]]
[[Category:Argentine football managers]]
[[Category:Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata managers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético Huracán managers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético Independiente managers]]
[[Category:Boca Juniors managers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético River Plate managers]]
[[Category:Club Atlético Banfield managers]]
[[Category:All Boys managers]]
[[Category:Club Nacional de Football managers]]
[[Category:Argentina national football team managers]]
[[Category:Colombia national football team managers]]
[[Category:1962 FIFA World Cup managers]]
[[Category:San Lorenzo de Almagro managers]]
[[Category:Burials at La Chacarita Cemetery]]
[[Category:Copa América–winning players]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Categoría Primera A managers]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine sportsmen]]