With World War II raging in Europe and other parts of the planet, football understandably mostly took a back seat during the 40’s. However, it was, for the most part, business as usual in South America, and it was during this time that Argentina witnessed the rise of ‘La Maquina’ (The Machine), the legendary River Plate team - one of the most gifted and innovative sides in the games history. The team usually played with five forwards; Munoz, Moreno, Pedernera, Labruna and Loustau, and together they were simply unstoppable. These five forwards had great physical stamina, and did not have set positions but constantly rotated instead, leading some to say that they played “Total Football’ decades before the Dutch team of the 70’s. This famous forward line only played 18 games together, so those fortunate enough to witness them in action were very lucky indeed.  

 

This attack was backed up by an equally superb defence, with temperamental Ricardo Vaghi flanked by solid fullbacks Yacono and Ferrerya. Then in midfield they had Rodolfi and Ramos, defensive midfielders of great vision, and  Moreno, the creative force of the team. They were frequently joined by Pedernera, who would confound defenders by withdrawing to midfield, drawing the defenders and opening up space on the wings. This allowed the opportunistic Labruna to become one of Argentinas most prolific goalscorers. Their style of play was replicated by Hungary’s Mighty Magyars the following decade, enabling them to become one of Europe’s main football powers.

 

La Maquina played so incredibly well together, that there wasn’t even any room on the team for the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano, and he was loaned to Huracan. One of the reasons La Maquina was so great, is that even though the Argentinean league was very competitive at the time, they still managed to dominate. Other sides in the league in this era were also outstanding, such as Boca Juniors, Independiente and San Lorenzo who had beaten Spains national team 6-1, but they were still no match for River, who during the 1940’s won the Campeonato Argentino four times and came runners-up twice. They collected a series of domestic  cups as well.

 

In 1948, a major players strike occurred, and many great Argentine players dispersed across South America, especially to Colombia, to play in other leagues. Millonarios for example recieved Di Stefano, Rossi, Pedernera and others, which was fantastic for them, but bad for River. The event spelled the end of La Maquina. The admiration for this team mainly stems from the way in which they played, rather than the trophies they won. Perhaps the teams greatest praise came from one their biggest rivals, Boca Juniors star Ernesto Lazzetti, who was quoted as saying the following:  “I play against La Maquina with the full intention of beating them, but as a fan of football, I would prefer to sit on the stands and watch them play.”

Achievements: Argentine Primera Division - Champions x4
                         Copa Dr Carlos Ibarguen – Winners x 2
                         Copa Adrian C Escobar – Winners x1
                          Copa Dr Ricardo Aldao – Winners x 3

Star player: Adolfo Pedenera, DOB 15 November 1918, Buenos Aires, Argentina, nickname: El Maestro

El Maestro, as he was nicknamed, is one of the greatest South American players of all time. He was particularly renowned for his technique and his ability to create chances for others, while also being a prolific scorer himself. In his time at River Plate, he won the Campeonato Argentino 5 times, and the Copa America twice with the Argentinian national team. Due to World War 2, he never played in a World Cup, however his career carried on after the war was over. He was outstanding as one of La Maquinas 5 forwards, then in 1947, he was offered a million pesos to play for Club Atletico Atlanta. His time there was short, and he returned to his first club Huracan in 1948. He was then convinced to come to Bogota and join fellow Argentinian stars Hugo Reyes, Antonio Baez, Rossi and Di Stefano at Millonarios, and played in the clubs golden era in which they were known as La Ballet Azul. He was described by the Colombian press as ‘a phenomenom, an artist, a master of passing and a show of intelligence.” Uruguays 1950 hero Varela once said “I played against Pedernera and like him, there is no other.”