Club El Porvenir (Argentina)

El Porvenir are an Argentinian club from the town of Gerli, part of the wider Buenos Aires connurbation. They formed back in 1915, but initially they had nothing to do with football. Instead, a gaggle of immigrant workers wanted to form a Greco-Roman wrestling club, which at the time was as popular a sport as football. Their founding president, Vincent Gioffre wanted to celebrate the area where the club was first formed, Villa Porvenir - at that time a run down shanty town - so decreed that the club should be called Club El Porvenir, or when literally translated, Club of The Future.

They soon became major players in the wrestling game, but when interest in the sport started to wain, the club's elder's decided that in order to keep the club going, they ought to diversify into other sports. So it was that in 1917 they branched out into the sport of football, and have stuck with it ever since. They entered a team into the Argentinian second division the following year. Early on they played at a stadium with the delightful name of Sígueme Si Puedes, translating as Follow Me if You Can. Rather auspiciously they finished their first tournament in last place, gathering just the single point over the whole season.

Back in the first few years they played in the national top tier now and again, but at the time there was a major schism between governing bodies, so some Argentinian football historians claim that they were never officially a top flight side. One thing is for sure though - they haven't played at the highest level of Argentinian football since it went fully professional in 1931. These days they play in the Primera C Metropolitana, the fourth tier of the national game, and play at the Estadio de Enrique Roberts, which holds 15,000 Futurists.  

All photos © lays with the owners
Videos from YouTube. Underlying © lays with the owners of the clips. 

Club Atletico Estudiantes (Argentina)

Estudiantes de Buenos Aires, as they are usually known, to distinguish them from La Plata's considerably more successful bunch of students, are a third tier Agentinian team playing in the regional Primera B Metropolitana. They've spent their whole footballing life in the lower leagues, bar one golden season in 1978 when they finally made the top flight. That they finished 21st and last didn't matter, as it was their year to remember.

Formed in the August of 1898, that's a long, hard history of nothing much, you might think. But they have had a few other seasons of note. They've won the Primera B on three occasions, and the fourth level Primera División C the once. They were also winners of the national amateur league back in 1942, so there's clearly some grit behind the lack of trophies.

Notable former players include Boca Juniors' current rising star Pablo Mouche, who they found as a teenager, the much travelled Cristian Tavio, now at his 12th club in 14 years, and Napoli's nippy striker, Ezequiel Lavezzi - one of many players to have been cursed with the mantle The New Maradona in his youth. The latter was a member of Argentina's gold medal winning Olympic team, so keep an eye out for him at the next couple of World Cups.

They are also notable for having graced one of the ugliest black and white strips in footballing history. White down one half and black down the other, each half had pin stripes of the opposite colour running vertically through them. Technically I suppose it can be counted as a black and white shirt, but it's pushing the boundaries pretty dang close. Thank heavens they've gone back to the more traditional format - although you have to credit them for their creativity - however ill-judged!

All photos © lays with the owners
Videos from YouTube. Underlying © lays with the owners of the clips.