Стадион "Монументаль": Дом "Ривер Плейт" и футбольная история Аргентины

Football stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti (esˈtaðjo monumenˈtal anˈtonjo βesˈpusjo liˈβeɾti), officially Estadio Mâs Monumental for sponsorship reasons, and popularly known as "River Plate Stadium", "Monumental de Núñez", or simply "El Monumental", is a stadium in Belgrano, Buenos Aires (although popular belief wrongly states that the stadium is in the Núñez district), home venue of Club Atlético River Plate. It was opened on 26 May 1938 and named after former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti (1900–1978). It is the largest stadium in both Argentina and all of South America with a capacity of 86,049 and is also home of the Argentina national football team. It was the main venue in the 1951 Pan American Games. It hosted the 1978 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and the Netherlands. It has also hosted four finals of the Copa América, most recently in 2011.

The Club Atlético River Plate was founded in 1901 and by 1934, it had won two championships. At the time, the club was nicknamed "Los Millonarios" (The Millionaires in Spanish) because of the purchase of forward Carlos Peucelle for whom River had paid a huge amount of money. On 31 October 1934, River Plate purchased the land where the club was to build the new stadium in the neighborhood of Belgrano. The existing wooden seats were also removed, with 40,565 set aside for sale. The stadium partially reopened in February 2023 and is planned to have a capacity of 84,567 when renovations are completed in 2024, making it the largest in South America.

When the Monumental project was originally designed, it consisted of four double decker stands. As the bank loan was not enough to carry out the entire project, the stadium was left with a horseshoe shape. The horseshoe was partially enclosed in 1958, under the club presidency of Enrique Pardo. The new construction, the first tier Colonia stand, was financed by proceeds from the mn$10 million transfer of Omar Sivori to Juventus of Italy. With the new construction the stadium's capacity reached 90,000. The stadium was remodelled and finally completed to meet the original project after Argentina was awarded the right to host the 1978 World Cup. River Plate was lent money by the Military Government in charge of the country at the time but they struggled to meet repayments due to the changes of currency, which had a detrimental effect on the team. Monumental was the headquarters for the 1978 World Cup. The venue was opened on 1 June for the match between West Germany and Poland. They hosted seven more games, including the final between Argentina and the Netherlands. San Lorenzo earned the record for highest number of people attending a match for a visiting team in 1982. In their second division match against Tigre, San Lorenzo (which did not have a stadium at the time), brought more than 70,000 people to River's stadium. In 1975 when River played Racing for the title (after an 18 years drought) 100,000 were present. At the end of the 1986 and 1996 Copa Libertadores second leg finals (both against América de Cali), more seats were added and approximately 86,000 spectators were in attendance. It is estimated that for the Argentina versus Uruguay 1987 Copa América semifinal more than 87,000 spectators attended. In 1993, in a qualification match for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Argentina lost 5–0 to Colombia, its greatest ever defeat at home. Since then, however, Argentina had never lost a match in World Cup qualifying within this stadium until Ecuador won 2–0 on 8 October 2015. The total length of the seating in the stands of the stadium is over 70 kilometers.

The Monumental, aside from being River Plate's home ground, also accommodates the Argentina national football team in their home games for events such as the FIFA World Cup qualification. The Monumental also hosted the closing ceremonies and the athletics events of the First Pan American Games in 1951. The stadium host the first Super Special Stage of the 2007 Rally Argentina of WRC. Rugby union matches featuring the Argentina national rugby union team, Los Pumas, also take place occasionally on this field, although the Pumas more frequently play at other stadiums.

When an international performing artist or band visits Buenos Aires, the concerts are usually held in this stadium, as it is the biggest in the city and in all of Argentina. In December 1987, Sting, former leader of The Police, performed at River Plate, making his debut in Argentina as soloist. He was the first artist to perform to sell out the venue. The stadium played host to Amnesty International's final Human Rights Now! benefit concert on 15 October 1988. The show was headlined by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and also featured Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Youssou N'Dour, León Gieco and Charly García. The concert was attended by 75,000 people. David Bowie played at the stadium on 29 September 1990 as part of his Sound+Vision Tour, selling more than 81,900 tickets. On 5 October 1990, Eric Clapton played a concert during his Journeyman World Tour in front of a sold out crowd of 70,000 people. INXS performed at the stadium on 22 January 1991 during The X Factor World Tour. Prince performed at the stadium in January 1991 as part of the Festival Rock & Pop. The festival included singers Robert Plant, Joe Cocker and Billy Idol, among others. Elton John performed at the stadium on 21 and 22 November 1992 during The One Tour. It was his first performance in Argentina. Paul Simon performed at the stadium in December 1992 for the Derby Festival. The festival also featured The Cult, John Kay, Inspiral Carpets, among others. Guns N' Roses first performed at the stadium on 5 and 6 December 1992 as part of their Use Your Illusion Tour. Over half a year later on 16–17 July 1993, the band played two additional concerts as the final shows of the same tour, marking their last performances with most of their original lineup for over two decades. Twenty three years later, the group reunited with classic members Slash and Duff McKagan, playing two shows on 4–5 November 2016, as part of the Not in This Lifetime Tour, followed by a show on 30 September 2022, as part of the We're F'N' Back! Tour. In 1993, Michael Jackson performed three sold out concerts as part of his Dangerous World Tour at the stadium, on 8, 10 and 12 October, for a total audience of 240,000 people. The last concert was recorded for a documentary which was later cancelled by Jackson due to his being unsatisfied with the performance. However, the concert was leaked online in 2009. Paul McCartney played three concerts at the stadium in December 1993 during The New World Tour, his first performances in the country. In November 2010, he returned to Estadio Monumental to play two concerts to a crowd of 82,000, as part of his Up and Coming Tour. Phil Collins performed at the stadium on 23 and 24 April 1995 during the Both Sides of the World Tour. The Rolling Stones performed five sold out concerts at the stadium during the Voodoo Lounge Tour in 1995. The band performed five times once again in 1998 for the Bridges to Babylon Tour, and two more times in 2006 during the Bigger Bang tour. Recordings of the last concerts were released as part of the four disc concert DVD The Biggest Bang in 2007. Punk rock band The Ramones played its final South American show on 16 March 1996. Luis Miguel sold out two concerts for over 120,000 thousand people in December 1996. Backstreet Boys performed at the stadium on 28 April 2001 during their Black & Blue Tour. On 6 October 2001 Eric Clapton performed at the stadium during his Reptile World Tour, selling a total of 35,000 tickets. Red Hot Chili Peppers played a concert at the stadium on 16 October 2002 during their By The Way Tour. They played another concert on 18 September 2011 during the I'm with You World Tour. The band later returned for two concerts on 24 and 26 November 2023, as part of the Global Stadium Tour. In 1998, U2 brought their PopMart Tour to South America and performed Mothers of the Disappeared with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the mothers of the children who had disappeared under the Argentinian and Chilean dictatorships, brought on stage. The band returned for their Vertigo Tour in 2006 to film what would become U2 3D, the first live action digital 3D film. Madonna performed two sold out concerts in October 1993 during The Girlie Show and another four in December 2008, during her Sticky & Sweet Tour; two of these concerts were filmed and later released on a CD/DVD titled Sticky & Sweet Tour. She holds the record for the fastest ticket sales with more than 263,000 tickets sold in three hours for her four 2008 shows. She also performed at the stadium on 13 and 15 December 2012 as part of The MDNA Tour. Taylor Swift played 3 shows at the stadium on November 9 12, 2023 as part of The Eras Tour. This marked her first tour stop in Argentina. The show on the 10th was rescheduled to the 12th due to inclement weather. In 2003, Shakira played a sold out concert as part of her Tour of the Mongoose, becoming the first and so far only female Latin artist to sell out River Plate Stadium. Robbie Williams performed at the stadium on 14 and 15 October during his 2006 Close Encounters Tour. On 15–16 May 2007, the cast of the 2006 Disney Channel movie High School Musical performed at Estadio Monumental as part their international tour, entitled High School Musical The Concert. Aerosmith performed at the stadium in 2007 as part of the Quilmes Rock festival. The concert was attended by over 70,000 people. The festival also featured Keane, Evanescence, Velvet Revolver, Bad Religion and The Psychedelic Furs. The Police performed at Estadio Monumental on 1 and 2 December 2007 during their Reunion Tour. In 2008, the band released the live CD/DVD Certifiable that was recorded during these concerts. In 2009 the British band Oasis presented one of the biggest concerts in their history. Noel Gallagher and the Argentine public shared an emotional moment, playing "Don't Look Back in Anger". AC/DC performed three sold out shows in December 2009 during their Black Ice World Tour. These shows were filmed and released on the DVD Live at River Plate in May 2011. In November 2012, they released a live album of the second of the three shows, which happened on 4 December. Bon Jovi have played at the stadium numerous times, most recently in 2010 as part of The Circle Tour. Coldplay performed at the stadium on 26 February 2010 during the Viva la Vida Tour. They returned in 2022 and played a record breaking ten shows as part of their Music of the Spheres World Tour, the most of any musical act at the stadium. The shows were attended by a total of 626,841 spectators for a total box score revenue of $49.8 million, a record in Latin American concert history. In May 2011, Miley Cyrus brought her Gypsy Heart Tour which sold out in a week, filling the stadium with 65,000 people and becoming the third female artist to sell out the stadium after Shakira and Madonna. Roger Waters performed nine concerts at the stadium in March 2012 as part of his The Wall Live tour. Waters played the eponymous album in its entirety at all the shows. Kiss played on 3 September 1994; 14 March 1997; 10 April 1999; 5 April 2009 and 7 November 2012. The 2009 concert was recorded and eventually released as a live six song DVD included on the Sonic Boom three disc package. Lady Gaga performed a sold out show here for her tour The Born This Way Ball on 16 November 2012. The Monsters of Rock festival was held in the stadium in 1994 and 1999 with Kiss, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Metallica, and Sepultura. Metallica again performed at the stadium in 2010 in the World Magnetic Tour. Iron Maiden performed at the venue on 27 September 2013 as part of the Maiden England World Tour. The British metallers performed for over 60,000 people in a 145 minute show. Soda Stereo performed the final concert on 20 September 1997 during the farewell tour. This concert was recorded and released in two parts, El Último Concierto A and B and DVD. Later they performed a series of six sold out historic concerts at the stadium in 2007 during the tour Me Verás Volver, holding the record of the South American and Spanish bands, with the most sold out concerts at the same stadium. One of the concerts was recorded and became the CD/DVD Gira Me Verás Volver. List of concerts Year Date Performer Opening act Event Attendance Additional notes 1987 11 December Sting Fito Páez Nothing Like the Sun Tour First ever artist to perform with sold out tickets at the venue.1988 3 January Tina Turner Os Paralamas do Sucesso Break Every Rule World Tour 15 October Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Sting, Tracy Chapman, Youssou N'Dour, León Gieco, Charly García Human Rights Now! 1989 3 March Rod Stewart Luis Alberto Spinetta Out of Order Tour 1990 29 September David Bowie Bryan Adams Sound+Vision Tour 60.356 5 October Eric Clapton Mick Taylor Journeyman World Tour 1991 14 January Billy Idol Charmed Life Tour 21 January Prince, Robert Plant, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol Rock & Pop Festival 22 January INXS The X Factor World Tour 1992 21 November Elton John Nito Mestre The One Tour 22 November 5 December Guns N' Roses Pappo, Ratones Paranoicos Use Your Illusion Tour 6 December 7 December Paul Simon, The Cult, John Kay, Inspiral Carpets, Nito Mestre Derby Festival 8 December 19 December Serú Girán 20 December1993 16 July Guns N' Roses La Guardia del Fuego, Los Guarros Use Your Illusion Tour Last two performances of the band's original line up for over two decades. 17 July 8 October Michael Jackson Dangerous World Tour 10 October 12 October 30 October Madonna The Girlie Show 31 October 10 December Paul McCartney Nito Mestre The New World Tour 11 December 12 December1994 3 September Black Sabbath, Kiss, Slayer, Hermética Monsters of Rock 4 September 17 September UB40 Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Los Pericos 1995 9 February The Rolling Stones Pappo, Las Pelotas, Ratones Paranoicos Voodoo Lounge Tour 344.144 11 February 12 February 14 February 16 February 23 April Phil Collins Both Sides of the World Tour 24 April 3 November Elton John Made In England Tour 4 November Bon Jovi These Days Tour 16 November Fito Páez Fabiana Cantilo, Los Tres 1996 16 March The Ramones Iggy Pop, Die Toten Hosen, Ataque 77 ¡Adios Amigos! Tour Last show from the band outside USA. 18 October AC/DC Rata Blanca, Divididos, Riff Ballbreaker Tour 19 October 7 December Luis Miguel Tour America 1996 8 December1997 14 March Kiss Pantera, V8, Malón Alive/Worldwide Tour 20 September Soda Stéreo Santos Inocentes El Último Concierto 4 October Enrique Iglesias Tour Vivir 1998 5 February U2 Babasónicos, Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas PopMart Tour 160.478 6 February 7 February 29 March The Rolling Stones Bob Dylan, Meredith Brooks, Las Pelotas, Viejas Locas Bridges to Babylon Tour 271.766 The last show was recorded and filmed in an official bootleg and concert film titled Bridges to Buenos Aires. 30 March 2 April 4 April 5 April 10 April Kiss Rammstein Psycho Circus Tour 1999 14 May Metallica, Sepultura, Almafuerte, Catupecu Machu Monsters of Rock 2000 15 April Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota Ultimo Bondi a Finisterre 16 April2001 28 April Backstreet Boys Black & Blue Tour 6 October Eric Clapton Memphis La Blusera Reptile World Tour 2002 16 October Red Hot Chili Peppers By the Way Tour 30 November La Renga Gira Documento Único 2003 3 May Shakira Tour of the Mongoose 20 December Los Piojos Máquina de Sangre 2005 17 April La Renga Tour Detonador 2006 21 February The Rolling Stones Los Piojos, Las Pelotas, La 25 A Bigger Bang Tour 23 February 1 March U2 Franz Ferdinand Vertigo Tour 150.424 Both shows were filmed for the band's concert film U2 3D, the first live action 3D digital film. 2 March 14 October Robbie Williams La Portuaria Close Encounters Tour 15 October2007 3 March Ricky Martin Black and White Tour 43.549 17 March Roger Waters Dark Side of the Moon Live 107.844 18 March 23 March Alejandro Sanz El Tren De Los Momentos Tour 12 April Aerosmith, Evanescence, Keane, Velvet Revolver, Bad Religion, Babasónicos, Catupecu Machu, Ataque 77, Ratones Paranoicos, Divididos, El Tri, Árbol, Kapanga, Intoxicados Quilmes Rock 13 April 14 April 15 April 12 May Bersuit Vergarabat 15 May High School Musical High School Musical: The Concert 16 May 19 October Soda Stereo Gira Me Verás Volver 20 October 21 October 26 October Chayanne Mi Tiempo Tour 2 November Soda Stereo Gira Me Verás Volver 3 November 1 December The Police Beck, Fiction Plane, Estelares The Police Reunion Tour 87.967 Both shows were filmed and recorded for the band's concert film and live album Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires. 2 December 21 December Soda Stereo Gira Me Verás Volver 2008 30 March Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Black Label Society, Rata Blanca, Carajo Quilmes Rock 4 December Madonna Paul Oakenfold Sticky & Sweet Tour 263.693 All shows were filmed and recorded for the singer's concert film and live album Sticky & Sweet Tour. 5 December 7 December 8 December 12 December Los Fabulosos Cadillacs Satánico Pop Tour 13 December2009 5 April Kiss Alive 35 World Tour 3 May Oasis Los Tipitos, Estelares Dig Out Your Soul Tour 48.965 21 May The Jonas Brothers Demi Lovato Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009 43.502 30 May Los Piojos 2 December AC/DC Las Pelotas Black Ice World Tour 170.630 All shows were filmed and recorded for the band's concert film and live album Live at River Plate. 4 December 6 December2010 21 February Metallica Horcas, O'Connor World Magnetic Tour 21 February 26 February Coldplay Bat For Lashes Viva la Vida Tour 53.708 3 October Bon Jovi Los Tipitos The Circle Tour 37.633 10 October Paul McCartney Ciro y los Persas Up and Coming Tour 91.262 11 October 13 November The Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers: Live in Concert 2011 6 May Miley Cyrus Valeria Gastaldi Gypsy Heart Tour 16 September Ricky Martin Miranda! Musica + Alma + Sexo World Tour 18 September Red Hot Chili Peppers Foals, Massacre I'm with You World Tour 12 October Justin Bieber My World Tour 66.386 13 October 14 October Eric Clapton Guasones 2012 7 March Roger Waters The Wall Live (2010–13) 430.678 9 March 10 March 12 March 14 March 15 March 17 March 18 March 20 March 3 April Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, MGMT, Cage the Elephant, Band of Horses, TV on the Radio, Massacre Quilmes Rock 4 April 7 November Kiss Rata Blanca Monster World Tour 16 November Lady Gaga Lady Starlight Born This Way Ball 45.007 13 December Madonna Laidback Luke The MDNA Tour 89.226 15 December2013 12 April The Cure Utopians LatAm 2013 27 September Iron Maiden Slayer, Ghost Maiden England World Tour 50.680 9 November Justin Bieber Cody Simpson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Owl City Believe Tour 10 November2015 28 February Romeo Santos Vol. 2 Tour 1 March2016 4 November Guns N' Roses Airbag Not in This Lifetime Tour 105.026 5 November 17 December La Beriso 2017 16 December Abel Pintos Gira 11 18 December 2018 15 December Ciro y los Persas Naranja Persa Tour 2022 30 September Guns N' Roses We're F'N' Back! Tour 58,312 25 October Coldplay H. E. R. Music of the Spheres World Tour 626,841 Record number of shows, tickets sold and gross revenue at the venue. The performance on 28 October 2022 was broadcast in cinemas around the world and lately featured on the concert film Coldplay – Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate 26 October 28 October 29 October 1 November 2 November 4 November 5 November 7 November 8 November 3 December Harry Styles Koffee Love On Tour 123,942 4 December2023 18 October The Weeknd Kaytranada, Mike Dean After Hours til Dawn Tour 19 October 9 November Taylor Swift Sabrina Carpenter, Louta The Eras Tour 11 November 12 November 21 November Roger Waters This Is Not a Drill 22 November 24 November Red Hot Chili Peppers Global Stadium Tour 26 November 2 December Duki 3 December 8 Deceember Tan Bionica La Última Noche Mágica 2024 22 March Maria Becerra LNDA Tour First argentinian female act to headline at the venue. 23 March

The stadium can house 74,624 people, after its renovation for the 1978 World Cup. The opening and final matches were both held in the Monumental, which had a capacity of 76,600 at the time because all of the popular stands were standing only. The stadium complex also has facilities for tennis, basketball, and other sports, as well as living quarters for young footballers, a theatre hall, a parking lot, museum etc. It can be accessed by several train and bus lines as it is located within walking distance from the Barrancas de Belgrano transportation hub. Contrary to most other stadiums in the Buenos Aires area, there is a sizable car park outside the stadium.

In the recent years, with the new administration, the stadium has gone through an extensive renovation program that ranged from seating to the stadium's display. In November 2014, the stadium's display was removed and a new full color led was installed; this one is 19.45 m wide and 7.16 m tall, tripling the size of the old one and making it the largest in a South American stadium. On the same period a new Paddock Club and hospitality seatings were installed at field level. In August 2015, the Ciudad Universitaria station was opened on the Belgrano Norte Line in order to serve both the stadium and the University of Buenos Aires' Ciudad Universitaria campus located on the other side of the tracks. The stadium is linked to the station with a viaduct and the line connects the stadium to both central Buenos Aires through its Retiro terminal and also some of the city's northern outskirts. There were extensive renovations in the bathrooms, and led screens were installed in boxes and stalls. In November 2015, the River Plate Museum was fully renewed: attractions were added and a River Plate store were built, where officially licensed products are sold. In December 2015, a tempered glass envelope was installed over the outer lower rings of the stadium to create a better ambience to the spectators. The renovation plan is still in progress as the club seeks funding for a large improvement plan which includes raising the capacity of the stadium to 86,049 spectators. It will be one of the centenary host cities for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.