Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba

Lore & Background

Godoy Cruz was born in 1921 when a group of friends gathered at the Victoria Bar in Godoy Cruz decided to found a club. The club was officially founded on 21 June 1921 as Sportivo Godoy Cruz, changing to its current name on 25 April 1930 after merging with Deportivo Bodega Antonio Tomba. The club's stadium, Estadio Feliciano Gambarte, was constructed in 1959 and is nicknamed La Bodega, holding 21,000 people.

The club played in regional leagues for years, winning the Mendoza first division championship multiple times, including 1944, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1968, 1989, and 1990. Winning the Torneo del Interior in 1994 earned promotion to the Primera B Nacional. After more than a decade in the second division, Godoy Cruz was promoted to the Primera División in 2006 by winning the 2005–06 Primera B Nacional. The club was relegated after the 2006–07 season but returned immediately after finishing runners-up in 2007–08.

Under manager Omar Asad during the 2010 Clausura, Godoy Cruz achieved a club-record 37 points for an indirectly affiliated AFA team, qualifying for the 2011 Copa Libertadores. The club's finest league performance came in the 2017–18 Superliga Argentina, finishing second with 56 points, two behind champions Boca Juniors. Striker Santiago García scored 17 goals that season, earning top scorer and best forward awards.

Reader's Guide

Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba holds significance as a pioneering club from Mendoza in South American competitions, being the first from the province to play in CONMEBOL tournaments. The club's 2011 Copa Libertadores debut included a historic 2–1 home win over LDU Quito, making Godoy Cruz the second indirectly affiliated Argentine side to play in the tournament and the first to win its debut match. The club also participated in the 2011 Copa Sudamericana, reaching the Round of 16, and later played in the 2012 and 2017 Copa Libertadores.

Domestically, the 2017–18 season marked the club's peak, finishing second in the Primera División under manager Diego Dabove, who transformed the team into an efficient counter-attacking unit. The club set a record of six consecutive wins and pushed Boca Juniors to the final matchday. Godoy Cruz's rivalry with Andes Talleres Sport Club is a neighborhood classic not played since 1993, and the club also has provincial classics with San Martín de Mendoza, Independiente Rivadavia, and Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza, as well as the Cuyo Classic with San Martín de San Juan.

The club's stadium, Estadio Feliciano Gambarte, has not hosted AFA-sanctioned matches since 2004 due to rule changes, with the club renting the provincial Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. Renovation campaigns have occurred since 2014, with some repairs completed, and an official request to play at the stadium was made during the 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional.

Did You Know?

• Godoy Cruz was founded on 1 June 1921 as Club Sportivo Godoy Cruz and officially on 21 June 1921.
• The club's stadium, Estadio Feliciano Gambarte, was constructed in 1959 and is nicknamed La Bodega.
• Godoy Cruz is the first club from Mendoza to play in CONMEBOL tournaments, debuting in the 2011 Copa Libertadores.
• The club's best league finish was second in the 2017–18 Superliga Argentina, two points behind Boca Juniors.