River Plate Quiz Questions and Answers

38 River Plate questions in rounds of ten, with the answers kept separate so you can read them out. Free to use for a pub quiz, a matchday WhatsApp group or your own revision — no sign-up, and the page prints cleanly.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4

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Round 1

  1. In which city do River Plate play their home matches?
  2. By which nickname are River Plate best known?
  3. River Plate's home ground is universally known by which nickname?
  4. River Plate's classic home shirt is white with a diagonal sash of which colour?
  5. River Plate's home stadium staged the final of which World Cup?
  6. The second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors was eventually played at which stadium?
  7. Who was River Plate's manager when they won the 2018 Copa Libertadores?
  8. Which country did River Plate's celebrated playmaker Enzo Francescoli represent?
  9. In which year were River Plate relegated from Argentina's top flight for the first time in their history?
  10. Which Córdoba club beat River Plate over two legs in the playoff that sent them into the second division?
Answers — round 1
  1. Buenos Aires — The club shares its home city with San Lorenzo, Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors.
  2. Los Millonarios — The name stuck after a run of headline-grabbing signings in the 1930s; the other three belong to Boca Juniors, Racing and San Lorenzo.
  3. El Monumental — Its official name honours former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti.
  4. Red — The sash gives the club another of its nicknames, 'La Banda' — the stripe.
  5. 1978 — The host nation beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time in front of their own crowd.
  6. Santiago Bernabéu — CONMEBOL moved the tie to a European ground far more used to Champions League nights; over 62,000 watched.
  7. Marcelo Gallardo — A former River playmaker himself, he took the job in 2014 and became the most decorated coach in the club's history.
  8. Uruguay — Nicknamed 'El Príncipe', he was admired so much by a young Zinedine Zidane that Zidane named a son after him.
  9. 2011 — Riots followed the decisive playoff defeat, and the club spent a single season in the second tier.
  10. Belgrano — The Córdoba side won the tie 3-1 on aggregate and took River's place in the top flight.

Round 2

  1. Who managed River Plate in the second division after their relegation, having retired as a player to take the job?
  2. River Plate beat which Mexican club to win the 2015 Copa Libertadores?
  3. Why was the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final moved out of Argentina?
  4. Which River Plate striker scored in both legs of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final?
  5. River Plate lost the 2019 Copa Libertadores final to Flamengo in which city?
  6. Which striker did River Plate sell to Real Madrid in January 2007?
  7. Which Chilean striker left River Plate for Lazio in 1998?
  8. Which club signed Javier Saviola from River Plate in 2001?
  9. Which River Plate playmaker was nicknamed 'El Burrito'?
  10. Which River Plate midfielder joined Benfica in 2022 and then moved to Chelsea for a British record fee months later?
Answers — round 2
  1. Matías Almeyda — He won promotion at the first attempt, clinching the second-tier title on the final day of the season.
  2. Tigres UANL — Goalless in the first leg in Mexico, River settled it 3-0 at home in the return.
  3. Boca Juniors' team bus was attacked on its way to the stadium — Windows were smashed and players were affected by gas as the coach approached the ground; the tie was postponed twice before being switched abroad.
  4. Lucas Pratto — Nicknamed 'El Oso' (the Bear), he had arrived from São Paulo earlier that year for a club-record fee.
  5. Lima — The showpiece was switched from its original host country weeks beforehand after mass street protests there.
  6. Gonzalo Higuaín — Born in France, he chose Argentina at international level and later starred for Napoli and Juventus.
  7. Marcelo Salas — Known as 'El Matador', he was voted South American Footballer of the Year while at River in 1997.
  8. Barcelona — He had been named South American Footballer of the Year as a teenager in 1999; he would turn out for the other three clubs listed later in his career.
  9. Ariel Ortega — He had spells at Valencia, Sampdoria and Parma, and came back to River on more than one occasion.
  10. Enzo Fernández — River banked a large slice of the British-record fee thanks to a sell-on clause in the deal that took him to Portugal.

Round 3

  1. Which club bought Julián Álvarez from River Plate in January 2022 before loaning him straight back?
  2. River Plate take their name from the English name of which South American estuary?
  3. River Plate won their first Copa Sudamericana in 2014, beating which Colombian club in the final?
  4. Which goalkeeper, signed in January 2018, was in goal as River Plate won that year's Copa Libertadores?
  5. Boca Juniors were thrown out of the 2015 Copa Libertadores after their supporters attacked River Plate players with what during a last-16 tie?
  6. Who scored both of River Plate's goals in the second leg of the 1996 Copa Libertadores final?
  7. River Plate beat which Colombian club in the finals of both the 1986 and 1996 Copa Libertadores?
  8. Which River Plate goalkeeper saved a penalty in the opening minutes of the 2014 Copa Sudamericana semi-final second leg against Boca Juniors?
  9. Who put River Plate 2-1 ahead in the 109th minute of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final second leg?
  10. Which River Plate player was named 2018 South American Footballer of the Year?
Answers — round 3
  1. Manchester City — He finished the season back in Argentina before joining up with his new club that summer.
  2. Río de la Plata — The founders borrowed the English name used around the docks for the vast estuary on which their city stands.
  3. Atlético Nacional — After a 1-1 draw in Medellín, River won the second leg 2-0 at home to take the tie 3-1 on aggregate.
  4. Franco Armani — He had lifted the Copa Libertadores in Colombian football two years earlier and went on to be picked in Argentina's World Cup squads.
  5. Pepper spray — The River players were attacked in the tunnel as they came out for the second half; the match was abandoned and River went through.
  6. Hernán Crespo — The young centre-forward turned round a first-leg deficit at home, and joined Parma soon afterwards.
  7. América de Cali — They also lost three straight finals in the mid-1980s, making them the competition's most famous nearly-men.
  8. Marcelo Barovero — His stop from Emanuel Gigliotti is remembered as the moment River's modern dominance of the fixture began.
  9. Juan Fernando Quintero — The Colombian, on loan from Porto that season, struck from the edge of the area in extra time.
  10. Gonzalo Martínez — Known to everyone as 'Pity', he left for Atlanta United weeks after collecting the award.

Round 4

  1. Who scored River Plate's goal in the 2019 Copa Libertadores final?
  2. A COVID-19 outbreak in May 2021 left River Plate without a fit goalkeeper for a Copa Libertadores tie — which outfield player went in goal for the full 90 minutes?
  3. Julián Álvarez scored six goals in a single 2022 Copa Libertadores match for River Plate against which club?
  4. Which Colombian striker spent 2005 to 2009 at River Plate before moving to Porto?
  5. Which River Plate World Cup winner returned as manager and led the club to three league titles between 1989 and 1994?
  6. Which European Cup holders did River Plate beat 1-0 in Tokyo to win the 1986 Intercontinental Cup?
  7. Which River Plate academy graduate made his senior Argentina debut in 2003 before playing a first-team match for the club?
  8. Which River Plate playmaker did Lionel Messi name as the player he admired most apart from Diego Maradona?
Answers — round 4
  1. Rafael Santos Borré — The Colombian forward put River ahead inside the first 15 minutes before two late goals turned the game.
  2. Enzo Pérez — The 35-year-old midfielder, carrying a muscle injury and with no substitutes on the bench, was named man of the match in a 2-1 win.
  3. Alianza Lima — River won the group game 8-1, with three of his goals coming in each half.
  4. Radamel Falcao — He came back from two serious knee injuries in Argentina, then scored at a remarkable rate in his first season in Portugal.
  5. Daniel Passarella — A commanding centre-back who captained his country to the trophy, he went on to coach the national team as well.
  6. Steaua București — Antonio Alzamendi scored the only goal and was named man of the match, capping River's first Copa Libertadores-winning year.
  7. Javier Mascherano — His path into River's midfield was blocked by long-serving captain Leonardo Astrada.
  8. Pablo Aimar — Messi grew up watching him wear River's No. 10 before he moved to Valencia.

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