Ball IQRiver Plate Quiz
Free River Plate quiz with explained answers — the Gallardo years, Madrid 2018, Enzo Pérez in goal and four Libertadores.
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easy
In which city do River Plate play their home matches?
WhyThe club shares its home city with San Lorenzo, Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors. -
easy
River Plate's home stadium staged the final of which World Cup?
WhyThe host nation beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time in front of their own crowd. -
medium
Which River Plate midfielder joined Benfica in 2022 and then moved to Chelsea for a British record fee months later?
WhyRiver banked a large slice of the British-record fee thanks to a sell-on clause in the deal that took him to Portugal. -
medium
River Plate won their first Copa Sudamericana in 2014, beating which Colombian club in the final?
WhyAfter a 1-1 draw in Medellín, River won the second leg 2-0 at home to take the tie 3-1 on aggregate. -
hard
Who put River Plate 2-1 ahead in the 109th minute of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final second leg?
WhyThe Colombian, on loan from Porto that season, struck from the edge of the area in extra time. -
medium
Why was the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final moved out of Argentina?
WhyWindows were smashed and players were affected by gas as the coach approached the ground; the tie was postponed twice before being switched abroad. -
medium
In which year were River Plate relegated from Argentina's top flight for the first time in their history?
WhyRiots followed the decisive playoff defeat, and the club spent a single season in the second tier. -
hard
Which River Plate playmaker did Lionel Messi name as the player he admired most apart from Diego Maradona?
WhyMessi grew up watching him wear River's No. 10 before he moved to Valencia. -
medium
Which striker did River Plate sell to Real Madrid in January 2007?
WhyBorn in France, he chose Argentina at international level and later starred for Napoli and Juventus. -
medium
River Plate take their name from the English name of which South American estuary?
WhyThe founders borrowed the English name used around the docks for the vast estuary on which their city stands. -
hard
Which European Cup holders did River Plate beat 1-0 in Tokyo to win the 1986 Intercontinental Cup?
WhyAntonio Alzamendi scored the only goal and was named man of the match, capping River's first Copa Libertadores-winning year. -
medium
Who managed River Plate in the second division after their relegation, having retired as a player to take the job?
WhyHe won promotion at the first attempt, clinching the second-tier title on the final day of the season. -
medium
Which Córdoba club beat River Plate over two legs in the playoff that sent them into the second division?
WhyThe Córdoba side won the tie 3-1 on aggregate and took River's place in the top flight. -
hard
Julián Álvarez scored six goals in a single 2022 Copa Libertadores match for River Plate against which club?
WhyRiver won the group game 8-1, with three of his goals coming in each half. -
medium
River Plate lost the 2019 Copa Libertadores final to Flamengo in which city?
WhyThe showpiece was switched from its original host country weeks beforehand after mass street protests there. -
medium
Which River Plate striker scored in both legs of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final?
WhyNicknamed 'El Oso' (the Bear), he had arrived from São Paulo earlier that year for a club-record fee. -
hard
River Plate beat which Colombian club in the finals of both the 1986 and 1996 Copa Libertadores?
WhyThey also lost three straight finals in the mid-1980s, making them the competition's most famous nearly-men. -
medium
Which River Plate playmaker was nicknamed 'El Burrito'?
WhyHe had spells at Valencia, Sampdoria and Parma, and came back to River on more than one occasion. -
medium
River Plate beat which Mexican club to win the 2015 Copa Libertadores?
WhyGoalless in the first leg in Mexico, River settled it 3-0 at home in the return. -
hard
Which River Plate academy graduate made his senior Argentina debut in 2003 before playing a first-team match for the club?
WhyHis path into River's midfield was blocked by long-serving captain Leonardo Astrada. -
medium
Which club signed Javier Saviola from River Plate in 2001?
WhyHe 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. -
medium
Which goalkeeper, signed in January 2018, was in goal as River Plate won that year's Copa Libertadores?
WhyHe had lifted the Copa Libertadores in Colombian football two years earlier and went on to be picked in Argentina's World Cup squads. -
hard
Who scored River Plate's goal in the 2019 Copa Libertadores final?
WhyThe Colombian forward put River ahead inside the first 15 minutes before two late goals turned the game. -
medium
Which Chilean striker left River Plate for Lazio in 1998?
WhyKnown as 'El Matador', he was voted South American Footballer of the Year while at River in 1997. -
medium
Which club bought Julián Álvarez from River Plate in January 2022 before loaning him straight back?
WhyHe finished the season back in Argentina before joining up with his new club that summer. -
hard
Which Colombian striker spent 2005 to 2009 at River Plate before moving to Porto?
WhyHe came back from two serious knee injuries in Argentina, then scored at a remarkable rate in his first season in Portugal. -
easy
Which country did River Plate's celebrated playmaker Enzo Francescoli represent?
WhyNicknamed 'El Príncipe', he was admired so much by a young Zinedine Zidane that Zidane named a son after him. -
easy
River Plate's classic home shirt is white with a diagonal sash of which colour?
WhyThe sash gives the club another of its nicknames, 'La Banda' — the stripe. -
hard
Who scored both of River Plate's goals in the second leg of the 1996 Copa Libertadores final?
WhyThe young centre-forward turned round a first-leg deficit at home, and joined Parma soon afterwards. -
easy
The second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors was eventually played at which stadium?
WhyCONMEBOL moved the tie to a European ground far more used to Champions League nights; over 62,000 watched. -
easy
Who was River Plate's manager when they won the 2018 Copa Libertadores?
WhyA former River playmaker himself, he took the job in 2014 and became the most decorated coach in the club's history. -
hard
Which River Plate player was named 2018 South American Footballer of the Year?
WhyKnown to everyone as 'Pity', he left for Atlanta United weeks after collecting the award. -
easy
By which nickname are River Plate best known?
WhyThe name stuck after a run of headline-grabbing signings in the 1930s; the other three belong to Boca Juniors, Racing and San Lorenzo. -
easy
River Plate's home ground is universally known by which nickname?
WhyIts official name honours former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti. -
hard
Which River Plate goalkeeper saved a penalty in the opening minutes of the 2014 Copa Sudamericana semi-final second leg against Boca Juniors?
WhyHis stop from Emanuel Gigliotti is remembered as the moment River's modern dominance of the fixture began. -
hard
Which River Plate World Cup winner returned as manager and led the club to three league titles between 1989 and 1994?
WhyA commanding centre-back who captained his country to the trophy, he went on to coach the national team as well. -
hard
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?
WhyThe 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. -
hard
Boca Juniors were thrown out of the 2015 Copa Libertadores after their supporters attacked River Plate players with what during a last-16 tie?
WhyThe River players were attacked in the tunnel as they came out for the second half; the match was abandoned and River went through.
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River Plate in the record books
Free reference tables — every winner, every top scorer, checked and dated.
What the River Plate quiz covers
Every question is written and checked by football fans — soccer, if you're reading this in the US — across the topics that decide a real River Plate expert:
Club history
Founding, golden eras and the moments that shaped River Plate.
Players & legends
Cult heroes and record-breakers, past and present.
Managers
The bosses in the dugout and the trophies they won.
Trophies & honours
Every title, cup and big European night that counts.
Records & stats
Appearances, goals, transfers and all-time bests.
Iconic moments
Famous games, comebacks and unforgettable goals.
This is one set from a bank of thousands of questions spanning 72 clubs, every major league and eight decades of football.
How the River Plate quiz is checked
Every question above was written by hand and verified before it went live.
All 38 River Plate questions were checked twice before publication — once against the claim the question makes, and once against the wrong answers offered beside it. A question whose wrong options can be dismissed without knowing any football is not really a question, so those get rewritten or dropped rather than padded out. Anything that could not be confirmed was removed rather than guessed, which is why some sets are smaller than others. Every one of them carries a written explanation. Spot something wrong and tell us — corrections from players are how the bank stays accurate.
River Plate quiz — FAQ
Why was the 2018 Libertadores final played in Madrid?
How many Copa Libertadores have River Plate won?
Which players came through River's academy?
Is the River Plate quiz free?
About the River Plate quiz
River Plate's modern history has one obvious peak and it happened in Madrid. This free River quiz covers all of it: Marcelo Gallardo's decade, the 2015 and 2018 Copa Libertadores, and the 2018 final against Boca that had to be moved to the Santiago Bernabéu — the only Superclásico ever settled on another continent.
It goes deeper than the trophies. The El Monumental questions, the academy that produced Saviola, Aimar, Mascherano and Julián Álvarez, and the night in 2021 when Enzo Pérez played in goal with a squad ravaged by covid.
A note on rigour: River's own honours are misreported in places — one widely-read summary lists two Libertadores years that belong to Peñarol and Colo-Colo. Everything here was checked against the individual tournament records.
Every answer is explained. Free, no sign-up, and the Boca Juniors quiz is waiting when you're done.
Ball IQ has 38 River Plate questions — 8 easy, 16 medium and 14 hard.