The 2021 Liga Profesional de Fútbol (officially the Torneo Socios.com for sponsorship reasons) was the 131st season of top-flight professional football in Argentina. The league season began on 16 July and ended on 13 December 2021.
Twenty-six teams competed in the league: the 24 teams that took part in the previous Primera División season as well as two promoted teams from the 2020 Primera Nacional (Sarmiento (J) and Platense). Boca Juniors were the defending champions.
River Plate won their 37th national league championship with three matches to spare after they defeated Racing 4–0 on 25 November 2021.
Competition format The competition was run under a single round-robin, contested by 26 teams (24 from the previous edition plus 2 promoted from Primera Nacional). The champions qualified for the 2022 Copa Libertadores as Argentina 2. The qualification for international tournaments was determined by an aggregate table of the 2021 Primera División and 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional first stage tournaments.
Club information Stadia and locations
ClubCityStadiumCapacity Aldosivi Mar del Plata José María Minella 35,354 Argentinos Juniors Buenos Aires Diego Armando Maradona 25,000 Arsenal Sarandí Julio Humberto Grondona 16,300 Atlético Tucumán Tucumán Monumental José Fierro 32,700 Banfield Banfield Florencio Sola 34,901 Boca Juniors Buenos Aires Alberto J. Armando 54,000 Central Córdoba (SdE) Santiago del Estero Único Madre de Ciudades 30,000 Alfredo Terrera 16,000 Colón Santa Fe Brigadier General Estanislao López 40,000 Defensa y Justicia Florencio Varela Norberto "Tito" Tomaghello 12,000 Estudiantes (LP) La Plata Jorge Luis Hirschi 30,000 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) La Plata Juan Carmelo Zerillo 24,544 Godoy Cruz Godoy Cruz Feliciano Gambarte 14,000 Huracán Buenos Aires Tomás Adolfo Ducó 48,314 Independiente Avellaneda Libertadores de América 52,853 Lanús Lanús Ciudad de Lanús - Néstor Díaz Pérez 46,619 Newell's Old Boys Rosario Marcelo Bielsa 38,095 Patronato Paraná Presbítero Bartolomé Grella 22,000 Platense Florida Este Ciudad de Vicente López 28,530 Racing Avellaneda Presidente Perón 55,389 River Plate Buenos Aires Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti 70,074 Rosario Central Rosario Gigante de Arroyito 41,654 San Lorenzo Buenos Aires Pedro Bidegain 39,494 Sarmiento (J) Junín Eva Perón 19,000 Talleres (C) Córdoba Mario Alberto Kempes 57,000 Unión Santa Fe 15 de Abril 22,852 Vélez Sarsfield Buenos Aires José Amalfitani 45,540
Personnel ClubManagerKit manufacturerSponsor Aldosivi Martín Palermo Kappa Uthgra Sasso Hotel Argentinos Juniors Gabriel Milito Umbro Bumeran Arsenal Darío Espínola (caretaker) Sport Lyon La Nueva Seguros Atlético Tucumán Martín Anastacio (caretaker) Umbro Secco Banfield Diego Dabove Givova ORBIS Seguros Boca Juniors Sebastián Battaglia (caretaker) Adidas Qatar Airways Central Córdoba (SdE) Sergio Rondina Adhoc Banco Santiago del Estero Colón Eduardo Domínguez Kelme Cablevideo Digital Defensa y Justicia Sebastián Beccacece Sport Lyon Planes ESCO Estudiantes (LP) Ricardo Zielinski Under Armour bplay Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) Néstor Gorosito Hummel RapiCuota$ Godoy Cruz Diego Flores Fiume Sport CATA Internacional Huracán Frank Darío Kudelka Peak Banco Ciudad / DECRYPTO Independiente Julio César Falcioni Puma $CAI Fan Token Lanús Luis Zubeldía Peak Mapei Newell's Old Boys Adrián Taffarel (caretaker) Umbro Adelante Broker Inmobiliario Patronato Iván Delfino Axfiu Banco Entre Ríos Platense Claudio Spontón Kelme Escudo Seguros Racing Fernando Gago Kappa Aeroset River Plate Marcelo Gallardo Adidas Turkish Airlines Rosario Central Kily González Under Armour Banco Municipal / Adelante Broker Inmobiliario San Lorenzo Daniel Di Leo and Diego Monarriz (caretakers) Nike Banco Ciudad Sarmiento (J) Martín Funes (caretaker) Coach Naldo Talleres (C) Alexander Medina Givova ICBC Argentina Unión Gustavo Munúa Kappa OSPAT Vélez Sarsfield Mauricio Pellegrino Kappa bplay
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Positionin table Replaced by Date of appointment Godoy Cruz Daniel Oldrá Replaced 9 January 2021Pre-season Sebastián Méndez 10 January 2021 Independiente Fernando Berón 9 January 2021 Julio César Falcioni 19 January 2021 Racing Sebastián Beccacece Resigned 9 January 2021 Juan Antonio Pizzi 14 January 2021 Atlético Tucumán Ricardo Zielinski End of contract 10 January 2021 Omar De Felippe 11 January 2021 Central Córdoba (SdE) Alexis Ferrero and Sebastián Scolari Replaced 11 January 2021 Gustavo Coleoni 12 January 2021 Estudiantes (LP) Pablo Quatrocchi 11 January 2021 Ricardo Zielinski 12 January 2021 San Lorenzo Mariano Soso Resigned 11 January 2021 Diego Dabove 19 January 2021 Argentinos Juniors Diego Dabove 12 January 2021 Gabriel Milito 19 January 2021 Aldosivi Favio Fernández Replaced 14 January 2021 Fernando Gago 16 January 2021 Defensa y Justicia Hernán Crespo Resigned 7 February 2021 Sebastián Beccacece 15 February 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional changes Newell's Old Boys Frank Darío Kudelka Mutual agreement 13 March 2021 12th Zone B Germán Burgos 14 March 2021 Huracán Israel Damonte Sacked 20 March 2021 8th Zone B Frank Darío Kudelka 26 March 2021 Inter-tournament changes Platense Juan Manuel Llop Mutual agreement 9 May 2021 N/A Leonardo Madelón 15 May 2021 San Lorenzo Diego Dabove Resigned 9 May 2021 Paolo Montero 11 June 2021 Newell's Old Boys Germán Burgos Sacked 8 June 2021 Fernando Gamboa 13 June 2021 Liga Profesional changes Racing Juan Antonio Pizzi Sacked 9 August 2021 9th Claudio Úbeda 11 August 2021 Arsenal Sergio Rondina Resigned 16 August 2021 22nd Israel Damonte 18 August 2021 Boca Juniors Miguel Ángel Russo Sacked 16 August 2021 24th Sebastián Battaglia 17 August 2021 Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) Mariano Messera and Leandro Martini 29 August 2021 16th Néstor Gorosito 31 August 2021 Central Córdoba (SdE) Gustavo Coleoni 29 August 2021 25th Sergio Rondina 6 September 2021 Godoy Cruz Sebastián Méndez Resigned 29 August 2021 19th Diego Flores 30 August 2021 Platense Leonardo Madelón 21 September 2021 23rd Claudio Spontón 21 September 2021 Unión Juan Manuel Azconzábal Sacked 22 September 2021 22nd Gustavo Munúa 4 October 2021 Aldosivi Fernando Gago Resigned 27 September 2021 23rd Martín Palermo 3 October 2021 Atlético Tucumán Omar De Felippe 12 October 2021 21st Pablo Guiñazú 18 October 2021 Newell's Old Boys Fernando Gamboa Sacked 17 October 2021 21st Adrián Taffarel 18 October 2021 Racing Claudio Úbeda Replaced 19 October 2021 11th Fernando Gago 21 October 2021 Banfield Javier Sanguinetti Resigned 21 October 2021 24th Diego Dabove 26 October 2021 San Lorenzo Paolo Montero Sacked 21 October 2021 20th Daniel Di Leo and Diego Monarriz 22 October 2021 Sarmiento (J) Mario Sciacqua Mutual agreement 8 November 2021 18th Martín Funes 11 November 2021 Arsenal Israel Damonte Resigned 21 November 2021 26th Darío Espínola 22 November 2021 Atlético Tucumán Pablo Guiñazú 25 November 2021 23rd Martín Anastacio 26 November 2021
Interim managers 1. Pablo De Muner was interim manager in the 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional Group stage 1st round. 2. Gabriel Rinaldi and Gastón Casas were interim managers during the remaining 18 minutes of the suspended 2021 Copa de la Liga Profesional Group stage 3rd round. 3. Leandro Romagnoli was interim manager in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana Group stage 4th–6th rounds. 4. Úbeda would be interim manager until the end of the tournament, but only was interim manager in the 6th–17th rounds. 5. Interim manager until the end of the tournament. Battaglia was promoted to manager after the tournament. 6. Adrián Adrover and Sebastián Scolari were interim managers in the 10th round. 7. Interim manager, but later promoted to manager. 8. Marcelo Mosset was interim manager in the 13th–14th rounds. 9. Facundo Oreja and Diego Villar were interim managers in the 14th round. 10. Martín Anastacio was interim manager in the 16th round. 11. Interim manager until the end of the tournament. 12. Hugo Donato was interim manager in the 18th round. 13. Interim managers until the end of the tournament.
Foreign players Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6 Aldosivi Martín Cauteruccio Federico Gino Mario López Quintana Marcos Miers Fernando Román Argentinos Juniors Gabriel Ávalos Javier Cabrera Jonathan Sandoval Arsenal Atlético Tucumán Felipe Campos Banfield Mauricio Cuero Boca Juniors Luis Advíncula Jorman Campuzano Edwin Cardona Sebastián Villa Carlos Zambrano Central Córdoba (SdE) Federico Andueza Matías Mier Dixon Rentería Sebastián Ribas Colón Leonardo Burián Yéiler Góez Wilson Morelo Defensa y Justicia Hugo Fernández Raúl Loaiza Aldo Maiz Miguel Merentiel Estudiantes (LP) Matías Aguirregaray Jaime Ayoví Manuel Castro Agustín Rogel Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) Brahian Alemán Johan Carbonero Guillermo Fratta Harrinson Mancilla Godoy Cruz Jeison Chalá Cristian Colmán Juan Espínola Huracán Jhonatan Candia Matías Cóccaro José Moya Sebastián Rincón Independiente Renzo Bacchia Carlos Benavídez Andrés Felipe Roa Diego Segovia Sebastián Sosa Lanús Jorge Morel Newell's Old Boys José Canale Pablo Sabbag Patronato Nicolás Albarracín Junior Arias Rolando García Guerreño Hugo Magallanes Sebastián Sosa Sánchez Platense Jean Carlos Colorado Racing Gustavo Cortez Fabricio Domínguez Eugenio Mena Fernando Prado Matías Rojas River Plate Jorge Carrascal Nicolás de la Cruz Paulo Díaz Flabián Londoño Robert Rojas Rosario Central Michael Covea Ricardo Garay Martín Rabuñal Diego Zabala San Lorenzo Yeison Gordillo Cristian Zapata Sarmiento (J) Talleres (C) Diego García Guilherme Parede Rafa Pérez Michael Santos Diego Valoyes Unión Nicolás Peñailillo Vélez Sarsfield Matías de los Santos Enzo Martínez
Players holding Argentinian dual nationality They do not take foreign slot.
Joel Soñora (Banfield) Norberto Briasco (Boca Juniors) Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors) Lucas Barrios (Defensa y Justicia) Tomás Sosa (Defensa y Justicia) Vinicius Lansade (Estudiantes (LP)) Matías Soria (Godoy Cruz) Alan Soñora (Independiente) Gabriel Arias (Racing) Ezequiel Schelotto (Racing) David Martínez (River Plate) Luca Martínez (Rosario Central) Néstor Ortigoza (San Lorenzo) Dylan Gissi (Unión) Carlos Lampe (Vélez Sarsfield) Lenny Lobato (Vélez Sarsfield)
Source: AFA
League table
Results Teams played every other team once (either at home or away) completing a total of 25 rounds.
Season statistics
Top goalscorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Julián ÁlvarezRiver Plate182 José SandLanús15 Marco RubenRosario Central4 Matías TisseraPlatense145 José Manuel LópezLanús136 Martín OjedaGodoy Cruz127 Milton GiménezCentral Córdoba (SdE)118 Martín CauteruccioAldosivi10 Walter BouDefensa y Justicia Miguel MerentielDefensa y Justicia Leandro DíazEstudiantes (LP) Silvio RomeroIndependiente Braian RomeroRiver Plate Source: AFA
Top assists RankPlayerClubAssists1 Carlos RotondiDefensa y Justicia8 Ignacio MalcorraLanús Agustín PalavecinoRiver Plate4 Francisco PizziniDefensa y Justicia7 Lautaro BlancoRosario Central6 Malcom BraidaAldosivi6 Julián ÁlvarezRiver Plate8 Fernando ZuquiEstudiantes (LP)5 Alan VelascoIndependiente Matías EsquivelLanús Nicolás CastroNewell's Old Boys Emiliano VecchioRosario Central Enzo DíazTalleres (C) Gastón GonzálezUnión Juan Ignacio NardoniUnión Federico MancuelloVélez Sarsfield Source: AFA
International qualification