- The Argentine club from the province of Mendoza will take part in its first CONMEBOL Libertadores.
- Its head coach lost two finals as a player, representing Newell’s in 1992 and América de Cali in 1996.
In the early hours of February 4, after Independiente Rivadavia’s 2–1 victory over Sarmiento de Junín on Matchday 3 of Argentina’s 2026 Torneo Apertura, some fans were stunned when they saw him driving down the main street in downtown Mendoza—Arístides Villanueva—with the windows down, shouting, honking the horn, and blasting “Ba Ba Bad Remix” at full volume. “Let’s go, Lepra, let’s go Lepra, come on guys, let’s go!” shouted Alfredo Jesús Berti, head coach of Club Sportivo Independiente Rivadavia, which will debut in the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores.
“Loco” Berti, now in his third spell at Independiente Rivadavia, is the coach who not only won the 2025 Copa Argentina—securing qualification for the Libertadores—but also kept the club in the Primera Nacional (second division) in 2017, avoiding relegation to the Federal A, and who, in 2023, won the Primera Nacional title and led “La Lepra” back to the top flight after 41 years. Today, Berti is etched into fans’ skin as tattoos, painted in a mural in Mendoza’s Sixth Section, and featured on flags and banners.
Berti—54, born in Empalme Villa Constitución, Santa Fe—will lead Independiente Rivadavia in its first international campaign. As a player, a fiery central midfielder, he lost two Libertadores finals: with Newell’s, his boyhood club, in 1992 against Telê Santana’s São Paulo, and with América de Cali in 1996 against Ramón Díaz’s River Plate. In both two-legged finals, Berti—an indefatigable player who never spared effort in winning the ball and distributing the first pass—played every minute of all four matches.
Now, as Independiente Rivadavia’s head coach, he will at least aim to reach the Round of 16—something he failed to do in his only previous Libertadores appearance as a manager, in 2014 with Newell’s (in fact, he resigned after not achieving that goal). It took 12 years for Berti to return to the competition. He has built a highly intense team that presses high, moving from the flanks toward the center, with a balanced midfield featuring Tomás Bottari, José Florentín, and Matías Alejandro Fernández.
With a base 5-3-2 formation built from the back to ensure defensive solidity—three strong center-backs with good aerial ability in both boxes and two wing-backs—the team sometimes relies heavily on the attacking explosiveness of Colombian Sebastián Villa. Those who know Berti closely highlight his intelligence, his effective substitutions, and his strong communication with players, delivering simple and clear instructions—much like Carlos Bianchi, whom he played under at Boca (1998–2000).
Berti, in addition to playing in two Libertadores finals, shared the pitch with Diego Maradona at two different clubs: Newell’s (1993) and Boca (1997). He recalled him after winning the Copa Argentina with Independiente Rivadavia:
“At any moment of the day, the words football and Maradona are there. They’re always in my mind. I’m the only player who played with him at two different clubs. He was my idol as a kid. Getting to know his essence was incredibly inspiring for everything that came afterward. Diego was an extremely competitive person who always wanted to improve and perfect himself, very humble and generous with teammates. That’s what we try to instill in young players, who are 18, play one match, and get carried away. I always tell them the same: ‘There’s only one Maradona—he didn’t lose his way; if you do…’. Maradona was always there, ready, close, competitive. That’s who he was.”
At the Bautista Gargantini Stadium—Independiente Rivadavia’s “Cathedral of the Park”—Berti has found love and respect. The supporters dedicated a giant banner to him: Berti with arms wide open, the club crest, a golden star above, and the message: “Hand in hand / with Alfredo Berti.” In the mural, meanwhile, he appears wearing his trademark gray beret. He is, they say, the most present contemporary idol among Lepra fans today.
Julia and Apolonia, his daughters, follow him alongside the team (both hockey players at Club Atlético Empalme; in 2025 they won the Liga de la Unidad). In February 2026, Berti was invited to give a talk on sports leadership at the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo). In 2025, during the celebration of the club’s first-ever Copa Argentina title, he was named the first “C-SIR” of Independiente Rivadavia (a play on the club’s initials, “CSIR”). From Mendoza, the “gentleman” Berti now sets out to conquer South America.
“We, Berti told fans at the unveiling of his mural, “try to channel the love you have so that the players give everything on the pitch: a team that gives its all and merges with the love and passion of the supporters.”
