The 1997–98 Argentine Primera División was the 107th season of top-flight football in Argentina. The season ran from August 22, 1997, to June 8, 1998. Argentinos Juniors (champion of 1996–97 Primera B Nacional) and Gimnasia y Tiro[2] were promoted from Primera B Nacional.[3]
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 22, 1997 – June 8, 1998 |
| Champions |
|
| 1999 Copa Libertadores | River Plate Vélez Sársfield |
| 1998 Copa Conmebol | Gimnasia y Esg LP Rosario Central |
| Matches played | 380 |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
River Plate won the Apertura (29th. league title) while Vélez Sársfield won the Clausura (5th. title). On the other hand, Gimnasia y Tiro and Deportivo Español were relegated with the worst points averages.
Permanent squad numbers were established as mandatory by the AFA, starting in the 1997 Apertura. As the rule did not specify the use of number "1" for goalkeepers exclusively, forward Silvio Carrario wore that number in Deportivo Español.[4]
| Season | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 22 August – 22 December |
| Champions | River Plate (29th. title) |
| Promoted | |
| Top goalscorer | Rubén Da Silva (15) |
| Biggest home win | Ferro 5–0 GyE (J) (25 Aug) Velez 5–0 Newell's (28 Sep) |
| Biggest away win | Unión 0-5 Estudiantes LP (21 Sep) |
| Highest scoring | Ferro 6–2 Unión (9 Nov) |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | River Plate | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 43 | 17 | +26 | 45 |
| 2 | Boca Juniors | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 12 | +23 | 44 |
| 3 | Rosario Central | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 20 | +15 | 35 |
| 4 | Vélez Sársfield | 19 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 23 | +19 | 32 |
| 5 | San Lorenzo | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 32 | +10 | 32 |
| 6 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 33 | 27 | +6 | 32 |
| 7 | Independiente | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 31 | −2 | 30 |
| 8 | Argentinos Juniors | 19 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 29 |
| 9 | Platense | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 26 | −1 | 28 |
| 10 | Estudiantes (LP) | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 26 |
| 11 | Lanús | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 30 | −1 | 25 |
| 12 | Ferro Carril Oeste | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 24 |
| 13 | Racing | 19 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 21 |
| 14 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 20 |
| 15 | Colón | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 33 | −10 | 20 |
| 16 | Unión | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 43 | −18 | 20 |
| 17 | Deportivo Español | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 17 |
| 18 | Newell's Old Boys | 19 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 38 | −16 | 14 |
| 19 | Huracán | 19 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 20 | 32 | −12 | 12 |
| 20 | Gimnasia y Tiro | 19 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 30 | −16 | 12 |
| Rank. | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Rubén Da Silva | Rosario Central | 15 |
2 |
Sebastián Abreu | San Lorenzo | 13 |
3 |
Patricio Camps | Vélez Sarsfield | 12 |
| Roberto Sosa | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) |
| Season | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 February – 8 June |
| Champions | Vélez Sarsfield (5th. title) |
| Relegated | |
| Top goalscorer | Roberto Sosa (17) |
| Biggest home win | Velez 6–1 Colón (19 Apr) River 5–0 Huracán (8 Mar) |
| Biggest away win | D. Español 0–5 Argentinos (30 Mar) |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vélez Sársfield | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 14 | +25 | 46 |
| 2 | Lanús | 19 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 43 | 22 | +21 | 40 |
| 3 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 19 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 37 |
| 4 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 32 |
| 5 | San Lorenzo | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 30 |
| 6 | Boca Juniors | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 29 |
| 7 | River Plate | 19 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 29 |
| 8 | Argentinos Juniors | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 28 |
| 9 | Newell's Old Boys | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 28 |
| 10 | Ferro Carril Oeste | 19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 34 | −2 | 25 |
| 11 | Independiente | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 23 |
| 12 | Estudiantes (LP) | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 24 | −8 | 23 |
| 13 | Rosario Central | 19 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 22 |
| 14 | Platense | 19 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 27 | −1 | 21 |
| 15 | Racing | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 20 |
| 16 | Colón | 19 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 36 | −13 | 18 |
| 17 | Gimnasia y Tiro | 19 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 16 |
| 18 | Huracán | 19 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 34 | −16 | 15 |
| 19 | Unión | 19 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 33 | −14 | 13 |
| 20 | Deportivo Español | 19 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 21 | 44 | −23 | 13 |
| Position | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roberto Sosa | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 17 |
| 2 | Gustavo Bartelt | Lanús | 13 |
| 3 | Martín Palermo | Boca Juniors | 12 |
| 4 | Patricio Camps | Vélez Sársfield | 10 |
| 4 | Martín Posse | Vélez Sársfield | 10 |
- ^ El día que Gimnasia tocó el cielo: a 23 años del último ascenso a Primera, 19 Jul 2020 on El Tribuno by Mariano Fradejas
- ^ "Argentina: 1ra. "B" Nacional AFA 1996/97 - Etapa Campeonato" by José Carluccio, 27 Sep 2012
- ^ Historia y curiosidades de la numeración fija en el fútbol by Walter Raiño on Clarín, 13 Sep 2017