25 Years of Paso a Paso: A Look Back at Racing Club’s Improbable Run to Glory | OneFootball

Telling a story is just as important in sports as winning or losing a game. In 2001, in Argentina, there was no bigger story than Racing Club breaking a 35-year title drought, a journey summed up by one generational phrase: “paso a paso” — step by step.

No one on the face of the earth tells stories with more raw emotion than those who cover Argentine soccer. One of the greatest stories ever told during the height of the Argentine Primera División’s television era came in 2001, when Racing Club finally snapped a 35-year title drought.

At the time, two major forces were shaping Argentine soccer.

The first was the peak of its television production. From the mid-1990s onward, Fútbol de Primera was the primary way many fans followed the Argentine league each week. With most matches shown on pay-per-view via TyC Max, the Sunday program on Canal Trece aired highlights from every game and presented its featured matches with a level of visual polish comparable to top-level broadcasts from around the world.

The show became famous for its dramatic openings, slow-motion replays, and energetic commentary. It effectively served as the weekly recap that shaped how fans experienced the league’s action.

A scene from the unrest in Buenos Aires from December 2001.

The second factor was Argentina’s worsening economic crisis. The country was facing a deep recession marked by rising unemployment and growing public debt.

For years, Argentina had attempted to maintain a fixed exchange rate through the Convertibility Plan, which tied the Argentine peso to the United States dollar. While the policy initially helped control inflation, it eventually made the economy less competitive and increased financial pressure.

By late 2001, banks restricted withdrawals in a policy known as the Corralito, triggering widespread anger and protests. The crisis led to political instability, the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa, and culminated in the Argentine economic collapse of 2001, one of the worst in the nation’s history.

Players and clubs throughout Argentine soccer suffered greatly. Some players in the top division claimed they had gone as long as six months without pay. At the same time, no club other than River Plate or Boca Juniors had won the league in five consecutive tournaments.

Then, at the beginning of the year in the 2001 Clausura, a Manuel Pellegrini-led San Lorenzo club broke that pattern and claimed their first league title in five years. But the real story was still to come in August 2001.

2001: A Racing Club Odyssey

In 2001, Racing Club was facing one of the most difficult moments in its history.

In the late 1990s, the club went through a deep institutional and financial crisis. The situation became so severe that a court intervened to oversee the club, and in 1999 its operations were briefly halted. Fans responded with massive protests and riots, demanding that the club continue competing and defend its place in Argentine football.

Even after returning to normal activity, Racing entered 2001 in a fragile position. It hadn’t won the league since 1966, with its last meaningful achievement coming in 1988 when the team won the now-defunct Supercopa, an international tournament that brought together past winners of the Copa Libertadores.

At the height of their glory in 1967, Racing had won their only Copa Libertadores and later claimed the Intercontinental Cup by defeating European champions Celtic in Montevideo.

By 2001 however, the club was essentially in survival mode. San Lorenzo’s title earlier that year had provided a much-needed boost for Argentine clubs amid financial turmoil, but few believed Racing was capable of competing for a championship after finishing a distant fifth in the previous tournament.

That fifth-place finish came under new manager Reinaldo Merlo. Merlo was best known as one of the three players with the most appearances in the history of River Plate, where he spent his entire playing career. His distinctive blond hair earned him the nickname “Mostaza,” or “mustard” in English.

His coaching career had been uneven. He started strongly with River Plate and Argentina’s U-17 and U-20 teams but later had unsuccessful spells in Bolivia and Colombia.

Known for employing a simple and pragmatic style that included strong defending, tireless players, and direct attacks, Merlo was hardly seen as an exciting appointment by Racing supporters. To many fans, he was simply another temporary manager in a long line of coaches who had failed at the club.

When the 2001 Apertura began, Racing’s early results attracted little attention.

A week-one victory over Argentinos Juniors and a 1–1 draw with arch rival Independiente were typical results for a team expected to be inconsistent. But then came three consecutive victories against Rosario Central, Newell’s Old Boys, and Talleres.

Suddenly, Racing was undefeated after five matches.

The media began to ask whether this could finally be the year. After the week four victory over Newell’s, Merlo was asked if winning the title would lead fans to build a monument in his honor.

The manager laughed and gave birth to one of the most famous phrases in Argentine soccer history.

“Paso a paso.” Or in English, “Step by step.”

‘Paso a Paso’ Defines a Footballing Culture

Merlo had tried to cool the growing excitement. He had never won a league title as a manager, and he continued to deflect questions about Racing’s chances.

The following week, after beating Talleres, he was asked again.

“We have to go step by step,” he replied once more.

After a 1–0 victory over Huracán in week seven, the famous sideline reporter Titi Fernández pushed the question further.

“When are you going to start talking about the title?”

Merlo answered quickly.

“No, no, not yet.”

As the weeks passed and Racing remained unbeaten through 11 matches, including a 4–1 victory over defending champions San Lorenzo, the questions became relentless.

A 3–1 loss to Boca Juniors briefly brought the team back down to Earth, and with River Plate close behind in the standings, Racing entered the final weeks knowing the title was within reach but far from secure.

By then, “Paso a Paso” had become a phrase repeated across Argentine culture whenever people spoke about a possible outcome that was still uncertain.

Racing, meanwhile, had become the sentimental favorite across the country. As news spread throughout the Americas about the club’s potential end to its drought, the pressure on the team grew heavier.

After another narrow 1–0 victory over Chacarita Juniors in week 14, Merlo again repeated the phrase that had become synonymous with Racing’s campaign.

“We have to go game by game. Step by step.”

In week 16 came one of the most memorable matches in Argentine league history. Racing faced its greatest challenge: River Plate, a team featuring Esteban Cambiasso, Andrés D’Alessandro, and Ariel Ortega.

Racing lined up in a cautious 3-5-2 formation designed more to contain River than to attack.

Cambiasso scored late in the first half, and as the match progressed, Racing’s title hopes appeared increasingly fragile. With a win, River could catch Racing in the table and force a playoff, or worse, Racing could collapse under the pressure.

But in the 85th minute a mishandled cross by River goalkeeper Ángel Comizzo allowed Colombian midfielder Gerardo Bedoya to score.

The equalizer kept Racing five points clear with only three matches remaining.

After the match, Merlo said simply, “We deserved this.”

Fernández immediately asked whether Racing could now be called title contenders.

Merlo once again avoided the declaration.

“No. Paso a paso.”

Fernández responded with one of the most memorable retorts in Argentine soccer journalism.

“How many steps are left?”

Merlo smiled and repeated the same answer.

“Not yet. Not yet.”

A week later, after a tense 0–0 draw against Banfield in which River closed the gap in the standings, Fernández asked Merlo if he feared the title hopes could collapse.

For the first time, Merlo said the words every Racing fan wanted to hear:

“Vamos a salir campeones.”

We will be champions.

As Merlo left the stadium that day, he told reporters: “Since the title is in Racing’s hands, we will win the championship.”

A reporter asked jokingly, “So that’s the end of step by step?”

Merlo answered firmly, “That’s the end of step by step.”

A Crisis and a Long Wait

Racing’s road to glory would face one final obstacle.

Argentina’s economic collapse in December 2001 caused widespread protests, political instability, and serious concerns about public safety. Authorities postponed the final round of the 2001 Apertura.

The matches, originally scheduled for December 23, were eventually played on December 27, where Racing Club secured the championship with a 1–1 draw against Vélez Sarsfield.

Gabriel Loeschbor scored the goal that secured Racing’s first domestic league title in 35 years.

The celebrations crossed generations of supporters. Families embraced in the streets. Fans watching on a giant screen inside the Estadio Juan Domingo Perón, Racing’s home ground, stormed the field. Thousands gathered on Avenida 9 de Julio in downtown Buenos Aires to celebrate.

The Aftermath

In the wake of the championship, a group of Racing fans commissioned a statue of Merlo.

The sculpture was created by artist Daniel Zimmermann. However, when it was completed, Racing president Fernando Marín declined to place the statue outside the stadium.

Accounts differ as to the reason for Marín’s refusal. He’d eventually reveal that he believed it was “insane” to commemorate a man with a statue while he was still alive and actively working at the club and just recently in his 50s.

Many fans interpreted the decision differently. They believed Marín wanted credit for ending the drought rather than allowing Merlo to become the central figure of the story.

The life-size statue was offered to Merlo himself when the club refused it, but the coach declined as well, saying he did not want a statue of himself in his home.

Eventually the statue was placed in an art gallery in the Devoto neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It was later removed after rival Independiente supporters reportedly attempted to steal it.

One of the Racing fans who helped commission the statue took it home and kept the life-size bronze figure of Merlo for seven years before it was finally installed in the Recinto de Honor “Juan José Pizzuti” inside the Estadio Juan Domingo Perón, Racing’s home stadium.

Paso a Paso’s Legacy

The phrase “Paso a Paso” eventually became part of Argentine soccer folklore.

It even became the name of a television program that later rivaled Fútbol de Primera on TyC Sports, focusing on weekly recaps of the Argentine league.

Beyond soccer, the phrase entered everyday life in Argentina. When speaking about a new job, personal goals, savings, or simply making progress, many Argentines still say “paso a paso.”

Racing itself would have to wait until 2014 to win another league title, later adding another championship in the 2018–19 season. Internationally, the club won the Copa Sudamericana in 2024 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2025, along with several domestic cups since 2019.

Racing’s title in 2001 represented far more than the end of a championship drought.

It was a story told in real time by the sports media during one of the most difficult periods in Argentina’s modern history. As the country confronted the collapse of an economic system it had believed in for years, Racing’s unlikely championship provided a moment of collective joy.

In a nation facing uncertainty and hardship, the triumph of Racing Club served as a reminder that even in the most difficult moments, progress is possible, if you take things paso a paso.