Delfino’s journey from Colón to Estudiantes (RC) before his return | OneFootball

Iván Delfino’s return to Colón finds the coach with a recent track record that strengthens his profile. After leaving the Sabalero bench in mid-2024, the Santa Fe native took over at Estudiantes de Río Cuarto, where he achieved the major goal of returning the Córdoba club to the First Division. That background was one of the aspects most valued by the red-and-black leadership when deciding on Ezequiel Medrán’s replacement.

Delfino returns to an institution he knows well and where he left behind numbers that, even though he did not achieve promotion, were competitive for much of his spell.

A campaign that sparked hope, but ended early at Colón

Delfino’s first spell at Colón began at the start of 2024, with the challenge of quickly returning the team to the Liga Profesional after relegation.

In total, he managed 27 official matches, with a record of: 13 wins, 7 draws, 7 losses, 46 points out of a possible 81, an average of 1.70 points per match and a 56.8% success rate.

For much of the tournament, Colón was one of the main contenders in Primera Nacional’s Zone B and even reached the top spots. During that run, they earned emphatic victories such as the 4-0 win over Patronato, the 4-0 result against Brown de Adrogué, the 2-0 win over Deportivo Morón away from home, and the 3-0 victory over Estudiantes de Río Cuarto.

He also advanced one round in the Copa Argentina, eliminating Los Andes before being knocked out by Talleres de Córdoba.

However, a string of poor results in the second half of the season, along with the loss of first place, ended up precipitating his departure from the club in August 2024.

The rebirth in Río Cuarto

Far from being shaken by his departure from Santa Fe, Delfino quickly found a chance at redemption at Estudiantes de Río Cuarto.

At the start of 2025, he took charge of El León and built a solid team, with a clear identity and highly competitive throughout the season.

In the Primera Nacional championship, the team established itself as one of the main contenders and then put together an almost perfect run in the promotion playoffs.

In the decisive stage, they successively eliminated: Patronato (2-1); Gimnasia y Tiro (0-0 and 2-0); Estudiantes de Caseros (0-1 and 1-0); and Deportivo Madryn in the final (2-0 and 1-1).

In that way, he secured promotion to the Liga Profesional, one of the biggest sporting achievements in the history of the Córdoba club.

A short spell in the First Division

The reward for promotion was managing Estudiantes in the top flight during the 2026 Torneo Apertura.

However, the step up in level proved far more complex than expected.

In the first ten matchdays, the team managed just: 1 win, 1 draw, and 7 losses.

The only bright spot came with the 2-0 win over Huracán, while they suffered defeats against Tigre, Banfield, Independiente Rivadavia, Atlético Tucumán, San Lorenzo, Sarmiento, and Belgrano.

The campaign ended with 4 points out of a possible 27, which led to his departure from the Córdoba club before the tournament ended.

Numbers that support his return

Adding together his last two experiences, Delfino returns to Colón with a total of 77 matches managed between El Sabalero and Estudiantes de Río Cuarto.

The numbers reflect a coach who achieved important results in Primera Nacional and who knew how to cap that work with promotion.

* At Colón (2024): 27 matches, 13 wins, 7 draws, and 7 losses, with 1.70 points per match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.