BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Seemingly out of nowhere, Argentina's soccer association on Thursday declared Rosario Central the “league champion” for 2025 in what is a newly established title.

Star forward Angel Di Maria was on hand to accept the new trophy, which took Argentina by surprise because it traditionally has just two championships — the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, both of which use playoffs to determine the winners.

But the Professional League, which is under the soccer association's jurisdiction, said Thursday its executive committee “unanimously decided to establish the title of ‘League Champion’ for the team that has accumulated the most points in the overall standings.”

Central amassed the most points (66) in total from the regular phases of the Apertura and Claus

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