Millonarios F.C.

Millonarios Fútbol Club is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the El Campín stadium.

Millonarios
Full nameAzul y Blanco Millonarios Fútbol Club S.A.
Nickname(s)Millos
Embajadores (The Ambassadors)
El Azul (The Blue)
Albiazules (The White-Blues)
El Ballet Azul (The Blue Ballet)
Founded18 June 1946 (1946-06-18)
GroundEstadio El Campín
Bogotá, Colombia
Capacity36,343[1]
OwnerAmber Capital
ChairmanEnrique Camacho Matamoros
ManagerAlberto Gamero
LeagueCategoría Primera A
202010th
WebsiteClub website

Millonarios, was initially created in 1937 by students from the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé. After the team initially was unsure about which name it would want to use, Unión and Juventud were originally favoured, it got under the influence of the city administration of Bogotá and operated as Club Municipal de Deportes. Millonarios was formally founded on June 18, 1946, thanks to the efforts of Alfonso Senior Quevedo, who became the first chairman.

Millonarios has won the Colombian league 15 times. They are also the third Colombian team to achieve a major international title, the Copa Merconorte in 2001. Since the beginning of the Colombian professional football league, Millonarios has won many domestic tournaments, the last one in 2017.

Millonarios is also one of only three teams that have played every first division tournament in the country, along with their traditional rivals Santa Fe and Atlético Nacional.[2]

History

The Ballet Azul

Millonarios greatly benefited from a major players' strike in the Argentinian league in 1948, which caused a great diaspora of players towards Colombia. The most successful period for the club was during the early 1950s due to the notable Argentinean presence. During this period with the squad that was known as The Blue Ballet, that featured great players such as Alfredo di Stefano, Adolfo Pedernera, Néstor Rossi, Julio Cozzi, Antonio "Maestrico" Báez, Hugo Reyes, Reinaldo Mourin and other figures in Argentina, mainly from River Plate. Thanks to the great football that showed these players on the field, Millonarios was named by several media outlets in South America and Europe, as the best team in the world in the early 1950s.

In 1951, Colombia was suspended by FIFA due to the recruitment of international players without a pass; the teams were forced to return all expatriate players that had participated in the tournament through irregular means. This edict marked the departure of di Stefano in February 1953, receiving bids from Barcelona and Real Madrid, who came to win the bid for the player.[3] The Colombian national team was also banned from the 1954 FIFA World Cup for the same reason.

Small Club World Cup

In 1952, a group of Venezuelan sports entrepreneurs created the Small Club World Cup, a friendly competition that brought together leading European and South American teams. Millonarios was invited to participate in the 1952 and 1953 editions. In its first appearance, the team finished with seven points, behind Real Madrid (double tie 1–1) and Brazilian Botafogo (4–4 tie and defeat 0–2); the tournament was played in a two-round scheme, and involved host La Salle of Venezuela (double win 4–1 and 5–1).

In its participation in 1953, the team was crowned undefeated champion with 11 points, above River Plate of Argentina (5–1 win and 1–1 tie), Rapid Wien of Austria (double win 2–1 and 4–0) and Spanish Espanyol of Barcelona (double win 6–0 and 4–0). This friendly tournament is considered by some to be a predecessor of the Intercontinental Cup, now known as FIFA Club World Cup, though not its equivalent.

2000s

Millonarios had further improvement when former Manchester City assistant manager Juan Carlos Osorio was appointed as the new Millonarios' Manager, which led the club to 3rd position in the League Stage of the Mustang Cup, and 5th in the addition of all the year's performance, taking the club once again into the Copa Sudamericana, while the financial situation of the team also had a notable recovery. In July 2007, Osorio left Millonarios to manage Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire, and he was replaced with Martín Lasarte; after a brief, but very unsuccessful period with Lasarte, Millonarios then hired Argentinian Mario Vanemerak as their new manager. Under Vanemerak, Millonarios began to shine again, most notably in the Copa Sudamericana 2007, where they eliminated several powerful teams, most notably Brazilian champions São Paulo in the quarter-finals, thanks to two goals from Ricardo Ciciliano; although they had a less impressive performance in the local tournament.

2010s
The team that won the 2017 Torneo Finalización.

Plagued by financial problems, and with no major titles in the last decade, the club finally initiated a bankruptcy process that led to its being bought by a society composed of about 4,000 fans, Azul & Blanco, SA This movement also meant a change in playing style which started with the hiring of Venezuelan coach Richard Páez. The change has proved successful, both financially and as related to championships. With Páez as coach, the team was able to win the Copa Colombia 2011 tournament, after winning both games against Boyacá Chicó, thus classifying to 2012 Copa Sudamericana. On June 24, 2012, it was confirmed that Hernán Torres would be the new coach.

In Copa Sudamericana, the team was highly successful, reaching semi-finals after eliminating Inti Gas, Guaraní, and the Brazilians Palmeiras, and Gremio, being eliminated by runner-up, Tigre. This came as a relief after an embarrassing defeat to Real Madrid in a friendly match to honor Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Despite the defeat, the team played a great first phase in the Colombian tournament, classifying to the play-offs as the best team of the semester. After a very difficult series of matches, the team reached the Finals which were to be played against Independiente Medellín. The first match was played in Medellín, and ended in a 0–0 tie. The final game was played December 16, 2012 in Bogotá, and ended up 1–1, thus the result had to be determined by a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Delgado managed to stop a final shoot, and Millonarios won its 14th championship, the first Fútbol Profesional Colombiano title in about 24 years.

As the 2012 Finalización champion, Millonarios qualified to 2013 Copa Libertadores, where it played the second stage against Bolivian San José, Mexican Tijuana, and Brazilian Corinthians.

Under coach Ricardo Lunari, Millonarios started 2015 with three home victories against Patriotas, Cúcuta Deportivo and Cortuluá. Meanwhile, their debut in the Copa Colombia came with defeat against La Equidad.

In the 2017 Finalización League, Millonarios achieved their 15th division title after defeating Santa Fe in a final that saw 2 goals at the ending of the second half. Said final ended with a tie, that concluded an aggregate 3–2 win over their home rival.

Rivalries

Millonarios has forged many rivalries with several teams from the league, most notably with local rivals Santa Fe. This derby is popularly called El Clásico Capitalino (The Capital Classic). There are also strong rivalries with other teams like América de Cali, Atlético Nacional and Deportivo Cali.

Honours

League
Winners (15): 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1978, 1987, 1988, 2012–II, 2017–II.
Runners-up (9): 1950, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1995–96.

Cups
Winners (3): 1952–53, 1963, 2011.
Runners-up (2): 1951–52, 2013.
Winners (1): 2018.
Runners-up (1): 2013.

International
Winners (1): 2001.
Runners-up (1): 2000.
Winners (1): 1972.
Winners (1): 1953.

Regional
  • Liga de fútbol de Cundinamarca:
Winners (7): 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948.
  • Asociación deportiva de Bogotá:
Winners (1): 1940.[4]
  • Campeonato interdepartamental de Colombia:
Winners (1): 1947.[4]

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions
Best: Semi-finals in 1960, 1973, 1974 - Quarter-finals in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1989, 1995
2004: Preliminary Round
2007: Semi-finals
2012: Semi-finals
2014: First Round
2018: Round of 16
1998: Semi-finals
1999: Group Stage
2000: Finalist
2001: Champion

Players

First-team squad
As of 7 January 2020[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  COL Christian Vargas (on loan from Atlético Bucaramanga)
4 DF  COL Breiner Paz
5 DF  CRC Juan Pablo Vargas
6 DF  COL Andrés Román
7 FW  COL Ricardo Márquez
9 FW  COL Diego Abadía
10 FW  COL Cristian Arango
11 FW  COL Juan Camilo Salazar
12 GK  COL Juan Moreno
13 MF  COL Fredy Guarín
14 MF  COL David Silva (captain)
16 FW  COL Jader Valencia
17 MF  COL Daniel Ruiz
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF  COL Juan Camilo García
21 MF  COL Juan Carlos Pereira
22 DF  COL Elvis Perlaza
23 DF  COL Felipe Banguero
24 DF  URU Matías de los Santos
26 DF  COL Andrés Llinás
28 DF  COL Stiven Vega
31 DF  COL Omar Bertel
32 MF  COL Klíver Moreno
33 FW  COL Jorge Rengifo
— MF  COL Nicolás Murcia
— FW  COL Orles Aragón
— MF  COL Harrison Mojica

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK  VEN Wuilker Faríñez (at Lens)
— FW  COL Jader Valencia (at Lens)

Former players

Most capped players

Source: BDFA

R Player P Career App.
1 Bonner MosqueraMF1990–2001, 2002–2006550
2 Alejandro BrandFW1969–1978, 1981–1982385
3 Julio Edgar GaviriaDF1968–1977382
4 Euclides "Tizon" GonzálezDF1971–1981371
5 Rafael RobayoMF2005–2011, 2012–2016360
6 Arnoldo IguaránFW1983–1991, 1993–1995336
7 Alonso "Pocillo" LopezDF1974–1980, 1982–1985335
8 Willington OrtizFW1972–1979328
9 Miguel "El Nano" PrinceDF1989–1998321
10 Arturo SegoviaDF1972–1979316

Last updated on: 3 October 2018

Top scorers

Source: BDFA

R Player P Career Goals
1 Alfredo CastilloFW1948–1957131
2 Arnoldo IguaránFW1983–1991, 1993–1995120
3 Marino KlingerFW1957–196699
4 Willington OrtizFW1972–197996
5 Alejandro BrandFW1969–1978, 1981–198291
6 Alfredo Di StéfanoFW1948–195388
7 Miguel Ángel ConvertiFW1975–197785
8 José María FerreroFW1967–196985
9 Juan José IrigoyenFW1977–197981
10 Jaime MorónFW1971–1974, 1977–198280

Last updated on: 3 October 2018

Managers

Affiliated teams

Co-ownership
  • Lens:[6] The club is owned by Joseph Oughourlian, through his investment group, as well as Millonarios.
  • Padova:[7] The club is owned by Joseph Oughourlian, through his investment group, as well as Millonarios.

Partners

Influence in other clubs
  • Millonario del Rímac:[9][10] The club was founded in December 1957 after a tour of Millionarios in Inca lands. Currently competes in the third district division of Rímac, (fourth division of Peru) at the hierarchical level. The last official rapprochement between the two institutions occurred in 1976.

Brotherhoods
  • River Plate:[11] In the amateur age of Colombian soccer, the then known as Club Deportivo Municipal, began to bring Argentine players, so they were nicknamed ("Los Millonarios") as a mockery. Soon after, the directives decided to take that romoquete as part of their official name, which agreed with the beginning of the professional league and the now-called Millonarios continued to contract to a large extent players from River Plate, so the relationship between the clubs became recurrent. Some of the notable player transfers are: Néstor Rossi (from River to Millonarios) and Juan Gilberto Funes (from Millonarios to River).
  • Real Madrid:[12] The history between the two clubs is reflected in the 7 friendly matches in which they have faced each other since Millonarios has won 3, 3 draws have been presented and only one merengue victory has been seen. Millonarios became recognized as the only foreign club to beat the first golden generation of Real Madrid. In addition, between these two institutions, the transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano, one of the best players in the history of world football, was presented.

References
  1. FIFA Web
  2. Stokkermans, Karel (3 October 2013). "Coventric!". RSSSF.com.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2015-12-31.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "History of Millonarios". Millonarios.com.co (in Spanish). Millonarios F.C. 2018-07-05.
  5. "Millonarios F.C." Millonarios Futbol Club. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. Caracol Radio. "Joseph Oughourlian, dueño del Grupo Amber y accionista mayoritario de Millonarios y el Lens de Francia".
  7. Fútbol entre Líneas. "Los otros equipos que tiene el dueño de Millonarios".
  8. "MILLONARIOS Y LA UNIVERSIDAD SERGIO ARBOLEDA, UNA NUEVA ALIANZA PARA EL FÚTBOL FEMENINO - Universidad Sergio Arboleda Bogotá". Universidad Sergio Arboleda Bogotá (in Spanish). 8 September 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  9. MundoMillos. "Les presentamos al embajador de Perú".
  10. Deportes RCN. "La historia del Millonarios peruano y el Santa Fe brasileño".
  11. Diario As. "Millonarios vs. River Plate, una rivalidad entre hermanos".
  12. Caracol Radio. "La relación futbolística entre Real Madrid y Millonarios".
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