Millonarios F.C.

Millonarios

Full name	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)
Founded	18 June 1946 (1946-06-18)
Ground	Estadio El Campín Bogotá, Colombia
Ground Capacity	36,343[1]
Owner	Azul & Blanco S.A.
Chairman	Enrique Camacho Matamoros
Manager	Diego Cocca
League	Categoría Primera A
2016-I	3rd, Quarterfinals
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

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.

The team was initially created in 1937 by students from the "Colegio 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 14 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 2012 after a 24-year wait.

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

Millonarios is one of the most successful teams from Colombia and a major soccer representative of the Americas in the 20th century. Having their peak during the 1950s. Millonarios has won 14 first division titles. Millonarios has been known to have one of the largest fan bases in Colombia.

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 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 signed 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]

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. As of October, 2007, Millonarios qualified for the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals, although they had a less impressive performance in the local tournament.

2010s

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. In 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.

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

National honours

• Categoría Primera A: (14)

1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1978, 1987, 1988, 2012 II

Runners-up (9): 1950, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1995-96.

• Copa Colombia: (3)

1952-1953, 1963, 2011

Runners-up (2): 1951-52, 2013

• Superliga Colombiana: (0)

Runners-up (1): 2013

International honours

• Copa Merconorte: (1)

2001

Runners-up (1): 2000

• Copa Simón Bolívar: (1)

1972

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

• Copa Libertadores: 15 appearances

Best: Semi-finals in 1960, 1973, 1974 - Quarter-finals in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1989, 1995

• Copa Sudamericana: 4 appearances

2004: Preliminary Round

2007: Semi-finals

2012: Semi-finals

2014: First Round

• Copa Merconorte: 4 appearances

1998: Semi-finals

1999: Group Stage

2000: Finalist

2001: Champion

Players

First-team squad

As of 17 November 2016

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Brayan Silva 2 DF Gabriel Díaz 3 DF David Valencia 5 DF Andrés Cadavid 6 MF Yilmar Angulo 7 MF Oscar Barreto 8 MF Rafael Robayo 10 MF Jonathan Estrada 11 FW Maximiliano Núñez 12 GK Ramiro Sánchez 13 MF Harold Santiago Mosquera 14 MF David Silva 15 DF Deiver Machado 16 FW Ayron del Valle 17 MF Henry Rojas

No. Position Player 18 MF Rafael Carrascal 19 DF Pedro Franco (on loan from Beşiktaş) 20 DF Héctor Quiñones 21 FW Andrés Ramiro Escobar (on loan from Dynamo Kyiv) 22 MF Yulián Mejía 23 DF Lewis Ochoa 24 FW Jefferson Tarifa 25 FW Enzo Gutiérrez 26 FW Dairon Asprilla (on loan from Portland Timbers) 27 GK Nicolás Vikonis 28 DF Stiven Vega 29 DF Carlos Henao 30 MF Hárrison Henao 32 MF Alexis Hinestroza -- DF Breiner Paz

Out of loan

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

No. Position Player – MF Yhonny Ramírez (on loan at Junior)

No. Position Player – FW Cristhian Alarcón (on loan at Atlético Huila)

Records

Most capped players Categoría Primera A (1948-2016)

(Last updated on: 27 November 2016)

R	Player	P	Career	App.
1	Bonner Mosquera	MF	1990–2001, 2002–2006	496
2	Alejandro Brand	MF	1969–1978, 1981–1982	385
3	Julio Edgar Gaviria	DF	1968–1977	382
4	Euclides "Tizon" González	DF	1971–1981	369
5	Alonso "Pocillo" Lopez	DF	1974–1980, 1982–1985	348
6	Rafael Robayo	MF	2005–11, 2012–Present	347
7	Arnoldo Iguarán	FW	1983–1991, 1993–1995	344
8	Miguel "El Nano" Prince	DF	1980-1988	324
9	Germán Gutiérrez de Piñeres	DF	1978-1990	315
10	Arturo Segovia	DF	1972–1979	309
11	Willington Ortiz	FW	1972–1979	306
12	Gabriel Hernández	DF	1966–1974	297
13	Francisco Zuluaga	DF	1948–1960	290
14	Oscar Cortés	DF	1990–2001	279
15	Oscar Roberto Villano	DF	1967–1973	277
16	Jaime Rodríguez	DF	1974–1982	276
17	Ricardo Díaz	MF	1958–1966	266
18	Jaime Morón	FW	1971–1974, 1977-1982	253
19	Germán Morales	MF	1966–1974	250
20	Jorge Abraham Amado	MF	1975–1980	245
21	Marino Klinger	FW	1957–1966	245
22	Cerveleón Cuesta	DF	1985–1993	236
23	Eduardo Pimentel	MF	1982-1983, 1985–1989	236
24	Héctor Walter Burguez	GK	1966–1974	235
25	Omar Yesid Mosquera	MF	1989-1998	230
26	Hugo Galeano	DF	1985-1991, 1993	224
27	Mayer Candelo	MF	2002-2003, 2011-2015	223
28	Juanito Moreno	FW	1974, 1976-1978, 1980-1983, 1984-1985	223
29	Andrés Eduardo Pérez	MF	1999-2004, 2007-2008	222
30	José Eugenio Hernández	MF	1978-1986	215
31	Freddy León	FW	1990-1995, 1999	214
32	Oscar Eduardo Juárez	FW	1986-1991	211
33	John Jairo Díaz	DF	1987, 1989-1995	203
34	Senén Mosquera	GK	1961-1969, 1972-1973	202
35	Oscar Ortega	MF	1975-1979	200
36	Pablo Centurión	GK	1958-1963	199
37	Lewis Ochoa	DF	2011-Present	187
38	Javier Martínez	DF	1996-2001, 2004	187
39	Carlos Rendón	MF	1988-1995	187
40	Marcio Cruz	FW	1995-1998, 2000-2002	185
41	Alex Daza	FW	1995-1999	185
42	Eddy Villarraga	GK	1990, 1992-1997	181
43	Alfredo Castillo	FW	1948-1957	180
44	Hernando García	DF	1984-1989	178
45	Delio Gamboa	MF	1961-1965, 1973	178
46	Finot Castaño	DF	1963-1970	172
47	Rubén Darío Hernández	FW	1984-1990	170
48	Fernando "Bombillo" Castro	DF	1966-1971	169
49	Luis Alberto Rubio	MF	1955-1963	167
50	Orlando Larraz	FW	1958-1963	167
51	Hermenegildo Segrera	MF	1971-1974	166
52	Hernando González	MF	1951-1961	164
53	Luis Eduardo Zapata	DF	2001-2004, 2005-2008	163
54	Osman López	DF	1992, 1994-1998	163
55	Flaminio Rivas	DF	1994-1998	163
56	Alberto Vivalda	GK	1982-1985	162
57	Wilman Conde	DF	1982, 1987-1991	158
58	Otoniel Quintana	GK	1967-1973	156
59	Oscar "Pacho" García	MF	1968-1971	156
60	Miguel Angel Converti	FW	1975-1977	154
61	Jaime Suárez	DF	1997-2002	153
62	Jhon Mario Ramírez	MF	1992-1998 y 2001	153
63	Raúl Ramírez Gacha	MF	1994-2000	153
64	José Oscar Jamardo	MF	1961-1964	152
65	Juan Ramírez Gallego	DF	1958-1962	150
66	Edison Domínguez	DF	1993-1996	149
67	Hernando Moyano	MF	1954-1961	146
68	Elkin Blanco	MF	2009-2014, 2015-2016	145
69	Luis Hernán Mosquera	DF	2009-2015	143
70	Ricardo Pérez	FW	1992-1993,1996-1997,2003,2004,2005-2006	142

Top Scorers Categoría Primera A (1948-2016)

(Last updated on: 19 November 2016)

R	Player	P	Career	Goals
1	Alfredo Castillo	FW	1948–1957	133
2	Arnoldo Iguarán	FW	1983–1991, 1993–1995	121
3	Marino Klinger	FW	1957–1966	96
4	Alejandro Brand	MF	1969–1978, 1981–1982	91
5	Alfredo Di Stéfano	FW	1949–1952	90
6	Willington Ortiz	FW	1972–1979	90
7	José María Ferrero	FW	1967–1969	85
8	Miguel Ángel Converti	FW	1975–1977	85
9	Juan José Irigoyen	FW	1977–1979	81
10	Jaime Morón	FW	1971–1974, 1977–1982	81
11	Oscar Juárez	FW	1986-1991	75
12	Delio Gamboa	MF	1961-1965, 1973	68
13	Carlos Rendón	MF	1988-1995	64
14	Rubén Antonio Pizarro	FW	1960-1965	59
15	Pedro Cabillón	FW	1948-1951	57
16	Freddy León	FW	1990-1995	55
17	Carlos Castro	FW	2000-2001	53
18	Orlando Larraz	FW	1958-1963	50
19	Carlos Enrique Estrada	FW	1987-1989	49
20	Ricardo Pérez	FW	1992-1993,1996,2003,2004-2006	47
21	Juan Gilberto Funes	FW	1984-1986	45
22	Eduardo Texeira Lima	FW	1965-1967, 1969	45
23	Silvio Farías	FW	1964-1965	43
24	Apolinar Paniagua	FW	1972-1973	41
25	Antonio Báez	MF	1951-1952	36
26	Adolfo Pedernera	MF	1949-1954	33
27	Fernando José Areán	FW	1967-1968, 1969-1970	33
28	Alejandro Barberón	FW	1982-1983	32
29	Rafael Robayo	MF	2005-2011, 2012-Present	32
30	Dayro Moreno	FW	2013-2014	29

Most capped players Copa Colombia (2008-2016)

(Last updated on: 23 November 2016)

1	Rafael Robayo	MF	2008-2011, 2012-Present	55
2	Luis Delgado	GK	2010-2015	54
3	Elkin Blanco	MF	2009-2014, 2015-2016	53
4	Luis Hernán Mosquera	DF	2009-2015	45
5	Oswaldo Henríquez	DF	2008-2012, 2014-2015	41
6	Lewis Ochoa	DF	2011-Present	36
7	Omar Vásquez	MF	2008-2012, 2014-2015	36
8	Erik Moreno	FW	2010-2013	35
9	Alex Díaz	DF	2008-2011, 2012-2015	34
10	Mayer Candelo	MF	2011-2015	30
11	José Mera	DF	2009-2011	28
12	Juan Esteban Ortiz	MF	2011-2014	27
13	Pedro Franco	DF	2009-2013, 2016-Present	26
14	Ervin González	FW	2008, 2010-2011	25
15	Edier Tello	FW	2009-2010, 2015	21
16	Yuber Asprilla	FW	2010-2014	21
17	Leonard Vásquez	DF	2010-2014	21
18	Dahwling Leudo	MF	2013-2014	21
19	José Luis Tancredi	MF	2011-2013	20
20	Cristhian Alarcón	FW	2011-2014	19
21	Yoiver González	DF	2008-2010, 2013 y 2015	18
22	Andrés Cadavid	DF	2013-Present	17
23	Jonathan Agudelo	FW	2013-2016	16
24	Jarol Martínez	DF	2011-2013	16
25	Carlos Padilla López	MF	2012-2014	15
26	Leonardo Castro	FW	2008-2009,2012	15
27	Jonathan Estrada	MF	2008-209, 2019, 2016-Present	14
28	Jefferson Herrera	DF	2011-2015	13
29	Harrison Otálvaro	MF	2012-2014, 2015	13
30	Daniel Mauricio Torres	MF	2012-2015	12

Top Scorers Copa Colombia (2008-2016)

(Last updated on: 24 November 2016)

R	Player	P	Career	Goals
1	Erick Moreno	FW	2010-2013	12
2	Yovanny Arrechea	FW	2010	11
3	Jonathan Estrada	MF	2008-2009,2010,2016-Present	7
4	Wason Rentería	FW	2013	7
5	Edison Toloza	FW	2011	7
6	Rafael Robayo	MF	2008-2011,2012-Present	6
7	Mayer Candelo	MF	2011-2015	6
8	Yuber Asprilla	FW	2010-2014	6
9	Omar Andrés Rodríguez	MF	2010-2011	6
10	Dayro Moreno	FW	2013-2014	5
11	José Luis Tancredi	MF	2011-2013	5
12	Luis Hernán Mosquera	DF	2009-2015	4
13	Jefferson Angulo	MF	2011	4
14	Ervin González	FW	2008, 2010-2011	4
15	Pedro Franco	DF	2009-2013,2016-Present	3
16	Víctor Salazar	FW	2009-2011,2014-2015	3
17	Cristhian Alarcón	MF	2011-2014	3
18	Matías Urbano	FW	2012	3
19	Jefferson Angulo	MF	2011	3
20	Carmelo Valencia	FW	2009	3

Notable Foreign Players

Other Prominent Foreign Players

Managers

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Club Deportivo Los Millonarios.

• Millonarios official website
• Millonarios non-official website
• Dimayor profile of the team