Sporting Cristal facts for kids
.svg) |
||||
| Full name | Club Sporting Cristal S. A. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Los Cerveceros Los Rimenses Los Celestes La Fuerza Vencedora Los Pavos |
|||
| Founded | 13 December 1955 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Alberto Gallardo | |||
| Capacity | 11,600 | |||
| Owner | Innova Sports | |||
| President | Joel Raffo | |||
| Manager | Paulo Autuori | |||
| League | Liga 1 | |||
| 2024 | Liga 1, 2nd of 18 | |||
|
||||
Sporting Cristal is a famous Peruvian sports club from Lima. It's most known for its exciting football (soccer) team. The club was started on December 13, 1955, in the Rímac area by Richard Bentín Mujica and his wife Esther Grande de Bentín. They were owners of the Peruvian brewery Backus and Johnston. Because of this strong connection, the team is often called los Cerveceros, which means "the brewers."
The team has played in the top Peruvian football league, the Peruvian Primera División, since 1956. They even won the championship in their very first year! This is why some people call them "El club que nació campeón" (the club born a champion). Sporting Cristal has won the league title 19 times. They are one of the few teams in Peru that have never been moved down to a lower division.
Sporting Cristal was also the first Peruvian team to win three championships in a row, from 1994 to 1996. In 1997, they almost won the Copa Libertadores, a huge South American tournament, but they lost in the final to the Brazilian team Cruzeiro. Cristal holds a record for the longest unbeaten streak in the Copa Libertadores, going 17 games without a loss.
The club has a big rivalry with Universitario de Deportes. This rivalry grew because some of Universitario's best players moved to Sporting Cristal. They also have rivalries with Alianza Lima, Deportivo Municipal, and Sport Boys.
Sporting Cristal plays its home games at the Estadio Alberto Gallardo. For big international matches like the Libertadores or Sudamericana, they play at the Estadio Nacional. The Estadio Nacional is also used for games against Universitario and Alianza Lima. Besides football, Sporting Cristal also has teams for Esports, futsal, women's football, and volleyball.
Contents
Club History
Richard Bentín Mujica, with help from his wife, wanted to create a strong football club. They bought a team called Sporting Tabaco, which was struggling financially. This team was from the Rímac area and played in the professional Peruvian First Division. Bentín wanted to improve the club and find a better place for them to play. They found a large piece of land in the La Florida neighborhood.
On December 13, 1955, the club was officially founded as Sporting Cristal. It was named after Backus brewery's most famous beer, Cristal. The new club started playing in the top division in 1956 and won their first national title that same year. This led journalists to call them "the club born a champion." Over the years, the team won many more titles and became known as one of the best football clubs in Peru, alongside Universitario and Alianza Lima.
Even before Sporting Cristal was officially formed, some people were against the idea of a team being owned by a private company. The Peruvian Football Federation even tried to stop Cristal from playing, saying clubs shouldn't be used for advertising. They also said clubs should be named after national heroes or places. This argument continued until 1968, when the word "Backus" was removed from the club's name.
.png)
As champions in 1956 and 1961, Cristal was invited to tour the world in 1962. This was the first time a Peruvian champion team went on such a tour. They played 30 matches in two months across the United States, Asia, and Spain. They won 20 games, drew 7, and lost only 3. The star of this tour was Alberto Gallardo, who scored 37 goals.
In 1962, the club signed the famous Brazilian player Didí, who had just won the 1962 World Cup. Didí became the team's coach and brought Brazil's attacking style of play to Cristal. His team played exciting football, but they finished second in 1962 and 1963. Didí returned as coach in 1967 and again finished second. However, in 1968, Sporting Cristal won the championship after a special playoff game against Juan Aurich, with two goals from Alberto Gallardo.
Cristal also became known for its international games. Between 1962 and 1969, Sporting Cristal had an amazing 17-game unbeaten streak in the Copa Libertadores, which is still the longest in the tournament's history. They won 8 games and drew 9 during this time.
New titles came in the following years, including one in 1970. In this year, they won the championship after a tough competition with Universitario de Deportes. Sporting Cristal had the best performance in the final stage of the tournament.
Sporting Cristal changed its main shirt color from blue to light blue, which is why they are known as "Los Celestes" (The Sky Blues). They briefly used blue shirts again between 1978 and 1981, but returned to light blue in 1982.
The 1990s were the club's most successful time. They won four national titles, including three in a row (1994, 1995, 1996) under coach Juan Carlos Oblitas and then Sergio Markarián. In 1997, led by Uruguayan coach Sergio Markarián, the team reached the finals of the Copa Libertadores. They drew the first game at home but lost the second game 1-0. This was the closest a Peruvian team had come to winning the Copa Libertadores since 1972.
Cristal stayed at the top of the national league for most of the 2000s. They qualified for the Copa Libertadores eight years in a row from 2000 to 2007. They won two titles during this decade, in 2002 and 2005, with great players like Sergio Leal, Jorge Soto, and Luis Alberto Bonnet. In 2007, they almost faced relegation, but they bounced back in 2008 and qualified for the Copa Libertadores again.
After a seven-year wait, Sporting Cristal became national champions again in 2012, beating Real Garcilaso in the finals. They played in the 2013 Copa Libertadores but didn't make it past the group stage. In 2018, they achieved another historic feat, becoming the best Peruvian team in the all-time professional league table (1966-2018), surpassing Universitario.
In the 2020 season, after a difficult start, Roberto Mosquera returned as coach. Sporting Cristal won their group in the Clausura Tournament and reached the national final. They beat Universitario with a total score of 3-2 to win their twentieth title.
Home Stadium
Sporting Cristal plays its home games at the Estadio Alberto Gallardo. This stadium is located in the San Martín de Porres district of Lima, right next to the Rimac River. It was first opened on June 9, 1961, and was called "Estadio Fray Martín de Porres." On May 19, 2012, the stadium was renamed "Estadio Alberto Gallardo" to honor the famous former player and coach Alberto Gallardo. Sometimes, the club also plays at the Estadio Nacional del Perú for bigger matches.
Supporters
Sporting Cristal has several fan groups, known as ultras or barra bravas. The main groups are Extremo Celeste, Fverza Oriente, and Gvardia Xtrema.
Fverza Oriente was the first fan group for Cristal, started in 1975. They usually sit in the eastern part of the stadium. Extremo Celeste was formed in 1991 by younger fans from Fuerza Oriente who wanted a new, energetic group. Extremo Celeste has grown to be one of the biggest fan groups in Peru. In 2007, a third smaller group, Gvardia Xtrema, was created for fans in the western part of the stadium. Sporting Cristal has supporters in every section of the Estadio Alberto Gallardo.
Team Rivalries
Sporting Cristal has long-standing rivalries with Universitario and Alianza Lima. These three teams are considered the biggest in Peruvian football. Games between them are called classics and are usually the most exciting matches of the season. Cristal also has rivalries with Deportivo Municipal and Sport Boys.
Sporting Cristal is known for playing a colorful and attacking style of football. Alianza Lima also plays an offensive game, so matches between these two teams are often very entertaining and close. They have played against each other for championships many times. In 1961, Sporting Cristal beat Alianza 2-0 to win the title. A memorable final was in 2018, when Cristal won with a huge total score of 7-1 over two games, which was the biggest final win in Peruvian football history. The last national championship they played against each other was in 2021.
Sporting Cristal's biggest win against Alianza Lima was 5-0 in 1960. Their biggest loss to Alianza was also 5-0 in 2004, though Cristal played with a different team that day. In 1987, Sporting Cristal had its biggest away win against Alianza, beating them 4-0. In the Copa Libertadores, Cristal won 3-0 against Alianza in 1995, but lost 4-1 in 1978.
The matches between Sporting Cristal and Universitario de Deportes are also very important. These two clubs have won the most titles since the Peruvian Primera División started in 1966. This close competition has created a strong rivalry, sometimes called the Modern Classic of Peruvian Football.
Current Players
|
|
Club Achievements
Sporting Cristal has won many titles throughout its history. Here are some of their most important achievements:
Major Titles
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) |
Primera División | 20 | 15 | 1956, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 | 1962, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2021, 2024 |
| National (Cups) |
Copa Bicentenario | 1 | — |
2021
|
— |
| International (Cups) |
Copa Libertadores | — | 1 | — |
1997
|
Youth Team Success
Sporting Cristal also has a strong youth academy. Their reserve team has won the Torneo de Promoción y Reserva four times.
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) |
Torneo de Promoción y Reserva | 4 | 1 | 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023 | 2017 |
International Competitions
Sporting Cristal has played in many South American tournaments.
- Copa Libertadores: They have appeared 40 times in this major tournament.
-
- They were runners-up once in 1997.
- They reached the Quarter-finals twice: 1993 and 1995.
- Copa Sudamericana: They have played in this tournament 4 times.
-
- They reached the Round of 16 in 2019 and the Quarter-finals in 2021.
Other Sports Teams
Sporting Cristal is not just about men's football! They also have successful teams in other sports.
Women’s Football
The women's football team has won the Liga Femenina twice. They also won the Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol Femenino in 2000.
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) |
Liga Femenina | 2 | 1 | 1998, 1999 | 1997 |
| International (Cup) |
Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol Femenino | 1 | — | 2000 | — |
Women's Volleyball
The women's volleyball team has also competed at a high level, reaching the finals of the Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol in 2013–14.
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) |
Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol | — | 1 | — | 2013–14 |
See also
In Spanish: Club Sporting Cristal para niños
