Millonarios F.C. facts for kids

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Millonarios

Full name	Azul y Blanco Millonarios Fútbol Club S.A.
Nickname(s)	Millos Embajadores (The Ambassadors) El Ballet Azul (The Blue Ballet) Los Azules (The Blues) Los Albiazules (The White-Blues) El famoso Millos (The famous Millos)
Short name	Millos
Founded	29 November 1937; 87 years ago (1937-11-29)
Ground	Estadio El Campín
Ground Capacity	36,343
Owner	Amber Capital (85.48%) 200 minor shareholders (14.52%)
Chairman	Enrique Camacho Matamoros
Manager	Alberto Gamero
League	Categoría Primera A
2023	Primera A, 2nd of 20 (Apertura champions)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Millonarios Fútbol Club, often just called Millonarios, is a professional football team from Bogotá, Colombia. They play in the top football league in Colombia, called the Categoría Primera A.

Millonarios is one of the most famous and successful football clubs in Colombia. It's also one of the biggest sports teams in the country and important in South America. The team started in the 1920s. In 1937, it began to be called "Los Millonarios" when its name was Club Deportivo Municipal. The club was officially founded on 18 June 1946, as Club Deportivo Los Millonarios. Later, on 20 April 2011, it became Millonarios Fútbol Club, a public company. Since 1938, the team has played its home games at Estadio El Campín, which can hold 36,343 fans.

Millonarios has played in the Categoría Primera A since it began in 1948. They are one of only three teams to have played in every single tournament. Millonarios has big rivalries. They play against Independiente Santa Fe in the Clásico Capitalino (Capital Classic). They also have rivalries with Atlético Nacional (the Clásico Colombiano), Deportivo Cali (the Clásico Añejo), and América de Cali (the Clásico de las Estrellas).

Millonarios won its first league title in 1949. Soon after, they formed a famous team known as the "Ballet Azul" (Blue Ballet). This team was known worldwide in the early 1950s. Many experts thought they were the best team in the world because they won many important games and international titles. Alfredo Di Stéfano, one of the greatest footballers ever, played for Millonarios from 1949 to 1953. During this time, Millonarios won the Copa Colombia in 1951 and the Colombian league in 1949, 1951, and 1952.

Some of their big wins include the first Small Club World Cup in 1953. They also won the Golden Wedding Championship against Real Madrid in 1952 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. They also won the Duelo de Campeones Trophies in 1950 and 1951. Because they represented Colombia in these tournaments, the club earned the nickname "Ambassador."

Millonarios is the second most successful team in Colombian football. They have won 23 official titles, including national and international championships. They have won 16 titles in the local Colombian League, 3 Colombian Cup titles, and 2 Colombian Super Cup titles. They also won the Small Club World Cup in 1953, the Copa Simón Bolívar in 1972, and the last Copa Merconorte in 2001.

The IFFHS says Millonarios was the fourth-best Colombian club of the 20th century. They were also the ninth-best Colombian club of the 21st century. Millonarios is the only Colombian team on lists of the best football clubs ever made by major international sports news. CONMEBOL ranks Millonarios as the third-best Colombian club in international tournaments. FIFA recognizes them as one of the Classic Clubs of the World. FIFA also named them the First Ambassador of Colombian Football.

Club History: How Millonarios Began

Forming the Team

The Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, where Millonarios was born.

In 1937, a group of students from the Catholic school Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé in Bolivar Square, Bogotá, decided to start a football team. They wanted to play against other teams in the city. Their first games were played on the school's land. The young players thought about naming the team "Unión Juventud" or "Unión Bogotana." As they became popular, they used both names. Eventually, they chose "Juventud Bogotana."

Within a year, the team became very popular because they won many games. The players, led by Ignacio "Nacho" Izquierdo, were chosen to be Colombia's first national team. They played in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama City and won a bronze medal. When they came back, Izquierdo gathered the players again for the Bolivarian Games in Bogotá. They represented Colombia once more. The government hired Fernando Paternoster, a former Argentine national team player, to coach them. The team also got support from the city and was bought by the Municipal Government and Council of Bogotá. They were then called Club Municipal de Deportes. They became Bogotá's official team and used the city's black and white colors and crest.

Later, the city stopped helping them financially. New managers, Manuel Briceño Pardo, Antonio José Vargas, and Alberto Lega, took over. They brought in five Argentine players. Without official support, the team changed its name many times. The press just called them the Bogotá team. On 28 January 1939, they played their first game with three Argentine players against the Antioquia team. They won 5–4. This was a big moment because it was the first time a Bogotá team played with foreign players. In 1946, the team joined with Club Deportivo Municipal and became Club Deportivo Los Millonarios.

The Name "Los Millonarios" is Born

In 1939, the nickname "Los Millonarios" (The Millionaires) started. Vicente Lucífero, an Argentine player, asked for high payments for all players, including Colombians. Luis Camacho Montoya, a sports writer for El Tiempo newspaper, criticized the team. He called the team's leaders "new rich" and "Los Millonarios" because they spent a lot of money on foreign players.

Montoya wrote, "The Argentines are very demanding; they will charge this and that amount. This is a club of millionaires; the Municipalists are now millionaires." This is how the nickname began. People started calling the team "Los Millonarios" more than its official name. Seven years earlier, in 1932, the Argentine club River Plate also got the same nickname for signing expensive players.

On 13 August 1939, the team officially adopted the name "Los Millonarios." In their first game with the new name, they beat Deportivo Barranquilla 6–0. They also debuted their current blue uniform with grey socks. This uniform was copied from the Argentine team Tigre. Later, the shorts were changed to white and the socks to blue, making it the team's official uniform.

The first team called Millonarios included: Carlos Álvarez, Antenor Rodríguez, Ignacio "Nacho" Izquierdo, Alfredo Cuezzo, Alfonso "Che" Piedrahíta, Óscar Sabransky, Vicente Lucífero, Antonio Ruiz Díaz, Luis Timón, José Antonio "Mico" Zapata, and Antonio Martínez.

Since its start, Millonarios became one of Colombia's most important teams. They won titles in amateur leagues, international games, and tours. They were a favorite to win the first Colombian Professional Football Championship in 1948. In 1940, Millonarios won the second-tier tournament in the Cundinamarca football league. They then moved up to the first category and won four titles between 1941 and 1945.

The Famous Ballet Azul Era

Millonarios got a big boost from a players' strike in Argentina in 1948. Many Argentine players came to Colombia. The next year, Millonarios won its first league title.

The club's most successful time was in the early 1950s, thanks to many talented Argentine players. This team was known as The Blue Ballet. It had amazing players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Adolfo Pedernera, Néstor Rossi, Julio Cozzi, and others, mostly from River Plate. Because of their great football, many news outlets in South America and Europe called Millonarios the best team in the world in the early 1950s. In March 1952, Millonarios traveled to Spain and beat Real Madrid 4–2 at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. They won three league titles in a row from 1951 to 1953, which is called a "tricampeonato." They also won the Copa Colombia in 1952.

In 1951, FIFA suspended Colombia because teams signed international players without proper transfers. Teams had to send these players back. This meant Alfredo Di Stéfano left in February 1953. He was wanted by Barcelona and Real Madrid, with Real Madrid winning the bid. The Colombia national team was also banned from the 1954 FIFA World Cup for the same reason.

Winning the Small Club World Cup

In 1952, some Venezuelan sports leaders created the Small Club World Cup. This was a friendly tournament for top European and South American teams. Millonarios was invited in 1952 and 1953. In 1952, they finished behind Real Madrid and Brazilian Botafogo.

In 1953, Millonarios won the tournament without losing a game! They finished above River Plate (Argentina), Rapid Wien (Austria), and Espanyol (Spain). Many people see this friendly tournament as an early version of the Intercontinental Cup, which is now the FIFA Club World Cup.

After the Ballet Azul Era

After their 1953 title, the team's performance in the local league went down. They had to sell their foreign players and use mostly young players. In 1957, they finished last. However, the next season, Millonarios finished second, just one point behind rivals Santa Fe.

Success in the 1960s and 70s

Millonarios won their fifth league title in 1959. This started another great period in the 1960s, where they won four titles in a row from 1961 to 1964. In the 1970s, the team won the league in 1972 and 1978. They also came very close to winning many times, finishing second in 1973 and 1975, and third in 1974, 1976, and 1977.

The 1980s: More Titles

Millonarios won two more league titles in the 1980s: 1987 and 1988. Star players like Arnoldo Iguarán, Mario Vanemerak, and Carlos Estrada helped them win. The 1988 title was their last league title for 23 years.

The 1990s: Close Calls

This was the only decade where Millonarios did not win any major titles. However, they finished second in the league twice. In 1994, Atlético Nacional won the title from them on bonus points. In the 1995–96 season, Deportivo Cali also beat them to the title on bonus points. In 1999, Millonarios had a great season, going 29 matches undefeated. But they lost in the playoffs and didn't reach the final.

The 2000s: Copa Merconorte Victory

In 2001, Millonarios won the Copa Merconorte. They beat Mexican club Necaxa in the semi-finals. In the finals, they beat Ecuadorian team Emelec in a penalty shootout after both games were draws.

The team improved when Juan Carlos Osorio became manager in 2006. He led the club to the playoffs. In July 2007, Osorio left. Mario Vanemerak became the new manager. Under him, Millonarios started to shine again, especially in the 2007 Copa Sudamericana. They beat strong teams like Nacional and Brazilian champions São Paulo. Millonarios was eventually knocked out by Mexican side Club América.

After Millonarios didn't make the playoffs in 2008, Vanemerak was replaced by Óscar Quintabani. But results didn't get much better, and the club missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.

The 2010s: Ending the Title Drought

Millonarios had financial problems and hadn't won a major title in a long time. They also hadn't made the playoffs in seven seasons. So, the club went through a bankruptcy process. A group of about 4,000 fans, called Azul & Blanco S.A., bought the club. This also brought a new playing style with coach Richard Páez.

Páez led the club to the semi-finals in 2011. In the 2011 Copa Colombia, Millonarios had a great run. They won both games against Boyacá Chicó in the finals. This win ended their 23-year title drought and earned them a spot in the 2012 Copa Sudamericana.

In June 2012, Hernán Torres became the new coach. In the Copa Sudamericana, the team did very well, reaching the semi-finals. They beat strong Brazilian teams like Palmeiras and Grêmio. They were eventually knocked out by Argentine club Tigre. This was a good result after an embarrassing 8–0 loss to Real Madrid in a friendly game.

Despite the Copa Sudamericana loss, the team played great in the 2012 Finalización. They were the best team in the regular season. After tough playoff matches, they reached the finals against Independiente Medellín. The first game was a 0–0 draw. The second game on 16 December 2012, was a 1–1 draw. The game went to a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Luis Delgado saved a penalty, and Millonarios won 5–4. This gave them their fourteenth championship, their first league title in about 24 years!

Millonarios team before the 2017 Finalización final.

As the 2012 Finalización champion, Millonarios played in the 2013 Copa Libertadores. However, they didn't do well, finishing last in their group.

In the 2017 Finalización, Millonarios won their fifteenth league title. They beat their city rivals Santa Fe in the final with a 3–2 total score. After that, they won their first Superliga Colombiana title in 2018, beating Atlético Nacional. The manager for both titles was Argentine Miguel Ángel Russo.

The 2020s: The Alberto Gamero Era

After the 2019 season, manager Jorge Luis Pinto left. Former player Alberto Gamero became the new manager for the 2020 season. Gamero's first season wasn't great. The team didn't make the league knockout stage. They won a smaller tournament but still missed out on qualifying for the 2021 Copa Sudamericana.

In 2021, things got much better for Gamero and Millonarios, even though they didn't win the title. In the 2021 Apertura, they reached the finals but lost to Deportes Tolima. In the 2022 season, Millonarios didn't reach the finals of either tournament. However, they won their first title with Gamero as manager, beating Junior in the Copa Colombia finals.

Millonarios won its sixteenth league title in the 2023 Apertura tournament. They finished second in the first stage. In the semi-final group, they won against América de Cali, Boyacá Chicó, and Independiente Medellín. In the finals, they faced Atlético Nacional. Both games were draws (0–0 and 1–1). Millonarios won the penalty shootout 3–2, claiming the league championship!

Team Rivalries

Millonarios has many rivalries with other teams. Their biggest rivalry is with local team Independiente Santa Fe. This game is called El Clásico Capitalino (The Capital Classic). It's the only local derby that has been played every season since Colombian professional football began in 1948. On September 16, 2007, Millonarios got its 100th win against Santa Fe. The score was 1–0. Currently, Millonarios has 125 wins compared to Santa Fe's 90.

From March 2015 to March 2017, Millonarios went nine games without losing to Santa Fe. They had three draws and six wins. A big win was in 2015 when Millonarios knocked Santa Fe out of the playoffs with a 3–1 score.

On 19 March 2017, Millonarios ended Santa Fe's 22-game unbeaten streak, winning 3–0. On 13 December of the same year, the Embajador team and the Cardenal (Santa Fe's nickname) met in the final of the 2017 Finalización. Millonarios won the first game 1–0. In the second game, Millonarios came back twice to win 3–2 overall, earning their 15th league championship.

Millonarios also has strong rivalries with Atlético Nacional, América de Cali, and Deportivo Cali. The rivalry with Atlético Nacional is often called the most important match in Colombian football because both clubs have won the most titles in the country.

Club Achievements

•      record
• ^s shared record

Second Place Finishes

• Categoría Primera A
  • Runners-up (10): 1950, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1995–96, 2021–I

• Copa Colombia
  • Runners-up (1): 2013
• Superliga Colombiana
  • Runners-up (1): 2013
• Copa Merconorte
  • Runners-up (1): 2000

Millonarios in International Competitions

Millonarios has played in many international tournaments organized by CONMEBOL, the South American football confederation.

• Copa Libertadores: 19 appearances

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

• Copa Sudamericana: 6 appearances

2004: Preliminary Round

2007: Semi-finals

2012: Semi-finals

2014: First Round

2018: Round of 16

2020: Second stage

2023: Group stage

• Copa Merconorte: 4 appearances

1998: Semi-finals

1999: Group Stage

2000: Finalist

2001: Champion

Team Players

Current First-Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Iván Arboleda 3 DF Omar Bertel 4 DF Juan Vargas 5 MF Larry Vásquez 6 DF Sergio Mosquera 7 MF Felix Charrupi 8 MF Daniel Giraldo 9 FW Radamel Falcao 10 MF Daniel Cataño 11 MF Daniel Mantilla (on loan from Deportivo Cali) 12 GK Diego Novoa 13 MF Juan David Ramírez 14 MF David Silva (captain) 15 FW Jhon Córdoba (on loan from Malacateco) 16 FW Jader Valencia 17 DF Jorge Arias 18 MF Daniel Ruiz 20 DF Danovis Banguero

No. Position Player 21 MF Juan Carlos Pereira 22 DF Delvin Alfonzo 23 FW Leonardo Castro 24 MF Jovani Welch (on loan from Alianza) 25 FW Luis Paredes 26 DF Andrés Llinás 28 DF Stiven Vega 29 DF Alex Moreno 30 DF Ricardo Rosales 31 GK Álvaro Montero 32 FW Santiago Giordana 33 MF Nicolás Arévalo 34 DF Sander Navarro 35 FW Ramiro Brochero 36 DF Samuel Asprilla 37 DF Jhoan Hernandez 40 FW Neiser Villareal 42 FW Jhon Largacha 77 FW Kevin Palacios (on loan from Fortaleza)

Players on Loan

No. Position Player MF Sebastián Navarro (at Fortaleza C.E.I.F.) FW Diego Abadía (at Fortaleza C.E.I.F.)

World Cup Players from Millonarios

These players were part of their country's FIFA World Cup team while playing for Millonarios:

• Carlos Arango (1962)
• Delio Gamboa (1962)
• Marino Klinger (1962)
• José Van Tuyne (1982)
• Marcelo Trobbiani (1986)
• Sergio Goycochea (1990)
• Carlos Estrada (1990)
• Rubén Darío Hernández (1990)
• Arnoldo Iguarán (1990)
• Óscar Cortés (1994)
• Wilmer Cabrera (1998)
• Juan Pablo Vargas (2022)

Club Records

Most Games Played

Source: BDFA

R	Player	P	Career	App.
1	Bonner Mosquera	MF	1990–2001, 2002–2006	550
2	Alejandro Brand	FW	1969–1978, 1981–1982	385
3	Julio Edgar Gaviria	DF	1968–1977	382
4	Euclides "Tizon" González	DF	1971–1981	371
5	Rafael Robayo	MF	2005–2011, 2012–2016	360
6	Arnoldo Iguarán	FW	1983–1991, 1993–1995	336
7	Alonso "Pocillo" Lopez	DF	1974–1980, 1982–1985	335
8	Willington Ortiz	FW	1972–1979	328
9	Miguel "El Nano" Prince	DF	1989–1998	321
10	Arturo Segovia	DF	1972–1979	316

Last updated on: 3 October 2018

Top Goal Scorers

Source: BDFA

R	Player	P	Career	Goals
1	Alfredo Castillo	FW	1948–1957	131
2	Arnoldo Iguarán	FW	1983–1991, 1993–1995	120
3	Marino Klinger	FW	1957–1966	99
4	Willington Ortiz	FW	1972–1979	96
5	Alejandro Brand	FW	1969–1978, 1981–1982	91
6	Alfredo Di Stéfano	FW	1949–1953	88
7	Miguel Ángel Converti	FW	1975–1977	85
8	José María Ferrero	FW	1967–1969	85
9	Juan José Irigoyen	FW	1977–1979	81
10	Jaime Morón	FW	1971–1974, 1977–1982	80

Last updated on: 3 October 2018

Club Managers

Affiliated Teams

Millonarios is part of a larger group of football clubs owned by Joseph Marie Oughourlian through his investment groups.

Clubs with Shared Ownership

Men's Teams		Women's Teams
Millonarios	(2014–Present)	Millonarios Femenino	(2018–Present)
Lens	(2016–Present)	Lens Féminines	(2020–present)
Padova	(2017–Present)	Padova Femminile	(2020–Present)
Real Zaragoza	(2022–Present)

Influence on Other Clubs

• Millonario del Rímac: This club was founded in December 1957 after Millonarios toured Peru. It was named after Millonarios.

Club Friendships

• River Plate: In the early days of Colombian football, Millonarios (then Club Deportivo Municipal) started bringing in Argentine players. This led to them being nicknamed "Los Millonarios." Later, the club officially adopted this name. Millonarios continued to sign many players from River Plate, creating a strong bond between the clubs. Famous player transfers include Néstor Rossi (from River to Millonarios) and Juan Gilberto Funes (from Millonarios to River).
• Real Madrid: Millonarios and Real Madrid have played 7 friendly matches. Millonarios has won 3, there have been 3 draws, and Real Madrid has won only one. Millonarios is known as the only foreign club to beat Real Madrid's first "golden generation." Also, the transfer of Alfredo Di Stéfano, one of the best players ever, happened between these two clubs.

See also

In Spanish: Millonarios Fútbol Club para niños