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)

Founded

29 November 1937; 87 years ago

Ground

Estadio El Campín

Capacity

36,343

Owner

Amber Capital (85.48%)
200 minor shareholders (14.52%)

Chairman

Enrique Camacho Matamoros

Manager

David González

League

Categoría Primera A

2023

Primera A, 2nd of 20 (Apertura champions)

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

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

Millonarios is one of the most successful and well-known clubs in Colombia. It is also one of the biggest sports teams in the country and important in South America. The team started in the 1920s. It began to be called Los Millonarios in 1937. The club was officially founded on June 18, 1946, as Club Deportivo Los Millonarios. Later, on April 20, 2011, it became Millonarios Fútbol Club. Since 1938, the team has played its home games at Estadio El Campín. This stadium can hold 36,343 fans.

Millonarios has played in the Categoría Primera A since it began in 1948. It is one of only three teams to have played in every tournament. The other two are Independiente Santa Fe and Atlético Nacional. Millonarios has big rivalries. They play against Independiente Santa Fe in the Clásico Capitalino. They also play against Atlético Nacional in the Clásico Colombiano. Another rivalry is the Clásico Añejo against Deportivo Cali. They also have a strong rivalry with América de Cali, called the Clásico de las Estrellas.

Millonarios won its first local title in 1949. Soon after, they formed a team known as the "Ballet Azul" (Blue Ballet). This team was famous worldwide in the early 1950s. Many experts thought it was the best team in the world. They won many important international games. Alfredo Di Stéfano, a famous footballer, played for Millonarios from 1949 to 1953. During this time, Millonarios won the Copa Colombia in 1951. They also won the Colombian league in 1949, 1951, and 1952. The team won the first Small Club World Cup in 1953. They also won the Golden Wedding Championship against Real Madrid in 1952. This game was played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Their success in these tournaments earned them the nickname "Ambassador." This was because they represented Colombia.

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

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

History of Millonarios Football Club

How Millonarios Was Founded

Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé, where Millonarios started.

In 1937, some students from a private Catholic school in Bogotá decided to start a football team. This school was the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolomé. They wanted to play against other teams in the city. Their first games were played on the school's land. Some students wanted to name the team "Youth Union." Others preferred "Bogotan Union." The team became popular even without official support. They used both names for a while. Finally, 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 form Colombia's first national team. They played in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama City in February 1938. They won a bronze medal there. When they came back, the team was almost going to break up. But Izquierdo saw a chance in the upcoming Bolivarian Games in Bogotá. He brought the players together again. They formed a stronger team. This team again represented Colombia. The Colombian government hired Fernando Paternoster to coach the team. He was a former player for Argentina. The city and the Council of Bogotá also supported the team. They bought the team and gave it money. The team was then called Club Municipal de Deportes. It became Bogotá's official team. They used the city's black and white colors and its crest.

However, the city stopped helping the team financially. This was because of problems between the team's founders and the president of Club Municipal. Then, new managers took over. They were Manuel Briceño Pardo, Antonio José Vargas, and Alberto Lega. They helped the team become stable again. Without official money and without uniforms, the managers changed the team's name many times. They called it Municipal La Salle, Municipal Deportivo, and Municipal Deportivo Independiente. This last name showed they were no longer linked to the city. But the newspapers just called them the Bogotá team.

On January 28, 1939, the team played with three Argentine players for the first time. They won 5–4 against the Antioquia team. This was a big moment for football in Bogotá. It was the first time a team from Colombia played with foreign players. This was also the last year the team played as "Deportivo Independiente." Even with money problems, the team kept playing. They represented Bogotá and gained many fans. In 1946, the team joined with Club Deportivo Municipal. They changed their name to Club Deportivo Los Millonarios.

How the Name "Millonarios" Began

The nickname "Los Millonarios" (The Millionaires) started in 1939. Vicente Lucífero, a player, often met with the team's leaders to talk about payments. Back then, Argentine players did not have yearly contracts. Lucífero asked for high pay for all players, not just the Argentines. He wanted Colombian players to earn as much as the foreign players. Luis Camacho Montoya, a sports writer, criticized the team for this. He called the team's leaders "new rich" or "Los Millonarios." This was because they wanted to keep all their foreign players, which cost a lot of money.

Montoya wrote, "The Argentines are very demanding. This is a club of millionaires." So, the nickname was born. People started calling the team "Los Millonarios" more than its official name. Seven years earlier, in 1932, the Argentine club River Plate had also gotten the same nickname. This was because they bought many expensive players.

On August 13, 1939, the team officially became "Los Millonarios." This happened at a meeting in a café. On that day, they beat Deportivo Barranquilla 6–0. They also wore their new blue uniform with grey socks for the first time. They copied this uniform from the Argentine team Tigre. The team's leader, Manuel Briceño Pardo, suggested a small change for the next game. He wanted white shorts and blue socks. This became 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 it started, Millonarios became one of Colombia's most important teams. They won titles in amateur leagues and international games. They also went on tours across the country. The team became a big favorite for the first Colombian Professional Football Championship in 1948.

After becoming a structured club, Millonarios joined the A.D.B. (Bogotá Sports Association) championship in 1940. This was the second-tier league in Cundinamarca. They won the title that year and moved up to the first category. They played there from 1941 to 1945. They won four titles in 1941, 1943, 1944, and 1945.

The 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, in 1949, Millonarios won its first league title.

The club's most successful time was in the early 1950s. This was because of many great Argentine players. During this time, the team was known as The Blue Ballet. Famous players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Adolfo Pedernera, and Néstor Rossi played for them. Many of these players came from River Plate in Argentina. Because of their amazing 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 went to Spain and beat Real Madrid 4–2. They won three league titles in a row from 1951 to 1953. They also won the Copa Colombia in 1952.

In 1951, FIFA suspended Colombia. This was because teams were signing international players without proper transfers. Teams had to send back all foreign players who had joined illegally. This rule meant Di Stéfano left in February 1953. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid wanted him. Real Madrid won. 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 sports leaders in Venezuela created the Small Club World Cup. This was a friendly competition for top teams from Europe and South America. Millonarios was invited to play in 1952 and 1953. In 1952, they finished with seven points. They tied twice with Real Madrid and once with Brazilian Botafogo. They also beat La Salle of Venezuela twice.

In 1953, Millonarios won the tournament without losing any games. They got 11 points. They beat River Plate of Argentina (winning one game and tying another). They also beat Rapid Wien of Austria twice. And they beat Spanish Espanyol of Barcelona twice. Some 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 got worse. They had to sell their foreign players. They mostly used younger players. This led to them finishing last in the 1957 season. However, in the next season, Millonarios finished second. They were just one point behind their rivals, Santa Fe.

Success in the 1960s and 1970s

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

The 1980s: More Titles

Millonarios won two more titles in the 1980s. They won the league in 1987 and 1988. Star players like Arnoldo Iguarán, Mario Vanemerak, and Carlos Estrada were on the team. The 1988 title was the last one the club won for 23 years.

The 1990s: A Tough Decade

This was the only decade when Millonarios did not win any major titles. However, they finished second in the league twice. They almost won the league in 1994. But Atlético Nacional won it on bonus points. In the 1995–96 season, Deportivo Cali also beat them to the title on bonus points. The team also had a good 1999 season. They were undefeated for 29 matches in the regular season. But they lost in the playoffs and did not reach the final.

The 2000s: Copa Merconorte Win

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. Both games in the final had ended in a tie.

The team improved when Juan Carlos Osorio became the new manager in July 2006. He had been an assistant manager at Manchester City. Osorio led the club to the playoffs. The club finished fifth overall that year. This meant they qualified for the Copa Sudamericana. The team's money situation also got better.

In July 2007, Osorio left to manage Major League Soccer team Chicago Fire. Martín Lasarte replaced him, but he did not do well. Then, Argentine Mario Vanemerak became the new manager. Under Vanemerak, Millonarios started to play well again. They did especially well 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. However, their league performance in 2007 was not as good.

After Millonarios did not qualify for the playoffs in 2008, Vanemerak was fired. Óscar Quintabani took over. In his first season, the club almost made the playoffs. But in 2009, the club finished 15th after a very bad season. Quintabani left soon after. The results did not get much better. The club missed the playoffs in 2009 and 2010.

The 2010s: Ending the Title Drought

The club had money problems. They had not won a major title in over 20 years. They also had not qualified for the playoffs in seven seasons. So, the club started a process that led to it being bought by a group of about 4,000 fans. This group was called Azul & Blanco S.A. This change also brought a new playing style. It started when Venezuelan coach Richard Páez was hired.

Páez led the club to finish sixth in 2011. They reached the playoff semi-finals. The 2011 Finalización was even better. The club finished fourth in the league. They were close to reaching the finals after winning 3–0 against Junior in the first semi-final game. But Junior came back and tied the series. Then, Junior won on penalties and knocked Millonarios out.

However, Millonarios fans still had something to celebrate. The club won the 2011 Copa Colombia. They finished first in their group. They came back to beat Deportes Tolima in the quarter-finals. Then, they won 4–1 away against Junior in the semi-finals. Finally, they won both games against Boyacá Chicó in the finals. This win earned them a spot in the 2012 Copa Sudamericana. It also ended their 23-year title drought.

In June 2012, Hernán Torres became the new coach. This was after a poor season where the club missed the playoffs. In the Copa Sudamericana, the team did very well. They reached the semi-finals. They beat strong Brazilian teams like Palmeiras and Grêmio. Millonarios had lost the first game both times but came back to win. They were eventually knocked out by Argentine club Tigre. This success was a relief after a big 8–0 loss to Real Madrid in a friendly game in September. That game was played to honor Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Despite the Copa Sudamericana loss and the big defeat to Real Madrid, the team played great in the 2012 Finalización. They qualified for the playoffs as the best team. After tough matches, the team finished the playoffs with ten points. They were tied with Deportivo Pasto. But they reached the finals because of a better goal difference. They played against Independiente Medellín in the finals. The first game was a 0–0 tie. The second game was on December 16, 2012, in Bogotá. It ended in a 1–1 tie. This sent the game to a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Luis Delgado saved a penalty. This helped his team win the shootout 5–4. Millonarios won its fourteenth championship. This was their first league title in about 24 years.

Millonarios team before the 2017 Finalización final against Santa Fe.

As the 2012 Finalización champion, Millonarios played in the 2013 Copa Libertadores group stage. They did not do well there. They finished last in their group, with only one win and five losses.

In the 2017 Finalización, Millonarios won its fifteenth league title. They beat Santa Fe in the final. The final score was 3–2 over two games. This was against their rivals from the same city. After that, they won their first Superliga Colombiana title. They beat Atlético Nacional over two games to win the 2018 competition. The manager for both titles was Argentine Miguel Ángel Russo.

The 2020s: The Alberto Gamero Era

In 2019, Millonarios finished first in the first part of the league. But they did not reach the final series. Then, they failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Manager Jorge Luis Pinto resigned. Former player Alberto Gamero replaced him for the 2020 season. Millonarios's first season under Gamero was not great. The team did not get to the knockout stage of the league. They had to win a special tournament to get a chance to play in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana. They won that tournament. But they lost the playoff to Deportivo Cali. So, they missed out on the Copa Sudamericana.

In 2021, things got much better for Gamero and Millonarios. They did not win the title, but they played well. In the 2021 Apertura, Millonarios beat América de Cali and Junior. They reached the finals, but Deportes Tolima beat them. In the Finalización tournament, they finished second in their semi-final group, again behind Deportes Tolima. In the 2022 season, Millonarios did not reach the finals of either tournament. But they won their first title with Gamero as manager. They beat Junior in the Copa Colombia finals.

Millonarios won its sixteenth league title in the 2023 Apertura tournament. They finished second in the first stage. They won their semi-final group. Their rival for the finals was Atlético Nacional. Both games ended in a tie (0–0 and 1–1). Millonarios won the penalty shootout 3–2. This gave them 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 is the only local derby that has been played every season since Colombian professional football started in 1948. On September 16, 2007, Millonarios won its 100th game against Santa Fe. The score was 1–0. Currently, Millonarios has 125 wins, and Santa Fe has 90.

From March 2015 to March 2017, Millonarios did not lose to Santa Fe for nine games. They had three ties and six wins. A big win was in 2015. Millonarios knocked Santa Fe out of the playoffs with a 3–1 score.

On March 19, 2017, Millonarios ended Santa Fe's 22-game unbeaten run. Millonarios won 3–0. On December 13 of the same year, the two teams met in the 2017 Finalización final. Millonarios won the first game. In the second game, Millonarios came back twice to win 3–2 overall. This gave them 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 game in Colombian football. This is because both clubs have won the most titles in the country.

Club Achievements

Millonarios FC honours
Type	Competition	Titles	Seasons
Domestic	Categoría Primera A	16	1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1972, 1978, 1987, 1988, 2012–II, 2017–II, 2023–I
	Copa Colombia	3	1952–53, 2011, 2022
	Superliga Colombiana	2	2018, 2024
Continental	Copa Merconorte	1	2001
Continental	Copa Simón Bolívar	1^s	1972
Regional	Liga de fútbol de Cundinamarca	7	1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948
	Asociación deportiva de Bogotá	1	1940
	Campeonato interdepartamental de Colombia	1	1947
Worldwide	Small Club World Cup	1	1953¹

record
^s shared record

Runner-up Finishes

Categoría Primera A
- Runners-up (10): 1950, 1956, 1958, 1967, 1973, 1975, 1984, 1994, 1995–96, 2021–I
Copa Colombia
- Runners-up (2): 2013, 2023
Superliga Colombiana
- Runners-up (1): 2013
Copa Merconorte
- Runners-up (1): 2000

Millonarios in CONMEBOL Tournaments

Millonarios has played in many international tournaments organized by CONMEBOL.

Copa Libertadores: 20 appearances

Best: Reached the Semi-finals in 1960, 1973 and 1974.

1960: Semi-finals

1962: Quarter-finals

1963: Quarter-finals

1964: Quarter-finals

1968: First Round

1973: Semi-finals

1974: Semi-finals

1976: First Round

1979: First Round

1985: First Round

1988: First Round

1989: Quarter-finals

1995: Quarter-finals

1997: Round of 16

2013: First Round

2017: Second stage

2018: Group stage

2022: Second stage

2023: Third stage

2024: Group stage

Copa Sudamericana: 8 appearances

2004: Preliminary Round

2007: Semi-finals

2012: Semi-finals

2014: First Round

2018: Round of 16

2020: Second stage

2023: Group stage

2025: First stage

Copa Merconorte: 4 appearances

1998: Semi-finals

1999: Group Stage

2000: Runner-up

2001: Champion

Millonarios Players

Current First-Team Squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Iván Arboleda
2	DF	Carlos Sarabia
4	DF	Juan Pablo Vargas
5	MF	Nicolás Arévalo
6	DF	Sergio Mosquera
7	MF	Juan José Ramírez
8	MF	Dewar Victoria
11	FW	Beckham Castro
12	GK	Diego Novoa
13	DF	Helibelton Palacios (on loan from Cruzeiro)
14	MF	David Silva (captain)
17	DF	Jorge Arias
18	MF	Daniel Ruiz
19	FW	Juan Carvajal
20	DF	Danovis Banguero
21	MF	Juan Carlos Pereira
22	DF	Delvin Alfonzo

No.	Position	Player
23	FW	Leonardo Castro
26	DF	Andrés Llinás
27	DF	Nicolás Giraldo
28	DF	Stiven Vega
29	DF	Alex Moreno
30	MF	Sebastián Viveros
32	FW	Santiago Giordana
33	MF	Alex Castro
34	DF	Sander Navarro
36	DF	Samuel Asprilla
37	DF	Jhoan Hernández
39	MF	Bayron García (on loan from Real Cartagena)
43	FW	Luis Marimón
70	MF	Edwin Mosquera (on loan from Atlanta United)
88	FW	Néiser Villarreal
	GK	Guillermo de Amores
	FW	Cristian Cañozales

Players Out on Loan

No.		Position	Player
		GK	Álvaro Montero (at Vélez Sarsfield until 31 December 2026)
		DF	Stiven Moreno (at Real Cundinamarca until 31 December 2025)
		MF	Brayan Campaz (at Real Monarchs until 31 December 2025)
		MF	Kevin Cortés (at Real Cundinamarca until 31 December 2025)
		MF	Johan Rodallega (at Sheriff Tiraspol until 31 December 2025)
		FW	Ramiro Brochero (at Patriotas Boyacá until 30 June 2025)

No.		Position	Player
		FW	Jhon Córdoba (at Instituto until 30 June 2026)
		FW	Jhon Largacha (at Deportivo Pereira until 31 December 2025)
		FW	Alejandro Oñate (at Tigres until 31 December 2025)
		FW	Yúber Quiñones (at Deportivo Pereira until 30 June 2025)
		FW	Neymar Sánchez (at Tigres until 31 December 2025)

Millonarios Players in the World Cup

These players were part of their country's national team for the FIFA World Cup 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)

Past Players

Tommy Mosquera
Sergio Goycochea

Player Records

Most Games Played for Millonarios

Source: BDFA

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

Last updated on: October 3, 2018

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