Once Caldas facts for kids
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| Full name | Once Caldas S.A. | ||
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| Nickname(s) | El Blanco (The White); El Blanco Blanco de Manizales (Manizales's White-White); Los Albos (the Albos); El Equipo Albo (The Albo Team) |
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| Founded | 16 April 1947 (Foundation of Deportes Caldas) 15 January 1961 (Merger with Once Deportivo) |
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| Ground | Estadio Palogrande | ||
| Capacity | 28,678 | ||
| Chairman | Jorge Enrique Vélez | ||
| Coach | Hernán Darío Herrera | ||
| League | Categoría Primera A | ||
| 2023 | Primera A, 16th of 20 | ||
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Once Caldas S.A., often called Once Caldas, is a professional football team from Colombia. They are based in Manizales and currently play in the top Colombian league, the Categoría Primera A. Their home games are played at Estadio Palogrande.
The club was formed in 1961. This happened when two older teams, Deportes Caldas and Deportivo Manizales (also known as Once Deportivo), joined together.
Once Caldas has won the Categoría Primera A four times. They are most famous for winning the 2004 Copa Libertadores title, which is a huge South American championship!
Contents
Club History: How Once Caldas Started
Once Caldas was created in 1961. But its roots go back to two older clubs: Deportes Caldas and Once Deportivo. Both of these teams were among the first to play in Colombia's professional football league, which started in 1948.
Once Deportivo was the older club, founded in 1930. However, they didn't have much success in the early league years. Deportes Caldas, founded in 1947, did much better. They finished third in the first league season. Just two years later, in 1950, Deportes Caldas won their first league title! They won 20 out of 30 matches, scoring many goals.
After the 1951 season, both Deportes Caldas and Once Deportivo stopped playing. Later, a new team called Atlético Manizales played for a few seasons. But people wanted to bring back the original clubs. Eventually, three founders decided to combine the old clubs into a new one: Once Caldas. This new team joined the league in 1961. Their very first game was on March 12, 1961, which they lost 3-2 to Deportivo Pereira.
Changing Names and Sponsors
In 1972, Once Caldas became the first Colombian club to put a sponsor's name on their shirts. For many years, the club even changed its name to match its sponsors. For example, they were called Cristal Caldas and Varta Caldas. In 1993, the club went back to its original name, Once Caldas, and stopped using sponsor names in their official title.
Early Success and International Games
Once Caldas had a strong season in 1983. They finished first in one part of the league, which helped them qualify for the final championship round. Ten years later, in 1993, they won another tournament called the Apertura.
In 1997, Once Caldas earned a spot in their first international competition, the 1998 Copa CONMEBOL. They were eliminated in the first round by Santos from Brazil. Even though Once Caldas won the second game 2-1, they lost in a penalty shootout.
The 1998 season was also great for Once Caldas. They were one of the top teams and reached the finals against Deportivo Cali. However, they lost the first game badly and the second game was a draw, so they finished as runner-up.
Once Caldas played in the famous Copa Libertadores for the first time in 1999. They had a tough group with strong teams like Deportivo Cali, Vélez Sársfield, and River Plate. Their first win in the competition was a 4-1 home victory against River Plate.
In 2001, the club was very close to reaching the league finals. They were the best team overall in the league standings. But in their last semifinal match, they needed a win against América de Cali and only managed a 2-2 draw, missing out on the finals. Their strong performance still got them into the 2002 Copa Libertadores, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
Winning the Copa Libertadores in 2004
In June 2003, Once Caldas won the Apertura title. This was their first league championship in 53 years! They beat Junior 1-0 in the finals. This victory also earned them a spot in the 2004 Copa Libertadores.
In the 2004 Copa Libertadores, Once Caldas had an amazing journey. They won their group, which included teams from Argentina, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In the knockout rounds, they kept winning, beating strong teams like Barcelona (Ecuador), Santos (Brazil), and São Paulo (Brazil).
This led them to the finals against Boca Juniors, a famous team from Argentina that had won the Copa Libertadores five times before. The first game in Argentina ended in a 0-0 draw. In the second game, played in Manizales, Once Caldas scored first with a goal by Jhon Viáfara. Boca Juniors tied the game later, sending it to a penalty shootout. Once Caldas won the shootout 2-0!
Under the leadership of coach Luis Fernando Montoya, Once Caldas won the Copa Libertadores for the first time ever. They became only the second Colombian team to achieve this incredible feat.
After winning the Copa Libertadores, Once Caldas played in the 2004 Intercontinental Cup. This was a special match against Porto, the champions of Europe. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, but Once Caldas lost 8-7 in a penalty shootout.
In 2005, Once Caldas tried to defend their Copa Libertadores title but were eliminated in the Round of 16. They also played in the 2005 Recopa Sudamericana, another international cup. They lost to Boca Juniors in that competition, finishing as runners-up.
More League Titles and Recent Years
Once Caldas continued to have good seasons, reaching the semifinals of the league several times between 2005 and 2007. In 2008, they reached the finals of the 2008 Copa Colombia, but lost.
In 2009, Once Caldas reached the league finals again, facing Junior. This time, Once Caldas won the title with a total score of 5-2 over two games. In 2010, they won their fourth league title, beating Deportes Tolima 3-1 in the finals. A year later, in 2011, they were runners-up in the league, losing to Junior in a penalty shootout.
In 2012, a company called Kenworth bought a large part of the club. After this, the team qualified for the final stages of the league in 2013 and 2014. They also reached the finals of the 2018 Copa Colombia, but lost to Atlético Nacional. In 2019, they played in the 2019 Copa Sudamericana for the first time.
For several years starting in 2019, Once Caldas struggled and did not reach the final stages of the league. However, the return of club legend Dayro Moreno helped the team improve. His goalscoring helped Once Caldas reach the semifinal stage of the 2024 Apertura tournament. They also made it to the semifinals in the Finalización tournament but did not reach the finals.
Team Uniforms
Once Caldas has used different brands for their uniforms over the years. They used brands like Adidas, Walon Sport, and Errea. Since the 2023 season, they have been wearing uniforms made by a local brand called Hillside.
- Home Uniform: White shirt, white shorts, and white socks.
- Away Uniform: Black shirt, black shorts, and black socks.
Home Stadium
Once Caldas plays its home matches at Estadio Palogrande. This stadium is located in Manizales and was first opened in 1936.
Club Trophies
Once Caldas has won some important titles both in Colombia and internationally.
Colombian Titles
- Categoría Primera A (Top League)
- Winners (4): 1950, 2003 (Apertura), 2009 (Apertura), 2010 (Finalización)
- Copa Colombia (Cup Competition)
- Runners-up (2): 2008, 2018
International Titles
- Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League)
- Winners (1): 2004
- Recopa Sudamericana (Super Cup between two South American champions)
- Runners-up (1): 2005
- Intercontinental Cup (Match between European and South American champions)
- Runners-up (1): 2004
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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World Cup Players
These players were part of their country's FIFA World Cup team while playing for Once Caldas:
Nestor Ortiz (1994)- José Fernando Cuadrado (2018)
Club Records
Most Games Played
| Rank | Name | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Carlos Henao |
605 |
| 2 | Arnulfo Valentierra |
481 |
| 3 | Robeiro Fernando Moreno |
451 |
| 4 |  Sergio Galván Rey |
377 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Gómez |
373 |
Top Goal Scorers
| Rank | Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sergio Galván Rey |
185 |
| 2 | Arnulfo Valentierra |
138 |
| 3 | Dayro Moreno |
128 |
| 4 | Roberto Mirabelli |
66 |
| 5 | Nicolás Lobatón |
59 |
Managers
Many different managers have led Once Caldas throughout its history. Here are some of them:
- Alfredo Cuezzo (1950–1960)
- José Próspero Fabrini (1961)
- Francisco Villegas (1962–1963)
- Luis Alberto Rubio (1964–1965)
Simón Herrerías (1966–1967)- Óscar Ramos (1967–1968)
Pablo Ansaldo (1970)- Amadeo Carrizo (1973)
- Gilberto Osorio (1975–1977)
- Eduardo Luján Manera (1978)
- Felipe Ribaudo (1979)
- Carlos Antonietta (1980–1981)
- Efraín Sánchez (1981)
- Juan Carlos Sarnari (1982)
- Américo Pérez (1983)
- Juan Manuel Guerra (1984)
- Jaime Silva (1985)
- Francisco Maturana (1986)
- Diego Umaña (1987)
- Leonel Montoya (1988)
- Carlos Miguel Dizz (1988–1990)
- Moisés Pachón (1990)
- Alfonso Núñez (1990)
- Álvaro de Jesús Gómez (1991)
Gerardo González Aquino (1991)- Víctor Luna (1991)
- Carlos Navarrete (1991)
- Carlos Restrepo (1992–1994)
- Orlando Restrepo (1995–1997)
- Joaquin Castro (1997)
- Javier Álvarez Arteaga (1997–1998)
- Alexis García (1999)
- Juan Eugenio Jiménez (2000)
- Javier Álvarez Arteaga (2001–2002)
- Luis Montoya (January 2003 – December 2004)
- Carlos Alberto Valencia (January 2005 – August 2005)
- Juan Carlos Bedoya (August 2005)
- Jaime de la Pava (September 2005 – December 2005)
- Juan Carlos Bedoya (January 2006 – December 2006)
- Fernando Castro (January 2007 – June 2007)
- Santiago Escobar (June 2007 – November 2007)
- Juan Carlos Bedoya (November 2007 – May 2008)
- Jorge Luis Bernal (May 2008 – November 2008)
- Javier Álvarez Arteaga (November 2008 – November 2009)
- Juan Carlos Osorio (January 2010 – December 2011)
- Luis Pompilio Páez (December 2011 – July 2012)
- Guillermo Ángel Hoyos (July 2012 – December 2012)
- Santiago Escobar (December 2012 – December 2013)
- Flabio Torres (December 2013 – February 2015)
- Javier Torrente (May 2015 – August 2016)
- Hernán Lisi (September 2016 – April 2017)
- Herney Duque (April 2017 – June 2017)
- Francisco Maturana (June 2017 – November 2017)
- Herney Duque (November 2017 – December 2017)
- Hubert Bodhert (December 2017 – December 2018)
- Eduardo Lara (January 2021 – August 2021)
- Diego Corredor (August 2021 – February 2023)
- Elkin Soto (February 2023 – March 2023)
- Pedro Sarmiento (March 2023 – October 2023)
- Hernán Herrera (October 2023 – present)
See also
In Spanish: Once Caldas para niños
