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 | Tulio Mario Castrillón | |||
| 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 play in the top Colombian league, the Categoría Primera A. Their home games are played at the Palogrande stadium.
The club was formed in 1961. This happened when two older teams, Deportes Caldas and Deportivo Manizales, joined together. In 2004, Once Caldas achieved something amazing. They won their first international championship, the 2004 Copa Libertadores.
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History of Once Caldas
In 1950, before Once Caldas was formed, the team Deportes Caldas won the top Colombian football league. It was called the Campeonato Profesional back then.
Once Caldas was officially founded in 1961. It was created by combining two older teams: Once Deportivo and Deportes Caldas. Both of these teams had stopped playing for different reasons. Some people wanted to bring back Deportes Caldas, while others wanted to revive Once Deportivo. Thanks to Dr. Hermán Bueno Ramirez, they decided to create a brand new team instead. This new team was named Once Caldas.
In 1961, the newly formed Once Caldas played its first season in the Campeonato Profesional. They finished in 7th place in the league.
Early International Games
In 1998, Once Caldas almost won the first division league. They finished as runner-up after losing to Deportivo Cali in the final match. That same year, the club played in its first international competition, the Copa CONMEBOL. They were knocked out in the first round by Santos from Brazil. Even though Once Caldas won the second game 2-1, they lost in a penalty shootout.
In 1999, Once Caldas played in the Copa Libertadores de América for the first time. They were in a tough group with Deportivo Cali and two strong teams from Argentina, Vélez Sársfield and River Plate. Once Caldas finished last in their group. However, they were only two points behind the group leader, Vélez Sársfield.
Once Caldas played in the Copa Libertadores again in 2002. They were in a group with Olimpia from Paraguay, Universidad Católica from Chile, and Flamengo from Brazil. The team finished third in their group, only ahead of Flamengo, and was eliminated.
Winning the League and Copa Libertadores
In 2003, Once Caldas won their first league title. They won the Apertura championship by beating Junior in the final. The first game ended in a 0-0 tie. In the second game, Once Caldas won 1-0 at home in Manizales.
The year 2004 was very special for Once Caldas. They played in the Copa Libertadores again. This time, they went all the way to the final! They beat Boca Juniors in a penalty shootout to win the championship. This was their first international title. The team was coached by Luis Fernando Montoya.
As champions of the Copa Libertadores, Once Caldas played in the Intercontinental Cup. This was a big match against UEFA Champions League winners Porto from Portugal. The game was played in Yokohama, Japan. It ended in a 0-0 tie, and Once Caldas lost 8-7 in a penalty shootout. This was the last Intercontinental Cup ever played. It was replaced by the FIFA Club World Cup the next year.
After the Big Win
In 2005, Once Caldas tried to win the Copa Libertadores again. They were in a group with Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico), Cobreloa (Chile), and San Lorenzo (Argentina). They finished second in their group. In the next round, they were eliminated by Tigres UANL from Mexico.
That same year, Once Caldas also played in the Recopa Sudamericana. They played against Boca Juniors again. Boca Juniors won the first game 3-1. Once Caldas won the second game 2-1, but Boca Juniors won the overall score 4-3.
Once Caldas had some good seasons in the following years. They reached the semifinals in 2006 and 2007. In 2009, they made it to the final of the Apertura championship and beat Atletico Junior with a total score of 5-2. In 2010, Once Caldas won another league title, the Finalización championship, by beating Deportes Tolima 3-1.
In 2011, Once Caldas reached the Finalización championship final again. However, they lost to Atletico Junior in a penalty shootout at their home stadium, Palogrande. In 2012, a company called Kenworth bought a large part of the club.
From 2011 onwards, Once Caldas qualified for many tournaments. But they have not won any more championships since 2010. They qualified for both the Apertura and Finalización championships in 2013 and 2014. After that, they qualified less often. In the Apertura 2024 championship, Once Caldas finished in 8th place. They were then knocked out in the semifinal stage.
2004 Copa Libertadores Campaign
In 2004, Once Caldas won the Copa Libertadores. Here are the matches they played:
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Coach
Luis Montoya
Players
| Position | Player | Notes |
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| GK | Juan Carlos Henao |
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| GK | Juan Carlos González |
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| DF | Miguel Rojas |
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| DF | Samuel Vanegas |
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| DF | Édgar Cataño |
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| DF | Edwin García |
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| DF | Jefrey Díaz |
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| MF |  Jonathan Fabbro |
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| MF | Jhon Viáfara |
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| MF | Rubén Darío Velázquez |
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| MF | Diego Arango |
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| MF | Elkin Soto |
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| MF | Arnulfo Valentierra |
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| MF | Herly Alcázar |
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| MF | Raúl Marín |
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| FW | Jorge Agudelo |
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| FW | Javier Araujo |
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| FW | Dayro Moreno |
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| FW | Wilmer Ortegón |
Team Uniforms
Once Caldas has changed its uniform brands several times. In early 2005, they switched from FSS to the German brand Adidas. After their contract with Adidas ended, Once Caldas started using the Peruvian company Walon Sport from 2008 until 2016. Then, they moved to Errea. In 2019, Once Caldas began wearing uniforms from the local brand Sheffy. For the 2023 season, they changed to another local brand, 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. It was first opened in 1936. In 2010, its seating capacity was increased to 43,553 spectators.
Club Honours and Trophies
Once Caldas has won several important titles throughout its history.
Domestic Titles
- Categoría Primera A (Top Colombian League)
- Winners (4): 1950, 2003–I, 2009–I, 2010–II
- Copa Colombia
- Runners-up (2): 2008, 2018
International Titles
- Copa Libertadores
- Winners (1): 2004
- Recopa Sudamericana
- Runners-up (1): 2005
- Intercontinental Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2004
Players
Current Squad
Here are the players currently on the Once Caldas team:
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Once Caldas Players at the World Cup
These players were part of the Colombian national team at the FIFA World Cup while playing for Once Caldas:
- Nestor Ortiz (1994)
- José Fernando Cuadrado (2018)
Club Records
Most Appearances for Once Caldas
These players have played the most games for Once Caldas:
| Rank | Name | Matches |
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| 1 | Juan Carlos Henao |
605 |
| 2 | Arnulfo Valentierra |
481 |
| 3 | Robeiro Fernando Moreno |
451 |
| 4 | Sergio Galván Rey |
377 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Gómez |
373 |
Top Goalscorers for Once Caldas
These players have scored the most goals for Once Caldas:
| Rank | Name | Goals |
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| 1 | Sergio Galván Rey |
185 |
| 2 | Arnulfo Valentierra |
138 |
| 3 | Dayro Moreno |
128 |
| 4 | Roberto Mirabelli |
66 |
| 5 | Nicolás Lobatón |
59 |
See also
In Spanish: Once Caldas para niños
