Club Puebla facts for kids
 |
||||
| Full name | Club Puebla | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Los Camoteros (The Sweet Potatoers) La Franja (The Strip Band) |
|||
| Founded | 7 May 1944 | |||
| Ground | Estadio Cuauhtémoc | |||
| Capacity | 51,726 | |||
| Owner | Operadora de Escenarios Deportivos S.A. de C.V. | |||
| Chairman | Manuel Jiménez García | |||
| Manager | Vacant | |||
| League | Liga MX | |||
| Clausura 2023 | Regular phase: 11th Final phase: Reclassification |
|||
|
||||
Club Puebla, also known as Puebla F.C. is a professional football team from Puebla, Mexico. They play in the top Mexican league, Liga MX. The team is famous for its unique diagonal stripe on its shirt, which is usually blue on a white home kit. This stripe is a big part of their identity!
The city of Puebla has had a football team since 1904. The first club was called Puebla AC, started by English people. They joined the Mexican football league in the early days. In the 1944–45 season, Puebla won their first big trophy, the Copa Mexico. They won it again in 1953–54. Their first league championship came in the 1982–83 season. They won a third Copa Mexico in 1987–88. Then, in the 1989–90 season, they won both their fourth Copa Mexico and their second league title! Winning both in the same year is a special achievement, earning them the title of "Campeonísimos." In 1991, they also won their first CONCACAF championship.
The team faced tough times, being moved to the second-tier league, Primera A, in 1999 and again in 2005. But they fought back! Puebla won the Primera A Apertura 2006 tournament. On May 26, 2007, they were promoted back to the top league after beating Dorados de Sinaloa. The city of Puebla celebrated just like they did in 1983 and 1990 when the team won the league championship. In 2009, they even made it to the semi-finals of the top league.
Contents
History of Club Puebla
Early Years of Football in Puebla
Football started in Puebla in 1904 with the Puebla AC club. This club joined Mexico's first organized football league. Puebla AC, along with other early teams, helped start competitive football in Mexico. In their first tournament in 1904, they didn't score any goals. By 1906–1907, they improved, finishing third. After this, the club stopped playing for a while.
Later, in 1915, another club called First Puebla F.C. was founded. This club later became España de Puebla. In 1928, Asturias Puebla was founded. These two clubs eventually joined together in the early 1940s. This merger laid the groundwork for what we know today as Club Puebla.
Becoming a Professional Team
On March 28, 1944, Puebla officially joined the Mexican Primera División, Mexico's top professional league. Their home stadium was Parque El Mirador. Their first official match was on May 7, 1944, in a Copa México tournament game. They lost 5–1 to Veracruz, but Lupe Velázquez scored Puebla's first professional goal!
On August 20, 1944, Puebla played their first professional league match against Atlas and won 5–2. Eladio Vaschetto scored Puebla's first league goal. In their first season (1944–45), Puebla finished second in the league. But they won the Copa México, beating América 5–3 in an exciting final.
Winning the Copa México (1945 & 1953)
Puebla showed how strong they were by winning the 1945 Copa México. They beat Orizaba and Atlas easily. In the semi-finals, they defeated Deportivo Oro 3–1.
The final on June 25, 1945, was against América. Puebla started strong, leading 3–0 early on. América fought back, scoring three goals to make it a close game. But Puebla kept their cool! Miguel López scored to make it 5–3, and Lupe Velázquez scored the final goal, giving Puebla a memorable 6–4 victory and their first Copa México trophy.
In the 1952–53 season, Puebla won their second Copa México. They beat León in the final with a total score of 4–1 over two games. This was a great achievement for the club. However, after 1953, the team faced difficulties. Their stadium, Parque El Mirador, burned down in 1956. This caused the club to stop playing for eight years.
Return to Football (1960s & 1970s)
After many tries, Puebla returned to professional football on February 19, 1964. They joined the second division league. It took them six years, but in 1970, Puebla won a special series of games to get promoted back to the first division!
Their first game back in the top league was against América. They lost 2–0. But soon, they got their first win against Cruz Azul with a score of 2–0. In the 1973–74 season, Puebla made it to the quarter-finals of the league playoffs for the first time. They lost to Cruz Azul, who went on to win the championship. The 1970s were often about avoiding being sent back down to the second division.
The Golden 1980s
The 1980s were a fantastic time for Club Puebla! In 1982, Manuel Lapuente became the coach. He led the team to their first league championship in the 1982–83 season. They beat three teams from Jalisco in the playoffs. In the final, they faced Guadalajara. The game went to a penalty shootout, and Luis Enrique Fernández scored the winning penalty, making Puebla champions!
In 1988, Puebla won their third Copa México. They beat Cruz Azul in the final. The first game was a 1–1 draw, and the second was 0–0. Puebla won because they scored an "away goal" in the first match.
The "Campeonísimo" Season (1989–90)
The 1989–90 season was truly special. Coach Manuel Lapuente led the team to an amazing year. Puebla won both the league title and the Copa México in the same season! This made them only the fourth team in Mexican history to achieve this "Campeonísimo" feat.
In the league final, they beat Universidad de Guadalajara. The second game, played at Estadio Cuauhtémoc, had over 60,000 fans, setting a record for attendance in Puebla! They won 4–3 in that exciting match. For the Copa México, they beat UANL in the final. This team is remembered as one of the best in Club Puebla's history.
Challenges and Comebacks (1990s and 2000s)
After their great success, Puebla faced more challenges. In 1991–92, they reached the league final again but lost to Leon. The club also had problems with its owners, which affected the team's performance. In 1999, Puebla was sent down to the second division again. However, the club managed to stay in the first division by buying the spot of another team, Unión de Curtidores.
In the 2000s, Puebla continued to fight. They reached the semi-finals in 2001. In 2005, they were relegated once more. But they quickly bounced back! In 2006, they won the Primera A Apertura tournament. Then, in May 2007, they won the promotion game against Dorados de Sinaloa and returned to the top league, to the joy of over 45,000 fans at Cuauhtémoc Stadium.
Since then, Puebla has worked hard to stay in the top division. In 2009, they had a strong season, reaching the semi-finals of the Clausura tournament. They continued to be a competitive team in Mexican football.
Club Crest
The first crest (logo) of Club Puebla was simply the city's coat of arms. It shows the image of the Puebla Cathedral surrounded by angels. With this crest, the club won its first two titles in 1945 and 1953. They used this crest until 1971.
In 1972, the club got its first crest designed just for the team. It featured the famous diagonal sash. This design was used until 1980. In 1981, they used a special crest to celebrate the city's 450th anniversary.
When the club won its first league title in 1982, the crest was a simple blue football with the club's name. In 1983, they started using the design that is now traditional: a blue shield with the club's name and the diagonal sash. This crest initially had one star for the 1983 title, and then a second star was added in 1990 for their second league win.
Over the years, there were some changes to the crest, including different colors and designs, especially when new owners took over. But the traditional blue color and the diagonal sash always found their way back. In 2018, the current crest was introduced, which is a modern version of the 1983 design.
-
Crest used from 1994 to 1995
-
Crest used from 1995 to 1998
-
Crest used from 2017 to 2018
Honours
|
International Titles
Friendly Tournaments
|
Rivalries
El Clásico Del Sur
Puebla had a long-standing rivalry with Veracruz, called El Clásico Del Sur. This was a big regional rivalry in Southern Mexico, going back to the 1930s.
Puebla and Veracruz played 68 official matches in total. Puebla had a better record with 30 wins, 15 draws, and 23 losses. Sadly, in 2019, the Veracruz team faced financial problems and was removed from the Liga MX. This means the rivalry is currently on hold.
El Clásico Poblano
Puebla also had a rivalry with another local team in the city, Lobos BUAP. This was called El Clasico Poblano. Since Lobos BUAP was mostly in the second division, they didn't play each other often until Lobos BUAP was promoted to Liga MX.
The first "Clasico Poblano" in Liga MX was on November 17, 2017, which Lobos BUAP won 1-0. Puebla had not lost to Lobos BUAP in official matches before that. Their last official game was in Spring 2019, where Puebla won 3-0. In 2019, Lobos BUAP also faced financial difficulties and had to stop playing. This left Puebla without a local rival team for now.
Records & Statistics
This section shows the club's overall performance in different tournaments and leagues since 1944.
Overall Record
| Tournament | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | DIF | PTS | Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexican Primera División | 1708 | 586 | 503 | 619 | 2368 | 2436 | −68 | 1778 | 2 |
| Segunda División de México | 192 | 92 | 51 | 47 | 322 | 199 | +123 | 239 | 0 |
| Copa México | 136 | 55 | 39 | 42 | 233 | 201' | +32 | 152 | 5 |
| Supercopa MX | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 3 | 1 |
| Primera A | 72 | 33 | 17 | 22 | 117 | 87 | +30 | 114 | 2 |
| CONCACAF Champions League | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | 1 |
| InterLiga | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 | 0 |
| Campeón de Campeones | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | n\a | 1 |
| North American SuperLiga | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | 0 |
| Copa Interamericana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | n\a | 0 |
| Leagues Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 | 0 |
All-Time Top Goalscorers
Ricardo Alvarez is the top goal scorer in Club Puebla's history in the first division, with 86 goals in 125 games from 1945–1950. No other player has scored more goals for Puebla in the top league since then.
Only one player has won a league scoring title for Puebla: Carlos Muñoz from Spain, who scored 15 goals in 1996. Two other players came close to Alvarez's record: Silvio Fogel with 84 goals and Carlos Poblete with 83 goals. Carlos Poblete also holds the record for most goals in playoffs, with 15.
|
All-Time Goal Leaders
|
Goal Scoring Champions
|
Personnel
Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Manuel Jiménez García |
| General Director | Gabriel Saucedo Torres |
| Director of football |  Ángel Luis Catalina |
| Director of football development |  Carlos Poblete |
| Director of academy | Albert Espigares |
| Director of insitutional relations | Juan Manuel Vega |
Source: Liga MX
Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Vacant |
| Assistant managers | Vacant |
| Vacant | |
| Luis Miguel Noriega |
|
| Goalkeeper coach | Ignacio Sánchez |
| Fitness coaches | Vacant |
| Erik Roqueta |
|
| Physiotherapists |  Sebastián Giavino |
| Jesús Romero |
|
| Team doctor | Arturo Alcalde |
Players
First-team squad
|
|
Other players under contract
|
Out on loan
|
|
Reserve teams
Managers
Isidro Lángara (1952–54)
Carlito Peters (1977)
Juan Ricardo Faccio (1977–78)- Manuel Lapuente (1978–84)
- Hugo Fernández (1985–87)
- Pedro García Barros (1988–89)
- Manuel Lapuente (1988–93)
- Ignacio Trelles (1990–91)
- Jorge Vieira (1990–92)
Muricy Ramalho (1993)- Alfredo Tena (1993–95)
- Hugo Fernández (1995–96)
- Aníbal Ruiz (1996–97)
- Julio González (1997–98)
- Alfredo Tena (1 January 1999 – 5 April 1999)
- José Mari Bakero (1 July 1999 – 27 September 1999)
- Miguel Mejía Barón (2000)
- Mario Carrillo (16 September 2000 – 31 December 2001)
- Tomás Boy (1 January 2002 – 25 March 2002)
- Alejandro Domínguez (interim) (6 April 2002 – 12 April 2002)
- Tomás Boy (interim) (25 April 2002 – 30 June 2002)
- Ignacio Ambríz (1 July 2002 – 30 June 2003)
- Víctor Vucetich (16 September 2002 – 3 March 2003)
- Hugo Fernández (2003)
- Mario Carrillo (1 July 2003 – 31 December 2003)
- Roberto Saporiti (18 March 2005 – 30 June 2005)
- Jorge Aravena (1 July 2005 – 31 December 2005)
- César Luis Menotti (2006)
- José Luis Sánchez (1 July 2006 – 16 September 2008)
- Mario Carrillo (17 September 2008 – 31 December 2008)
- José Luis Sánchez (1 January 2009 – 23 August 2010)
- Eduardo Fentanes (24 August 2010 – 13 September 2010)
- José Luis Trejo (14 September 2010 – 15 February 2011)
- Héctor Hugo Eugui (15 February 2011 – 30 June 2011)
- Sergio Bueno (1 July 2011 – 31 December 2011)
Juan Carlos Osorio (1 January 2012 – 21 March 2012)- Daniel Bartolotta (21 March 2012 – 18 August 2012)
- Daniel Guzman (20 August 2012 – 30 October 2012)
- Carlos Poblete (30 October 2012 – 31 December 2012)
- Manuel Lapuente (1 January 2013 – 14 August 2013)
- Rubén Omar Romano (14 August 2013 – 24 August 2014)
- José Luis Sánchez (25 August 2014, 30 June 2014)
- José Guadalupe Cruz (8 December 2014 – 18 May 2015)
- Pablo Marini (30 May 2015 – 18 April 2016)
- Ricardo Valiño (19 April 2016 – 30 January 2017)
José Cardozo (30 January 2017 – 30 July 2017)- Rafael García (1 August 2017 – 18 October 2017)
- Enrique Meza (20 October 2017 – 3 February 2019)
- José Luis Sánchez (6 February 2019 – 17 August 2019)
Juan Reynoso (25 August 2019 – 5 December 2020)- Nicolás Larcamón (10 December 2020 – 9 November 2022)
- Eduardo Arce (18 November 2022 – 24 August 2023)
- Ricardo Carbajal (25 August 2023 – 24 February 2024)
Fernando Aristeguieta (Interim) (25 February 2024 – 11 March 2024)- Andrés Carevic (12 March 2024 – 8 May 2024)
- José Manuel de la Torre (22 May 2024 – Present)
See also
In Spanish: Club Puebla para niños
