Club Universidad de Chile

Universidad de Chile
Full name Club Universidad de Chile
Nickname(s) La U (The U)
Los Azules (The Blues)
El Chuncho (The Owl)
El Bulla (The Noise)
El Romántico Viajero (The Romantic Traveler)
El León (The Lion)
Founded May 24, 1927 (1927-05-24)
Ground Estadio Nacional
Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
Ground Capacity 48,665 [1]
Chairman Carlos Heller
Manager Sebastián Beccacece
League Primera División
2016 Clausura 10th

Club Universidad de Chile (Spanish pronunciation: [kluβ uniβeɾsiˈðað ðe ˈtʃile]) is a professional football club based in Santiago, Chile, that plays in the Primera División.

The club was founded on May 24, 1927. Universidad de Chile is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile, having won the league title 17 times.[2] In the last 10 years, the team has been crowned champion six times, including their undefeated run to the 2011 Copa Sudamericana title. The team has been throughout its history associated with the blue colour, also present on the logo, which was officially adopted in 1943.

Despite not owning its stadium, the club usually plays its home games at the Estadio Nacional de Chile, in the commune of Ñuñoa in Santiago. The Estadio Nacional's modernization process, forced the team to play home games in various stadiums across Chile in 2010. Universidad de Chile made a return to the Estadio Nacional on August 2010 against Guadalajara of Mexico during the 2010 Copa Libertadores semi-finals.

Universidad de Chile was the champion of the Copa Sudamericana 2011 (the first international title of its history). In this tournament, the club had an excellent performance: wasn't defeated, won all their matches in Chile and had the top scorer of the tournament's history (Eduardo Vargas). Also Universidad de Chile has reached semi-finals in the Copa Libertadores four times (years 1970, 1996, 2010 and 2012).

The club has a large fan base and many rivalries against other teams in the first division. The most notable of these are their rivalries are with Colo-Colo and Universidad Católica, with whom they regularly contest the Santiago derbies known as Clásicos .

Since 2008, the club also has a women’s team that plays in the first division of women's football in Chile.

History

The club was founded on May 24, 1927, as Club Deportivo Universitario by the merger of Club Náutico and Federación Universitaria. Initially, the club was formed by students of the Universidad de Chile and was the sport brand of the university until 1980 when the university's rector and president of the club at the time (both of them appointed by the Pinochet dictatorship) decided to separate the club from the university and created the CORFUCH to manage the football team. This move was a part of the atomization of the Universidad de Chile made by the military dictatorship in order to strengthen the private universities that were founded during that time and also to reduce state power. This was seen as a major blow to the club, as it was left with nothing but a loyal fan base. From then on, the club started to decline in terms of results on the field and lack of support from various sectors of the economy when other major clubs in Chile were helped by main powers such as the government, the catholic church, and Codelco. Eventually, the team's poor performances led to a relegation to second division in 1988, and threats to dissolve the club were made by the university if the team did not manage to return to the first division within a year. In 1989, Universidad de Chile were able to earn the 2nd division's championship, thus bringing them back to the first division, where they have remained since then.

Bankruptcy and Azul Azul

In 2006, the club declared bankruptcy and received an imposed administration that was criticized by the supporters, as the new chairman immediately fired club symbols and tried to transform the club into a private company of public stocks, being opposed to the decision of the club members in a previous assembly. The team finished the year with the worst campaign in the club history and the almost-sure transformation into private company due to the ties between the appointed chairman and several businessmen.

During 2007, the imposed administration gave the club into concession to a private group (Azul Azul). In 2008, the new university's rector agreed to enter a contract with the now private club, in which he allowed the use of the university's name and symbols in exchange for a royalty and the right to appoint two out of the eleven directors of the board.

Colours and logo

Home kit and away kit

The team's home kit from 1943 to 1958 consisted of a blue jersey, a white short and blue socks. In 1959, the home kit was changed to an all royal blue kit. In 1992 a darker tone of blue was used for the home kit and in 1996 a red stripe was added to the sleeves. The team's home kit saw its most drastic change in 2001–02 when red sleeves were included on the jersey; this kit retained the blue shorts and blue socks. In 2006, the team returned to the 1959 variation of its uniform and has not changed it since then. The current home kit features the classic red letter U on the front of the jersey.

From 1934 until 2001–02, Universidad de Chile's away kit consisted of a white jersey, shorts and socks, occasionally using blue shorts during the 1990s. In 2001–02, for the first time in the club's history a red kit was introduced; this kit consisted of a red jersey with dark blue sleeves, red shorts and red socks. In 2005, the club introduced a new all-red away kit, thereby dropping the blue sleeves in favor of red ones. The current away kit in a similar fashion to the home kit also features the red letter U on the front of the jersey.[3] Universidad de Chile wore a kit that featured the regular royal blue jersey, white shorts and royal blue socks for a game against Chivas during the 2010 Copa Libertadores. At the end of 2010 the historical all-white combination made a return as the club's alternate kit.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period Kit Manufacter Shirt Sponsor
1974-78 New Leader  
1979 Haddad
1980–85 Adidas
1986 Ñandu
1987 Umbro
1988–89 Adidas
1990 Scania
1991 Pony International Fiat
1991 Chilectra
1992–95 Avia
1996 Diadora
1997–98 Reebok
1998  
1998 AdeS
1999–00 Adidas[4]
2001–03 LG
2004–07 Cristal (Beer)
2008–10 Telmex[5]
2010–17 Claro/Tramontina[6]
2018–21 N/A

The chuncho logo

The team's logo, a red and white chuncho (Austral pygmy owl), has its origins in the days of the Club Náutico Universitario which gave its emblem to the Club Universitario de Deportes (CUD), when was founded in 1927. The logo was taken from Germany by Pablo Ramírez Rodríguez, who turned into a Minister of Exchequer in 1945. The chuncho was chosen for its association with wisdom, mutual knowledge, harmony of the body and soul. [7]

The team's logo is not usually found on the team's uniform, being favored in turn by a red letter U with a white trim. The chuncho logo was absent from the team's jersey starting in 1979, but made a return during the 1996–97 season. Since 2006–07, a small chuncho logo could be found on the jersey along with the red U.[8]

Rivalries

Universidad de Chile's main rivalry is against Colo Colo and when they play each other it's called the Super Clásico of Chilean football. Another rivalry, which is dubbed the Clásico Universitario, pits the Universidad de Chile against their historical rivals Universidad Católica.

Popularity

See also: Los de Abajo

The club has made a name for itself, becoming one of top-two teams in Chile with 17 national league cups and through the enthusiasm displayed by its fans, an enthusiasm that has been carried ever since the team's professional debut, even through relegation to the second division. The team's supporters are known for chanting and supporting their team, from the bus that brought them to the stadium and even beyond the end of the game. The supporters of Universidad de Chile refer to their love for the team with the phrase: "More than a passion, a feeling".

The club's largest supporters group is "Los de Abajo", a barra brava that began in 1989. Members of Los de Abajo have even traveled to other countries such as Mexico and Brazil in order to support their club in international competitions.

Achievements

Universidad de Chile's first title was won in 1940, just 3 years after their professional debut. The team won six titles (1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969) between 1959 and 1969 and the became known as the Blue Ballet in reference the beautiful style of football they played. Nine members of that squad were part of the Chilean national team that reached 3rd place in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, the best result ever achieved by Chile in a World Cup.

After the golden age of the Blue Ballet, the club went on a 25-year drought, and were relegated to the second division in 1988 but managed to win that division's title and returned to the first division the following year. Universidad de Chile's next cup would be won in 1994 after a spectacular final game for which 20,000 supporters arrived in the city of El Salvador, a mining town populated by 5,000 people.

In 1995, Universidad de Chile won the cup once more, this time at home in front of almost 78,000 people in the Estadio Nacional. The team would then win back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000.

More recently Universidad de Chile has won the Apertura in 2004, 2009 and 2011. The 2011, the title was won at the hands of defending champions Universidad Católica, by a global score of 4–3, having lost the first leg of the final 2–0 and needing to win by a 3-goal margin, the team managed to win the second leg by a 4–1 score.

On the international stage Universidad de Chile have had a few of good runs in Copa Libertadores, reaching the semi-finals in 1970, 1996, 2010, and 2012.

On December 14, 2011 they defeated Liga De Quito from Ecuador 3–0 (4–0 on aggregate) to win the Copa Sudamericana, becoming the third Chilean team to win a South American tournament, behind Colo-Colo's 1991 Copa Libertadores and Universidad Catolica's 1994 Copa Interamericana. In the tournament, the club had an excellent performance (undefeated, and winning all their matches in Chile), and was nicknamed the "South America's FC Barcelona".[9]

Records

Leonel Sánchez is still popular among the fans.

Honours

Domestic

Cups

Continental

International

Players

First team squad

As of 29 April 2016[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Chile GK Miguel Jiménez
2 Chile DF Benjamín Vidal
3 Argentina DF Fabián Monzón
4 Chile DF Osvaldo González (vice-captain)
5 Uruguay DF Mathías Corujo
6 Chile MF Sebastián Martínez
7 Chile FW Gabriel Mazuela
8 Chile FW Patricio Rubio
9 Chile FW Felipe Pinilla
10 Argentina MF Luis Fariña
11 Chile FW Sebastián Ubilla
12 Chile GK Nelson Espinoza
13 Chile MF Diego González
14 Chile DF Nicolás Ramírez
15 Chile MF Leonardo Valencia
16 Argentina DF Matías Rodríguez
17 Chile DF João Ortiz
No. Position Player
18 Chile DF Gonzalo Jara
19 Chile FW Gustavo Canales
20 Chile MF Fabián Carmona
21 Chile MF Gonzalo Espinoza
22 Argentina MF Gustavo Lorenzetti
23 Chile DF Cristián Suárez
24 Uruguay MF Guzmán Pereira
25 Chile GK Johnny Herrera (Captain)
26 Chile FW Bryan Taiva
28 Chile MF Camilo Moya
29 Chile MF Matías Parada
30 Chile MF Yerko Leiva
31 Chile FW Franco Lobos
32 Bolivia FW Bruno Miranda
33 Chile DF John Salas
Chile FW Francisco Castro

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Chile GK Leandro Cañete (at Dep. La Pintana)
Chile DF Rodrigo Echeverría (at Iberia)
Chile DF Marcelo Jorquera (at Rangers)
Chile DF Guillermo Díaz (at San Luis de Quillota)
Chile DF Nicolás Grünwald (at Dep. Santa Cruz)
Chile DF José Ibacache (at Dep. Santa Cruz)
Chile DF Michael Contreras (at Everton)
Chile MF Bryan Cortés (at Santiago Wanderers)
No. Position Player
Argentina MF Ramón Fernández (at O'Higgins)
Chile MF Nicolás Maturana (at Palestino)
Chile MF Bernardo Cerezo (at Dep. Santa Cruz)
Chile MF Rodrigo Ureña (at Cobresal)
Chile FW Benjamín Inostroza (at Dep. La Pintana)
Argentina FW Enzo Gutiérrez (at Palestino)
Chile FW Rubén Farfán (at Palestino)
Argentina FW Leandro Benegas (at Audax Italiano)

2015–16 summer transfers

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 Argentina DF Fabián Monzón (from Catania)
10 Argentina MF Luis Fariña (loaned from Benfica)
No. Position Player
18 Chile DF Gonzalo Jara (from Mainz 05)

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
3 Chile DF José Rojas (to Belgrano)
10 Chile MF Renato González (back to U. de Concepción)
14 Chile DF Paulo Magalhães (to Internacional)
18 Chile FW Rubén Farfán (loaned to Palestino)
No. Position Player
20 Chile MF Rodrigo Ureña (loaned to Cobresal)
27 Argentina FW Leandro Benegas (loaned to Audax Italiano)
28 Chile DF Michael Contreras (loaned to Everton)

Player records

Individual honours

Primera Division top scorers

Copa Chile top scorers

Copa Sudamericana top scorers

Chilean Footballer of the Year

Primera División Footballer of the Year

America's Ideal Team

Most appearances

# Name Matches
1 Chile Luis Musrri 539
2 Chile José Rojas 471
3 Chile Vladimir Bigorra 468
4 Chile Héctor Hoffens 451
5 Chile Manuel Pellegrini 435
6 Chile Jorge Socías 429
7 Argentina Sergio Vargas 428
8 Chile Leonel Sánchez 411
9 Chile Johnny Herrera 397
10 Chile Braulio Musso 390

Top scorers

# Name Goals
1 Chile Carlos Campos 197
2 Chile Leonel Sánchez 166
3 Chile Pedro González 120
4 Chile Marcelo Salas 113
5 Chile Rubén Marcos 110
6 Chile Jorge Socías 102
7 Argentina Diego Rivarola 101
8 Chile Pedro Araya 90
9 Chile Braulio Musso 83
10 Argentina Ernesto Álvarez 83

Managers

Current coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Argentina Sebastián Beccacece
Assistant Manager Argentina Nicolás Diez
Assistant Manager Argentina Francisco Meneghini
Fitness coach Argentina Marcelo Geralnik
Goalkeeping coach Argentina Gustavo Flores

List of managers

See also

References

External links

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