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Atlante Fútbol Club, is a professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, Mexico. Founded in 1916, Atlante were original members of the
Mexican Primera División The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in al ...
when it began in 1943. Atlante has won three national league championships, two from their original home in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, and the most recent following their 2007 relocation to
Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...
before eventually returning to Mexico City. They are also three-time winners of the
Copa México The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona (beer), Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican association football, football cup competition that was established in 1907 in association ...
, and twice winners of the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
/
CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
. Atlante currently compete in Mexico's second-tier
Liga de Expansión MX The Liga de Expansión MX, also known as Liga de Desarrollo (Liga BBVA Expansión MX for sponsorship reasons), is a Mexican football league founded in 2020 as part of the Mexican Football Federation's "Stabilization Project", which has the prima ...
following relegation from
Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...
at the end of the 2013–14 season. They won the Apertura 2021 and Apertura 2022.


History


The beginning

Atlante was founded on April 18, 1916, with the name Sinaloa by a group of young Mexican football enthusiasts, led by Refugio "El Vaquero" Martínez. The team began playing in the ''La
Condesa Condesa or La Condesa is an area in the Cuauhtémoc Borough of Mexico City, south of Zona Rosa and 4 to 5 km west of the Zócalo, the city's main square. It is immediately west of Colonia Roma, together with which it is designated as ...
'' neighborhood in Mexico City. After changing its name to Lusitania and U-53, Refugio Martínez proposed the name Atlante, after the mighty battles fought at the Atlantic Ocean during World War I. During the 1920s, players such as the Rosas brothers, Manuel "Chaquetas" Rosas and Felipe "Diente" Rosas, as well as Juan "El Trompo" Carreño, helped Atlante to become one of the most popular teams, mostly among the working classes, which led to its most famous and legendary nickname, El Equipo del Pueblo, "People's team". Atlante's legend Juan Carreño scored Mexico's first goal in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam 1928, as well as Mexico national team's first ever goal in a
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
during the inaugural match against
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in Uruguay 1930. Despite its popularity, the Mexican Federation did not allow the team to be involved in the Mexican championship, the Liga Mayor. In order for Atlante to be allowed into the league, it had to win several proof-matches against
Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...
and América, two powerful football clubs. The duels were won by Atlante with scores of 7–2 and 2–1, respectively. Accepted within the Liga Mayor, Atlante formed a major rivalry against
Necaxa Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Necaxa, is a Mexican professional football club in Liga MX based in the city of Aguascalientes. It plays in the Estadio Victoria. History Foundation (Light and Power Comp ...
, which became the first classic in Mexican football. The games between these two were furious battles, even drawing in points at the end of the 1931–32 tournament. During the early years of football in Mexico, when famed foreign teams began to challenge the Mexican teams they swept most clubs except one: Atlante. What many do not recall today is that Atlante was the first Mexican team that acquired national fame by knocking down those foreign "giants". In 1929, Atlante defeated Sabaria of
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
3–1. In 1930, Atlante twice defeated Sportivo of
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, 2–1 and 3–2. One of their more recalled feats was the 3–2 victory in 1931 over Bella Vista of
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
, which had three players from the team that won the first World Cup a year before in Montevideo. In the 1940s, during the final years of World War II, Atlante's
Horacio Casarín Horacio Casarín Garcilazo (25 May 1918 – 10 April 2005) was a Mexican professional football player and coach who established himself as one of his country's most popular sports figures in the 1940s and 1950s. A symbol for Atlante, the team ...
began being noticed for his tremendous skill and ability, which also led him to become a major figure in the
Mexico national team The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF. Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...
. Atlante's popularity, continued to grow after the team was portrayed on the big screen in many films of Mexico's golden era of cinema. Some of those films are "Los Hijos de Don Venancio", "Los Nietos de Don Venancio", "El Vividor", "El que con niños se acuesta", among many others. Players Horacio Casarín and
Martí Ventolrà Martí Ventolrà i Fort (16 December 1906 — 5 June 1977) was a former Spanish footballer. He formed part of the forward set up of FC Barcelona which also included Raich, Escolà, Fernandez and Munlloch. He represented Spain at the 1934 FIFA W ...
were even part of those films' casting.


Professional era and first championship title

In 1943, the Mexican Federation founded the Professional League with six clubs of the Primera Fuerza of Mexico City, two clubs from the Liga Occidental (Western League) and two members from the Liga Veracruzana (Veracruz League), being Atlante one of those six clubs of Mexico City. Together, they all became what is known today as the
Mexican Primera División The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in al ...
. After 4 tournaments, and with the aid of its owner General Jose Manuel Nuñez (a retired militar asked personally by former President
Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, to a working-class family, Cárdenas joined the M ...
to watch over the team) as well as of its sensational player Horacio Casarín, the team obtained its first championship in the 1946–47 season. The final match against León was attended by 48,622 people, including the current President
Miguel Alemán Valdés Miguel Alemán Valdés (; 29 September 1900 – 14 May 1983) was a Mexican politician who served a full term as the President of Mexico from 1946 to 1952, the first civilian president after a string of revolutionary generals. His administr ...
(he even got into the field after the match in a famous photograph with the champions). Before that, in 1945 the team imposed the Latin American record for more goals in a single season with 121 goals in 30 matches (more than four goals per game). Atlante also became the first Mexican team to be crowned at the Champion of Champions cup (a ''
super cup A super cup is a competition, usually but not exclusively in association football, which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competitions during the prev ...
'' scheme championship) during the 1941–42 season. After the first title, several other teams dominated the championship; nevertheless, Atlante remained as a powerful rival and still a popular team for the working classes, along with its runner-up, Mexican Cup and the Champion of Champions titles in the early 1950s. In 1966, General Jose Manuel Nuñez decided to sell the team to Fernando González, "Fernandón". Poor level and irregular campaigns proceeded the selling, which led Atlante to be relegated from the Primera División to
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
in 1976.


The IMSS era

The team managed to return to the Primera División for the 1977–78 season. In October 1978, the
Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social The Mexican Institute of Social Security ( es, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS) is a governmental organization that assists public health, pensions and social security in Mexico operating under the Secretariat of Health. It also form ...
(IMSS) acquired the team in a 100% ownership, promising to make the largest football club in the world with 22 million associates throughout the country. With the financial support of the governmental institution, the team experienced successful campaigns with reinforcements such as the old-time idol Horacio Casarín as head coach and the Mexican football's all-time top goalscorer Cabinho, who would become three-time champion striker with Atlante in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Its productive campaigns led them to the 1981–82 final championship match against
Tigres UANL Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Foun ...
, and after regular and extra time, Atlante became runner-up at penalty kicks. Nevertheless, a year later Atlante won its first continental title with the
CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...
Champions' Cup against Suriname's '' Robinhood''. While the government still owned the team, another institution took over the management activities. The Departamento del Distrito Federal, DDF (the former body which controlled the Mexican Federal District) intended to propel the team with little results. After playing for several years at the
Estadio Azteca Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
, the team even had to leave this venue and setting its new battleground at the Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, nowadays Cruz Azul's
Estadio Azul Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: “Sports City Stadium”; formerly Estadio Azul) is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. This sports facility is used for association football matches and for American fo ...
. In 1989, the media broke out with a major news: The DDF sold the team to Jose Antonio García, a businessman owner of the sports' goods & apparel company Garcis. After a failed campaign at a new venue, this time at Querétaro's
Estadio Corregidora Estadio Corregidora is a stadium in Querétaro City, Mexico. Named for Mexican War of Independence heroine Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez ("La Corregidora"), it has a capacity of 33,162 and is located on the outskirts of the city of Querétaro, north ...
, the team was relegated, again, to the Segunda División.


Second championship title

Right from its ashes, and back to its homeground Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, now rebaptized as Estadio Azulgrana, Atlante managed to make an incredible come back to the Primera División, after 3 outstanding games against
Pachuca Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whic ...
in the final series for the Segunda División Championship. After the series' end, which led to extra time, penalty kicks and sudden death, Atlante's goalkeeper Félix Fernández scored the last penalty kick for a 9–8 final score. In 1992–93, and guided by
Ricardo La Volpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
, Atlante obtained its second championship title against
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, with the final match played at Monterrey's stadium,
Estadio Tecnológico The Estadio Tecnológico was a multi-purpose stadium located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, located on the campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). It hosted association football, football and American fo ...
. Atlante's new legends from that championship title included: 2011 U-17 champion coach Raúl Gutiérrez, Felix Fernández, former Atlante coaches Miguel Herrera, José Guadalupe Cruz, and René Isidoro García, Pedro Massacessi, Wilson Graneolatti, Roberto Andrade, Guillermo Cantú, and feared strikers
Luis Miguel Salvador Luis Miguel Salvador López (born 26 February 1968) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a forward. Career Salvador was on Mexico national team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, playing only 10 minutes during the Republic of I ...
and Daniel Guzmán. The team was crowned as champion for the second time in 45 years. By winning the title, Atlante was again able to access the Concacaf Champions Cup, which eventually was lost against Cartaginés of
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
in the final match. After winning the championship title, Atlante was eliminated for the next years from the play-off stage, even with important acquisitions such as
Hugo Sánchez Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born 11 July 1958) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager, who played as a forward. A prolific goalscorer known for his spectacular strikes and volleys, he is widely regarded as the greatest Mexican fo ...
,
Jorge Campos Jorge Campos Navarrete (born 15 October 1966) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. A notable player of Mexico in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campos was an eccentric player, known for his constant play outside ...
& Venezuelan player Gabriel Miranda, among others. Once again, the team faced relegation issues; therefore,
Grupo Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
decided to acquire Atlante and move it back again to the
Estadio Azteca Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. Wit ...
. With this boost, Atlante was able to be reinforced by notable players, such as Zague, Martín Felix Ubaldi, José Damasceno Tiba, and Luis García, as well as the renamed coach
Miguel Mejía Barón Miguel Mejía Barón (born 17 April 1944) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. He currently works at UNAM as club president Career Mejía played for UNAM Pumas and would later manage the club. He coached Mexico at the 1994 ...
, who just had a positive result coaching the National team at United States' World Cup 1994. Despite in having memorable campaigns, such as being the first all-championship leader for a short tournament (Invierno 1996), and qualifying for the play-offs in Verano 1997 and Invierno 1997, the team did not accomplished any major results, and even had disastrous moments such as the embarrassing play-off series against
Toros Neza Neza Fútbol Club, also known as ''Toros Neza'' is a Mexican football team based in the city of Nezahualcóyotl. They play in the Liga de Balompié Mexicano. The club returned for the Clausura 2011 Liga de Ascenso tournament, taking the place o ...
in Verano 1997, which was lost in a 9–2 global score.


The third "relegation" era

Several issues occurred in Atlante's history during the last years of the 20th Century, those very issues that were going to define the team's future. Inexperienced head coaches (Zlatko Petricevic, Angel Cappa, Roberto Saporitti and Eduardo Rergis) arriving to the team, weak and vain players, and even a short decision in changing the main uniform's colours of red & blue to orange, made the team and its followers to feel without identity. Fans began switching into other successful teams, and Atlante's local matches began to feel desolated. Awful and boring matches, poorish skill level and players without a real commitment to the team, led Atlante to face again relegation issues to Segunda División, now transformed into
Primera División A Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...
.
Manuel Lapuente Manuel Lapuente Díaz (born 15 May 1944) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. Playing career He has played 13 matches for Mexico and scored 5 goals. Career as manager He coached Mexico at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and lead ...
, who had recently succeeded with the National team at France 1998, had the responsibility to guide the team throughout the Verano 2001 tournament and save the team of an imminent relegation: at the end, Lapuente and his players did not accomplished the goal. However, a ray of light appeared, since the Mexican Federation was looking to expand the Primera División with 2 new teams. After paying a 5 million dollar fee, Atlante was allowed to play a promotion-series' matches against the Primera A's runner-up, which turned out to be
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
. Atlante won the series 4–1, allowing them to remain at the top division as one of the new expansion teams.


The rebirth of atlantismo

A serious commitment has been taken since then by the directors' board. After breaking up its relationship with Televisa and Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga (owner of telecomm's company Pegaso) being the sole owner, the youth level program has been developed as the main philosophy, which has made Atlante the team with most youth debuts at Primera División since 2000. First
Carlos Reinoso Carlos Enzo Exzequiel Reinoso Valdenegro (born 7 March 1945) is a Chilean former footballer and manager who recently managed Mexican club UAT. He began his career in the 1960s playing for Audax Italiano in his native Chile. In 1970 Reinoso was ...
, and then Miguel Herrera, both managed to build a new spirited team with its own personality, and with fabulous players such as popular Sebastián "Chamagol" González,
Luis Gabriel Rey Luis Gabriel Rey Villamizar (February 20, 1980) is a Colombian former professional footballer who last played for Liga MX club Monarcas Morelia on loan from Club América. A classical left-footed striker, Rey arrived to Mexico in 2001 and h ...
, and the emblematic goalie
Federico Vilar Federico Vilar Baudena (born 30 May 1977) is an Argentine Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Vilar played the majority of his c ...
, the team returned to the spotlight of the playoffs, arriving in three quarter-final and two semi-final stages. The team suffered a failed relocation to a different venue, this time to the Estadio Azulgrana Neza 86, and back again to Estadio Azteca. Former players (now head coaches) René Isidoro García and José Guadalupe Cruz struggled to maintain the spirit, strength, and skill of this Atlante's new era. The lack of assistants to their home matches remained as the major problem of the team, due Mexico City teams' lack of assistance to local matches, as well as both the irregular football level and the lack of identity for the team.


The third crown at Quintana Roo

On May 14, 2007, Atlante officially left the Estadio Azteca because its games there were not profitable. This was largely due to poor attendance at its home matches. They hoped that the move to
Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo The Estadio Olímpico Andrés Quintana Roo is a 18,844 seat stadium in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is the home field of Expansión MX’s Cancún F.C., and was formerly the home field of Ascenso MX's Atlante F.C. The stadium was inaugurate ...
of
Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...
,
Quintana Roo Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
, would grow back its popularity and improve attendance. In a fantastic tournament, Atlante adapted quickly to its new venue and began winning important matches, either at home or visiting. Following a tough play-off against
Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...
and
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Atlante faced
Pumas UNAM Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Fo ...
for the title's final series. On December 9, 2007, only 5 months after arriving at its new venue, and after a great series of matches played by goalie Federico Vilar, as well as remarkable matches of
Giancarlo Maldonado Giancarlo Gregorio Maldonado Marrero (, born 29 June 1982) is a Venezuelan footballer who plays as a striker. Club career River Plate Maldonado began his footballing career in Uruguay, where he started out in the youth teams of Montevideo c ...
,
Gabriel Pereyra Gabriel Ernesto Pereyra Vázquez (born February 28, 1978) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. Pereyra played with River Plate until getting transferred to Cruz Azul in 2005. In the Apertura 2007 season, Pereyra was ...
, Javier Muñoz, José Joel "El Chicharo" González and
Clemente Ovalle Clemente Ovalle Barbosa (born 5 October 1982) is a Mexican former professional Association football, footballer, who last played as a midfielder for Mérida FC, Mérida. He made his debut March 12, 2005 against Chiapas F.C., Chiapas in a game whi ...
(who scored the championship goal, 4 minutes before the end of the game), Atlante earned its third championship, growing back its popularity nationwide and especially at its new home city, Cancún. Atlante won the Apertura 2007 Championship and by doing so, it qualified to the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2008 The 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup was the 43rd edition of the annual international club football competition held in the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. It was the final edition und ...
, where they were eliminated by Costa Rican
Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...
in the quarter-finals. By winning its title, Atlante qualified as well to the SuperLiga 2008, where they were eliminated by the
New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
at the semi-final stage. Atlante joined
Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...
,
Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...
, and
Pumas UNAM Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Fo ...
at the
CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...
in its inaugural season 2008–09, where they reached the final match against Cruz Azul. Atlante won the series 2–0, thus being crowned as CONCACAF Club Champion and earning the right to play at the
2009 FIFA Club World Cup The 2009 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2009 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played from 9 to 19 December 2009. It was the sixth FIFA Club World Cup and was played in A ...
in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...
,
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.


The return to international spotlight

Along with the FIFA Club World Championship, Atlante was invited to replace
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...
at the
Peace Cup The Peace Cup was an invitational pre-season friendly football tournament for club teams which was held every two years by the Sunmoon Peace Football Foundation. It was usually contested by eight clubs from several continents, though 12 teams pa ...
in
Andalucia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...
, Spain, where it faced
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
and
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. Atlante was soon eliminated with a single-goal difference against eventual champions Aston Villa. Atlante acquired
Santiago Solari Santiago Hernán Solari Poggio (born 7 October 1976) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a left midfielder. He spent the better part of his 16-year professional career in Spain, amassing La Liga total ...
to reinforce the team. He was the last major figure since Hugo Sanchez's acquisition in 1995, and joined a select group of major international players to play for the club:
Grzegorz Lato Grzegorz Bolesław Lato (Polish pronunciation: ; born 8 April 1950) is a Polish former professional football player and manager who played as a winger. He was a member of Poland's golden generation of football players who rose to fame in the 1 ...
, Ruben "Ratón" Ayala,
Ricardo La Volpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
, Cabinho,
Miodrag Belodedici Miodrag Belodedici (; sr, Миодраг Белодедић, Miodrag Belodedić; born 20 May 1964) is a Romanian former professional footballer who played as a sweeper. Nicknamed ''the deer'' due to his elegant tackles, he spent the majority o ...
,
Ilie Dumitrescu Ilie Dumitrescu (; born 6 January 1969) is a Romanian football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a winger who notably played in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, and in La Liga with S ...
, and
Faustino Asprilla Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who most notably played for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team as a forward. Club career Early years After starting ...
. At the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, Atlante defeated
Auckland City Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...
3–0 at the quarter-final stage. For its next stop at semifinals, it faced
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
in a curious match featuring two Mexicans with the same name, Rafael Márquez Álvarez of Barcelona and Rafael Márquez Lugo of Atlante, and two teams with the same jersey colors. FIFA eventually ruled out Barcelona to play with the blue-and-red stripes over Atlante. Atlante led the match at the fourth minute, but the final score was a 3–1 defeat. For the third-place match, Atlante was defeated by
Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 A ...
in a penalty shootout, missing two of their four shots, and finishing in fourth place.


Shirt sponsors and manufacturers


Honours


Domestic championships

* Primera División: 3 :: 1946–47, 1992–93, Apertura 2007 ::Runner-up (4): 1945–46, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1981–82 *
Ascenso MX Ascenso MX was the second tier of professional football in Mexico of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition was promoted to Liga MX (top-flight tier). The bottom team was relegated to Liga Premier (the third tier). ...
: 0 ::Runner-up (1):
Apertura 2015 The ' and ' tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is divi ...
*
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...
: 2 ::1976–77, 1990–91 *National Amateur League: 2 ::1931–32, 1940–41 *
Copa México The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona (beer), Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican association football, football cup competition that was established in 1907 in association ...
: 3 :: 1941–42, 1950–51, 1951–52 ::Runner-up (6): 1942–43, 1943–44, 1945–46, 1948–49, 1962–63, Clausura 2013 *
Campeón de Campeones ''Campeón de Campeones'' ( es, Champion of Champions) is an annual Mexican football competition established in 1942. In its current form, the winner of the Apertura season faces the winner of the Clausura season, for both Liga MX and Liga MX Feme ...
: 2 ::1942, 1952 ::Runner-up (2): 1946–47, 1950–51 *
Liga de Expansión MX The Liga de Expansión MX, also known as Liga de Desarrollo (Liga BBVA Expansión MX for sponsorship reasons), is a Mexican football league founded in 2020 as part of the Mexican Football Federation's "Stabilization Project", which has the prima ...
: 2 :: Apertura 2021, Apertura 2022 ::Runner-up (1): Guardianes 2020


International championships

* CONCACAF Champions' Cup / CONCACAF Champions League: 2 ::
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
, 2008–09 ::Runner-up (1):
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...


Personnel


Coaching staff


Players


First-team squad


Out on loan


Retired numbers

*12 – Félix Fernández,
Goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
(1989–98, 1999–01, 2002–03)


Reserve teams

;Atlante Xalapa : Reserve team that plays in the
Liga TDP The Liga TDP is Mexico's fourth tier in the Mexican League System. The Liga TDP is divided into 17 groups. For the 2009/2010 season, the format of the tournament has been reorganized to a home and away format, which all teams will play in their ...
, the fourth level of the Mexican league system. ;Atlante Chalco : Reserve team that plays in the
Liga TDP The Liga TDP is Mexico's fourth tier in the Mexican League System. The Liga TDP is divided into 17 groups. For the 2009/2010 season, the format of the tournament has been reorganized to a home and away format, which all teams will play in their ...
, the fourth level of the Mexican league system.


Goalscoring champions


Coaches

* Árpád Fekete (1978–79) *
Horacio Casarín Horacio Casarín Garcilazo (25 May 1918 – 10 April 2005) was a Mexican professional football player and coach who established himself as one of his country's most popular sports figures in the 1940s and 1950s. A symbol for Atlante, the team ...
(1981–84) *
Juan Carlos Lorenzo Juan Carlos "Toto" Lorenzo (; 27 October 1922 – 14 November 2001) was an Argentine football player and coach. He became an icon for Boca Juniors fans after he coached the club to its first two Copa Libertadores titles. Biography In his teens, ...
(1982), (1983) *
Ignacio Trelles Ignacio Trelles Campos (31 July 1916 – 24 March 2020) was a Mexican football player and manager. As a player with Club Necaxa, they won three Mexican championships. Later he coached amongst others the Mexico national team. A seasoned and de ...
(1983–85) *
José Antonio Roca José Antonio Roca García (24 May 1928 – 4 May 2007) was a Mexican football player and manager. Life and career Born in Mexico City, Roca played football for Asturias F.C., Club Necaxa, Zacatepec and Atlante F.C. After he retired from pl ...
(1985–87) *
Ricardo La Volpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
(1988–89) * Rafael Puente (1989–90) *
Ricardo La Volpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
(July 1, 1991 – Jan 28, 1996) *
Javier Aguirre Javier Aguirre Onaindía (; born 1 December 1958), nicknamed ''El Vasco'' (The Basque), is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager who is currently in charge of Spanish team RCD Mallorca. Aguirre played for Mexico at the 1986 Wo ...
(Feb 1, 1996 – June 30, 1996) *
Miguel Mejía Barón Miguel Mejía Barón (born 17 April 1944) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. He currently works at UNAM as club president Career Mejía played for UNAM Pumas and would later manage the club. He coached Mexico at the 1994 ...
(1996–98) *
Juan Andrés Sarulyte Juan Andrés Sarulyte (born 18 April 1962) is a former Argentine professional football player and currently manager. On April 23, 2012, he was announced that he will be the assistant coach to complete the coaching squad under the strategist Rub ...
(1998–99) *
Ángel Cappa Ángel Alberto Cappa Polchi (born September 6, 1946) is an Argentine football manager and former player. Playing career Cappa played for Olimpo and in Villa Mitre in the 1960s and 1970s, in Bahía Blanca. His career was undistinguished. Coachi ...
(Jan 1, 1999 – June 30, 1999) *
Eduardo Rergis Eduardo Rergis Pacheco (born 20 April 1956) is a Mexican former footballer and manager. Career Rergis played as a central defender for Club América, Atlante, Oaxtepec, Tampico Madero, Tigres UANL and Veracruz. Rergis played for Mexico at t ...
(2000) *
Roberto Saporiti Roberto Marcos Saporiti (born 11 April 1939 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine retired footballer. He played as a striker, but is currently a manager. He has managed clubs in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia. Playing career Saporiti started his p ...
(Sept 21, 2000 – Dec 31, 2000) *
Manuel Lapuente Manuel Lapuente Díaz (born 15 May 1944) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. Playing career He has played 13 matches for Mexico and scored 5 goals. Career as manager He coached Mexico at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and lead ...
(Jan 1, 2001 – June 30, 2001) *
Carlos Reinoso Carlos Enzo Exzequiel Reinoso Valdenegro (born 7 March 1945) is a Chilean former footballer and manager who recently managed Mexican club UAT. He began his career in the 1960s playing for Audax Italiano in his native Chile. In 1970 Reinoso was ...
(2001–02) *
Miguel Herrera Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born 18 March 1968), popularly referred to by his nickname "Piojo" (Spanish for "louse"), is a Mexican former professional footballer and current manager. He is the head coach of Liga MX club Tijuana. A former ...
(Feb 16, 2002 – June 30, 2004) * José Guadalupe Cruz (July 1, 2004 – Sept 18, 2005) *
Pedro Monzón Pedro Damián Monzón (born 23 February 1962) is an Argentine football coach and former player who played as a defender. Club career ''Moncho'' Monzón played in different clubs, but most importantly in Independiente, with which he obtained 4 ...
(Jan 1, 2005 – June 30, 2005) *
Sergio Bueno Sergio Bueno Rodríguez (born July 4, 1962) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. Player Sergio Bueno started his professional football career with Deportivo Neza in the 1983-84 tournament against Puebla FC where he came in ...
(Sept 24, 2005 – Dec 31, 2005) *
René Isidoro García René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...
(Jan 1, 2006 – Dec 31, 2006) * José Guadalupe Cruz (Jan 1, 2007 – June 30, 2010) *
René Isidoro García René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...
(July 1, 2010 – Sept 13, 2010) * Eduardo Bacas (Sept 13, 2010 – Dec 31, 2010) *
Miguel Herrera Miguel Ernesto Herrera Aguirre (born 18 March 1968), popularly referred to by his nickname "Piojo" (Spanish for "louse"), is a Mexican former professional footballer and current manager. He is the head coach of Liga MX club Tijuana. A former ...
(Jan 1, 2011 – Dec 31, 2011) * Mario García (Jan 1, 2012 – April 17, 2012) * José Luis González ''(interim)'' (April 17, 2012 – May 7, 2012) *
Ricardo La Volpe Ricardo Antonio La Volpe Guarchoni (; born 6 February 1952) is an Argentine former professional footballer and manager. He is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper who played for most of his career in Argentina and Mexico. As a coach, La Volpe was in ...
(July 1, 2012 – Jan 28, 2013) * Daniel Guzmán (Jan 30, 2013 – June 30, 2013) *
Wilson Graniolatti Wilson Edelber Graniolatti Cha (born July 13, 1962 in Nueva Palmira, Uruguay), known as Wilson Graniolatti, is a former Uruguayan footballer that played for clubs of Uruguay, Chile and Mexico. Teams (Player) * Nacional 1985-1986 * Toluca 1986-1 ...
(July 1, 2013 – Sept 2, 2013) *
Andrés Carevic Andrés José Carevic Ghelfi ( hr, Andrija Josip Carević; born 13 December 1978) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who currently serves as the manager of Costa Rican club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. He is of Croat ...
''(interim)'' (Sept 3, 2013 – Sept 8, 2013) *
Rubén Israel Rubén Jorge Israel Yelen (8 December 1955 – 5 July 2021) was a Uruguayan footballer and a football team manager. Coaching career Libertad In the Paraguayan championships, since the start of the Clausura 2007 tournament, Israel coached Cl ...
(Sept 9, 2013 – Jan 12, 2014) *
Pablo Marini Pablo Alejandro Marini (born 31 January 1967) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a forward. Career Born in Santa Fe, Argentina, Marini played professional football from 1987 to 2002, scoring 154 goals. He began his ...
(Jan 13, 2014) *
Gabriel Pereyra Gabriel Ernesto Pereyra Vázquez (born February 28, 1978) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. Pereyra played with River Plate until getting transferred to Cruz Azul in 2005. In the Apertura 2007 season, Pereyra was ...
/ Gaston Obeledo (2014–2015) *
Wilson Graniolatti Wilson Edelber Graniolatti Cha (born July 13, 1962 in Nueva Palmira, Uruguay), known as Wilson Graniolatti, is a former Uruguayan footballer that played for clubs of Uruguay, Chile and Mexico. Teams (Player) * Nacional 1985-1986 * Toluca 1986-1 ...
(2015) *
Eduardo Fentanes Eduardo Fentanes Orozco (born 9 July 1977) is a Mexican football manager of Liga MX club Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in t ...
(2015–2017) *
Raúl Gutiérrez Raúl Erasto Gutiérrez Jacobo (born 16 October 1966), also known as El Potro, is a Mexican professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player, who is the current manager of Liga MX club Cruz A ...
(2017) *
Eduardo Rergis Eduardo Rergis Pacheco (born 20 April 1956) is a Mexican former footballer and manager. Career Rergis played as a central defender for Club América, Atlante, Oaxtepec, Tampico Madero, Tigres UANL and Veracruz. Rergis played for Mexico at t ...
''(interim)'' (2017) *  
Sergio Bueno Sergio Bueno Rodríguez (born July 4, 1962) is a Mexican former professional footballer and manager. Player Sergio Bueno started his professional football career with Deportivo Neza in the 1983-84 tournament against Puebla FC where he came in ...
(2017–2018) *
Gabriel Pereyra Gabriel Ernesto Pereyra Vázquez (born February 28, 1978) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. Pereyra played with River Plate until getting transferred to Cruz Azul in 2005. In the Apertura 2007 season, Pereyra was ...
(2018–2019) *
Alex Diego Alex Diego Tejado (born 1 July 1985) is a Mexican former professional Association football, footballer and current Manager (association football), manager of the Mexico national under-18 football team, Mexico national under-18 team. Playing car ...
(2019–2020) *  Mario García (2020–)


Champion coaches


References


External links


Official site

Primera División


{{Primera Fuerza clubs Association football clubs established in 1916 Football clubs in Mexico City Ascenso MX teams Liga MX teams 1916 establishments in Mexico Primera Fuerza teams CONCACAF Champions League winning clubs