Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican 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
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 ...
,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
which currently plays in
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 ...
, the top tier of
Mexican football
Mexico's most popular sport is football (called fútbol in Mexico). , the top tier leagues in Mexico are Liga MX for the men and the Liga MX Femenil for women.
In Mexico, football became a professional men's sport in 1943. Since then, Mexico ...
. Founded on 28 June 1945, it is the oldest active professional team from the northern part of Mexico. Since 1999 the club has been owned by
FEMSA
Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the la ...
, Latin America's largest bottling company. Its home games have been played in the
Estadio BBVA since 2015.
Monterrey has won five league titles, three domestic cups, and five
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 ...
titles (notably, three consecutive tournaments in
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
). The team's nickname of ''Rayados'' (The Striped-Ones) stems from the club's traditional navy blue striped uniform. The uniform is reflected in the club's current crest, which is also decorated with stars above the crest representing the club's league titles and stars below representing continental titles. In terms of overall performance, it is the strongest club from Mexico and all of
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 ...
at the
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, with a third-place ranking in the
all-time table. In 2020 Monterrey became the second Mexican club to complete the
continental treble
A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A ''continental treble'' involves winning the club's national league competition, main national cup competition, and main continental trophy. A ...
.
The club's oldest rival is
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 ...
of the
Autonomous University of Nuevo León
The Autonomous University of Nuevo León ( es, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL) is a public university with seven campuses across the northern Mexican state of Nuevo León. Founded as University of Nuevo León on 25 September 1933, i ...
. The local derby, known as the
Clásico Regiomontano
Clásico Regiomontano, Clásico Regio, Clásico del Norte or Clásico Norteño is a football derby in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, between crosstown rival teams Monterrey and Tigres. Since the first Clásico in 1974, the two teams have competed over 100 ...
, is known for being one of the most heated and intensely competed derbies in Mexican football, as both teams consistently rank among the highest in attendance and currently feature the most expensive squads in the country.
History
1940s–50s
Club de Football Monterrey was founded on 28 June 1945, near the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
by a group of industrial businessmen headed by Ramón Cárdenas Coronado, Enrique Ayala Medina, Paul C. Probert, Rogelio Cantú Gómez and Miguel Margáín Zozaya.
The team's nickname was popularly accepted, after the team's uniform, which is traditionally white with navy blue vertical stripes. Although the original uniform was white with a diagonal blue upper shoulder, the stripes were inspired in 1965, when the ''Tampico Madero'' (nicknamed "Jaibas Bravas", or Brave crabs) football team wore them, and the Monterrey team adopted them. Since then, the home uniform consists of vertical blue and white striped jerseys with blue shorts.
In its first professional game, played on 19 August 1945 against San Sebastián de León, Monterrey won 1–0, with José "Che" Gómez scoring the winner. That joy quickly came to an end, first by losing 6–0 to Montezuma, and then having the club's travelling bus involved in a tragic accident in the
San Juan de los Lagos roads that would take the lives of many of the club's players and had a big impact on the surviving players. The other Mexican clubs in solidarity loaned players to Monterrey in order to continue playing the tournament, but the club struggled nevertheless; they lost 21 games in a row and conceded 121 goals that year, finishing last in the league. Due to these events, the club decided to stop playing in the league in 1946 in honor of the players who died.
It was not until 1952 when the club resumed action thanks to Dr. Carlos Canseco, president of the Asociación de Fútbol de Nuevo León. The club enrolled in the second division and just 4 years later the club earned promotion to the top division. Once again the joy was short-lived, when the club finished last in their first year back and was relegated once again to the second division after finishing with a record of 4 wins, 7 draws and 13 losses for a total of 15 points, just 1 short of
Zacatepec who earned their permanence in the category. The club would once again earn the promotion in the 1959–60 season, and haven't been relegated since then.
1960s
The club started off the 1960s in bad shape, barely avoiding relegation with only 2 more points than Club Celaya, who had 19 points, in the 1960–61 season.
In the 1961–62 season the club was again close to relegation, finishing second to last for the second year in a row just one point ahead of
Zacatepec, who had 18 points and was relegated. In the following season the club finally managed to have a decent campaign in the first division, finishing 5th in the league. In the 1963–64 season the club improved their performance and would finish 3rd in the league just 5 points behind champions
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 ...
who had 37 points. The following season the club would once again finish 3rd in the league, this time just 3 points behind Guadalajara who won its second consecutive league title with 40 points.
In the 1965–66 season the club finished tied for 4th in the league with
Atlante Atlante or Atlantes may refer to:
* Atlas (architecture), a column in the shape of a man
* Atlante San Alejo, a Salvadoran football club
* Atlante F.C., a Mexican football club
* Atlante (private equity fund)
* ''Atlante''-class tugboat
* Atlante ...
on 33 points. In the 1966–67 season the club had a mediocre season, finishing tied for 8th in the league with
Irapuato with 30 points each. This season is also remembered for
Jabatos de Nuevo León's promotion to the first division, which meant 2 clubs from
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 ...
would be participating in the first division for the first time. In the following seasons the club regularly finished in the middle of the league table.
1970s
In the 1970s the tournament was split into 2 short tournaments, due to the
1970 World Cup that was taking part in Mexico for the first time. The club was placed in group 1 where they managed to finish 2nd with 17 points, 1 less than group leader
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 ...
. In the second part of the tournament the club finished 7th. The following year Monterrey finished runner up to
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
who went on to win the league title that year against Toluca.
![Eusebio Benfica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Eusebio_Benfica.JPG)
In the 1971–72 tournament the club qualified for the play-offs which had been introduced a few years back. The club would lose in quarterfinals to
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
2–1 on aggregate. The following year the club missed out on the playoffs, finishing tied for 5th with
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 ...
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 ...
each with 32 points. The following season the club managed to qualify for the quarterfinals where they once again were eliminated, this time by
Atlético Español 5–6 on aggregate.
In the 1975–76 tournament the club finished in first place with a total of 44 points by means of 16 wins, 12 draws and 10 losses. In quarterfinals the club played
Cruz Azul and won 7–2 on aggregate. In the semifinals the club played Guadalajara who eliminated them with a score of 2–3 on aggregate. During 1975, the Portuguese superstar
Eusébio played for the club.
In the 1976–77 and 1977–78 seasons, the club failed to qualify for the playoffs, finishing 4th both times. In the 1977–78 season, crosstown rival
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 ...
won its first league title.
In the 1978–79 tournament the club once again qualified to the playoffs finishing 1st in group one with a total of 40 points by means of 14 wins 12 draws and 12 losses. This time a short tournament was played by the best 8 teams in the league who were then split into 2 groups. Monterrey was placed in group 2 along with
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 ...
,
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
Zacatepec. After 6 rounds of play the club finished in 3rd place with 6 points, just 2 points behind
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 ...
who went on to lose against Cruz Azul, the winners of the other group. In the 1979–80 tournament the club finished 3rd in group 1 with 34 points but failed to qualify for the playoffs again. The decade came to an end with "Rayados" having shown great effort, as they qualified a couple times for the playoffs, but failed to win their first league title.
1980s
On 1 March 1986, the Rayados won their first league title in the return leg of a series against
Tampico-Madero in the Estadio Tecnológico during the
Torneo México 86, winning by an aggregate 3–2 score. The goals were scored by Brazilian Reinaldo Güeldini, who scored from a penalty after
Mario Bahia was fouled, and Mexican 20 year-old
Francisco Javier "El Abuelo" Cruz, who finished the season as the league's top scorer. For many years, the team's logo did not show the star of the first league title, up until 2003.
The next season, the team signed several players, including Brazilian midfielder
Ricardo Ferretti, but the team had an inconsistent season and would finish the remaining years of the decade without lifting a trophy.
In the year 1989, the hymn of Rayados was created by compositor
Luis Aguilé
Luis María Aguilera Picca (24 February 1936 – 10 October 2009) was an Argentine singer, songwriter and actor, best known for worldwide hit song '"Cuando salí de Cuba" ("When I Left Cuba"). This song become the unofficial anthem for Cuban ex ...
. It is considered by Monterrey's fans as one of the symbols of identity of the team.
1990s
At the beginning of the decade, Monterrey signed two notable players,
Carlos Hermosillo
Carlos Manuel Hermosillo Goytortúa (born 24 August 1964) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is also known as ''El Grandote de Cerro Azul'' ("The big tall one from Cerro Azul"). He is the fifth all-time lea ...
and
Manuel Negrete, for the 1990–91 season. The next season, they won their first
Copa MX after defeating CD Juarez 4–2 in the Estadio Tecnológico and then went on to reach the league final of the
1992–93 season, losing to
Atlante Atlante or Atlantes may refer to:
* Atlas (architecture), a column in the shape of a man
* Atlante San Alejo, a Salvadoran football club
* Atlante F.C., a Mexican football club
* Atlante (private equity fund)
* ''Atlante''-class tugboat
* Atlante ...
.
While the early years of the decade seemed promising for Monterrey, the latter half of the decade would prove to be a disappointing one, as financial problems started to become a problem for the club. During this period, the club sold many players who would go on to have successful careers with other teams like
Ramón Morales
Ramón Morales Higuera (born 10 October 1975) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Morales made his professional debut in the Mexican Primera División in 1995, playing for Rayados de Monterrey i ...
and
Sinha
Sinha is a Sanskrit term which originates in the Indian subcontinent and is common in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, covering South Asia. It comes from a Sanskrit word meaning " lion" or "brave person".
Usage
subcontinent
In Indi ...
. Young talent
Jesus Arellano was sold to Guadalajara in 1997, though he returned to the club in 2000 and spent the next eleven years as captain before retiring in 2011.
One of the most memorable moments of this decade was the so-called "Clasico del Descenso" in the
1995–96 season. On 24 March 1996, Monterrey defeated their arch-rivals Tigres 2–1 at
Estadio Universitario. Tigres were facing a relegation battle after years of poor results, and needed a victory to avoid being relegated; the defeat meant that Tigres would be relegated for the first and so far only time in their history to the
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 1999, Monterrey was facing a fierce relegation battle of its own against
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, culminating on May 9, 1999, when the teams faced each other at the Estadio Tecnológico to decide which team would get relegated. Monterrey only needed a draw to stay in the Primera División, and with a memorable performance from
Francisco Javier "El Abuelo" Cruz who had played a vital role in Monterrey's first title win thirteen years before, Monterrey managed to draw 1–1 and stay in the Mexican Primera División.
21st century
![GuillermoFranco0410](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/GuillermoFranco0410.JPG)
In 2002, Monterrey hired Argentinian coach
Daniel Passarella and started to form a strong and competitive side featuring the likes of
Guillermo Franco,
Walter Erviti
Walter Daniel Erviti Roldán (born 12 June 1980) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played mainly as a deep-lying playmaker.
Career
Club career
Erviti began his playing career in 1998 with San Lorenzo de Almagro, where he w ...
,
Jesus Arellano and
Luis Perez. In the Clausura 2003 tournament, they won their second title. In the semi-finals, they faced their arch-rivals Tigres for the first time ever in a Liguilla. In the first leg, they won 4–1 at the Estadio Universitario, and despite losing 2–1 at their home ground in the second leg, they managed to advance to the finals with an aggregate victory of 5–3. On June 14, 2003, they defeated
Monarcas Morelia by an aggregate of 3–1 to claim their second league title after 17 years.
Pasarella left in 2004, and afterwards, Monterrey hired
Miguel Herrera to be their head coach. He led them to the finals of the Apertura 2004, but the club lost against
Club Universidad Nacional
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 ...
by an aggregate of 3–1. He would lead them to the finals again in the Apertura 2005 tournament, this time losing to
Deportivo Toluca F.C.
Deportivo Toluca Fútbol Club S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Club Deportivo Toluca, is a Mexican football club, playing in the Primera División de México, the top-flight of Mexican football. Toluca's stadium, Estadio Nemesio Díez Riega ...
by an aggregate of 6–3. After the loss, Guillermo Franco left the club to play for Spanish club
Villarreal CF
Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, th ...
. Herrera would remain their head coach until 2007, when he was fired after a poor string of results in the Apertura 2007. For the Clausura 2008, Monterrey hired
Ricardo La Volpe to be their head coach, and they managed to reach the semi-finals. This team featured new players such as
Humberto Suazo and newly acquired league veteran striker
Jared Borgetti. However, the next tournament was a poor one for Rayados, as they finished in 14th place.
The Vucetich Era (2009–13)
In 2009, Monterrey hired coach
Víctor Manuel Vucetich
Víctor Manuel Vucetich Rojas (born 25 June 1955) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
With a career spanning more than thirty years, Vucetich is one of the most ...
and formed a team that would become one of the strongest in the league, with an attack led by Humberto Suazo and new acquisition
Aldo de Nigris
Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Club career
He started his career at the youth divisions ...
, a midfield featuring veteran players Luis Ernesto Perez and Jesus Arellano along with
Walter Ayovi and a defence led by
Jose Maria Basanta,
Duilio Davino
Duilio César Jean Pierre Davino Rodríguez (born 21 March 1976) is a Mexican former professional footballer and executive who last served as Sporting Chairman of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Playing career
Davino was called up to play in the 1995 ...
and goalkeeper
Jonathan Orozco. They won their third league title, the Apertura 2009 tournament, with an aggregate 6–4 victory against
Cruz Azul in the finals. The
first leg was played at the Estadio Tecnológico, where Monterrey overcame a 3–1 deficit to win the game 4–3.
The second leg was played at the Estadio Azul, with Monterrey winning 2–1. Thus, after a six-year wait Monterrey lifted their third league title.
![Xolos vs monterrey-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Xolos_vs_monterrey-2.jpg)
In the next tournament, Humberto Suazo left to play for Spanish club
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...
, but nonetheless, Monterrey managed to finish on top of the table for the first time in their history. However, they would be eliminated in the quarter-finals by
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 ...
. Suazo returned to Rayados for the Apertura 2010 tournament, and they managed to win their fourth league title when they defeated
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 ...
in the finals. Although they lost 3–2 in the first leg, they were able to make a comeback and win 3–0 in the second leg at the Estadio Tecnológico, with Humberto Suazo and Jose Basanta scoring two and one goals, respectively. With an aggregate score of 5–3, Monterrey claimed their fourth title.
![Víctor Manuel Vucetich](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/V%C3%ADctor_Manuel_Vucetich.jpg)
Monterrey secured a place in the
2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League was the 3rd edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 46th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of N ...
and won the tournament for the first time in their history. They faced
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 20 ...
in the
Finals and won 3–2 on aggregate to claim their first
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 ...
title and the third title in the Vucetich Era.
The following year, they reached the finals of the Clausura 2012 league tournament and the
2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League is the 4th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 47th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of North ...
. Both finals were against the same opponent,
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 ...
. Rayados were seeking to win their fifth league title and their second Champions League title. They lost the Clausura 2012 finals against
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 ...
but won the
finals of the Champions League against Santos with an aggregate of 3–2 to claim their second consecutive CONCACAF title.
Monterrey reached the
finals of the
2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2012–13 CONCACAF Champions League was the 5th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 48th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of Nor ...
for the third consecutive time. They faced Santos Laguna in a repeat of the previous year's final. They drew 0–0 in the first leg. In the second leg, Santos built a 2–0 lead with goals from
Darwin Quintero
Carlos Darwin Quintero Villalba (born 19 September 1987) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Categoría Primera A club América de Cali. Quintero is also known by his nickname of ''El Científico del G ...
and former Rayados player
Felipe Baloy. However, Monterrey managed to make a dramatic comeback and scored four goals, with a brace from
Aldo de Nigris
Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Club career
He started his career at the youth divisions ...
and a goal each from
Humberto Suazo and
Neri Cardozo. Monterrey won their third consecutive CONCACAF Champions League title and the fifth overall title in the Vucetich Era. This solidified them as the best Mexican soccer team of all time. Although they enjoyed tremendous success in the CONCACAF Champions League, they did not return to the
following tournament as they could not reach any league finals during the
2012–13 Liga MX season
The 2012–13 Liga MX season was the 66th professional top-flight football league season in Mexico, and the first under the league's current identity as "Liga MX". The season was split into two competitions: the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo ...
and thus could not get a chance to try and become the first team to win the tournament four times in a row.
Monterrey started the 2013–14 season with a lot of changes.
Aldo de Nigris
Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Club career
He started his career at the youth divisions ...
left the club to join
Chivas, and
Walter Ayovi joined
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 ...
. By now, players like
Jesus Arellano and
Duilio Davino
Duilio César Jean Pierre Davino Rodríguez (born 21 March 1976) is a Mexican former professional footballer and executive who last served as Sporting Chairman of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Playing career
Davino was called up to play in the 1995 ...
had retired, and long-time club players like
Luis Ernesto Perez had left the club. With the arrival of new players like
Dorlan Pabon and
Leobardo Lopez, Monterrey was ready for the Apertura 2013 tournament. However, a string of poor results and the shock early departure of Pabon would prove to be a threat as Monterrey started the tournament poorly. On August 25, 2013, Rayados announced that Vucetich had stepped down as coach, and thus the Vucetich Era, which earned the club a total of five titles in four years, came to an end.
Post-Vucetich period (2013–15)
Rayados hired
José Guadalupe Cruz to become the new manager of the team, and although they managed to reach the semi-finals of the domestic cup, the
Copa MX, they failed to qualify to the playoffs of the
Apertura 2013 tournament. After a bad start to the Clausura 2014, they fired Cruz on February 18, 2014, after only 17 league games coached.
Monterrey replaced Cruz with
Carlos Barra
Carlos Leonardo Barra Díaz (born 6 November 1968 in Entabladero, Veracruz) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
The debut of Carlos Barra was the play-off with Veracruz on Saturday, 11 November 1989. ...
, who had worked as an assistant coach for Vucetich. Although they failed to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive tournament, the team kept Barra for the
2014–15 season. Colombian striker
Dorlan Pabon re-joined the team, and with new signings such as
Stefan Medina
John Stefan Medina Ramírez (born 14 June 1992) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Liga MX club Monterrey and the Colombia national team.
Initially, Medina debuted for Atlético Nacional as a centre-back. As time progresse ...
and
Pablo Barrera
Pablo Edson Barrera Acosta (born 21 June 1987) is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Liga MX club Querétaro F.C., Querétaro.
Barrera spent the early part of his career playing ...
, Monterrey started the Apertura 2014 tournament with high expectations. They managed to secure 6th place and returned to the playoffs for the first time since Vucetich had managed the club. The club had a strike partnership of Dorlan Pabon and
Humberto Suazo, with Pabon scoring 11 goals. The club reached the semi-finals but lost 3–0 on aggregate against the eventual champions
Club América
Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in what would prove to be Suazo's last games with the club before returning to
Colo-Colo. Suazo had scored over 102 league goals in a seven-year span and became the all-time top scorer for the club at the time.
The team started the Clausura 2015 tournament in poor form, losing four of their first six games, and on February 15, the team fired Barra and replaced him with two-time Liga MX champion
Antonio Mohamed
Ricardo Antonio Mohamed Matijević (born 2 April 1970) is an Argentine football manager and former player.
Mohamed played as a striker, making his senior debut with Huracán in 1988 and being sold to Italian club Fiorentina in 1991. He neve ...
, who had led Club América to the league championship the previous tournament. Mohamed had played for Rayados during his years as a player. He was part of the squad that managed to avoid relegation in 1999. Monterrey did not qualify to the playoffs under Mohamed, but the club were keen on keeping him for the
2015–16 season. That season would prove to be a special one as the team were moving to a new home ground, the
Estadio BBVA Bancomer
The Estadio BBVA, nicknamed "El Gigante de Acero" (Spanish for "The Steel Giant"), formerly known as the Estadio BBVA Bancomer, is a stadium developed by FEMSA and C.F. Monterrey in Guadalupe, Greater Monterrey. The stadium replaced the Estadio Te ...
. In the summer, Rayados made new signings, including midfielder
Walter Gargano
Walter Alejandro Gargano Guevara (; born 23 July 1984) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for River Plate.
Club career
Youth career
Gargano started playing football aged three and joined the now defunct youth club ...
, striker
Rogelio Funes Mori and re-signed
Jose Maria Basanta, who had left for Italian side
Florentina after the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. Former club veterans
Aldo de Nigris
Jesus Aldo de Nigris Guajardo (born 22 July 1983) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker, who is the current assistant manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
Club career
He started his career at the youth divisions ...
and
Luis Ernesto Pérez also returned to the club, along with the promotion to the first team of promising young center back
Cesar Montes. Rayados had a formidable attacking trio of Dorlan Pabon, Rogelio Funes Mori and
Edwin Cardona
Edwin Andrés Cardona Bedoya (; born 8 December 1992) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Argentine Primera Division club Racing Club and the Colombia national team.
Club career Colombia
Cardona made his professional deb ...
, who had signed with Monterrey during the winter of 2015. They narrowly missed the playoffs of the Apertura 2015 tournament, but their offense was lauded by many as one of the best in the league.
Tenure of Antonio Mohamed (2015–2018)
After failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2015, the club loaned several players to other clubs in the league. Players such as
Stefan Medina
John Stefan Medina Ramírez (born 14 June 1992) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Liga MX club Monterrey and the Colombia national team.
Initially, Medina debuted for Atlético Nacional as a centre-back. As time progresse ...
and
Severo Meza were loaned to
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 ...
and
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
, respectively. In the winter of 2016, the team acquired club veteran
Walter Ayovi who had left the club in 2013 and
River Plate midfielder
Carlos Sánchez who had won the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
a few months prior. The team began the
Clausura 2016 tournament in great form by winning their first three games. They went on to have their best regular season in years by finishing on top of the league with 37 points, seven points ahead of second place
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 ...
. The team's success was primarily due to their attacking trio composed of
Pabon,
Funes Mori and
Cardona, with midfielder Carlos Sanchez providing several goals and assists.
![Antonio Ricardo Mohamed Matijevich](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Antonio_Ricardo_Mohamed_Matijevich.jpg)
The team entered the playoffs as favourites to win the title. In the quarterfinals, they faced their arch-rivals and defending league champions
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 ...
, the first leg was played at the
Estadio Universitario where Monterrey won 3–1. The away leg was played at the
BBVA Bancomer, where Tigres won 2–1 despite several penalties that were controversially awarded to Monterrey. Monterrey advanced to the semi-finals with a 4–3 aggregate victory and extended their record of never being eliminated by Tigres in the playoffs. In the semi-finals, they faced
América, losing the first leg at the
Estadio Azteca 1–0. In the second leg, they faced them at home and pulled off a dramatic 4–2 victory, in what was described by some pundits as one of the best games in the history of the playoffs. They advanced to the league finals where they would face
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 ...
. Controversy arose when it was confirmed that Carlos Sanchez would not be able to play the finals as the
Uruguay national team had called him up for the upcoming
Copa América Centenario. In
the league finals against Pachuca, Monterrey lost the first leg 1–0 at the
Estadio Hidalgo
The Estadio Hidalgo is a football stadium named after Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. It is located in Pachuca in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, also named in honor of Miguel Hidalgo.
This sport facility is one of Mexico's mid-sized football stadiums, ...
, with the sole goal coming from striker
Franco Jara
Franco Daniel Jara (born 15 July 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward.
Club career
Born in Villa María, Córdoba, Jara made his professional debut with Arsenal de Sarandí, first appearing in the Primera Divis ...
. The second leg took place at the
Estadio BBVA Bancomer
The Estadio BBVA, nicknamed "El Gigante de Acero" (Spanish for "The Steel Giant"), formerly known as the Estadio BBVA Bancomer, is a stadium developed by FEMSA and C.F. Monterrey in Guadalupe, Greater Monterrey. The stadium replaced the Estadio Te ...
in what was its first ever final since it was inaugurated the year before. On May 29, in front of 53,000 spectators, the final was played. Monterrey opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a shot from
Dorlan Pabon to level the aggregate 1–1. Veteran goalkeeper
Óscar Pérez Oscar Perez, Oscar Pérez and Óscar Pérez may refer to:
* Óscar Pérez (footballer, born 1973), Mexican football (soccer) player
* Óscar Pérez (footballer, born 1981), Spanish football (soccer) player
* Óscar Pérez Solís (1882–1951), Spa ...
had several key saves for Pachuca, and in the closing minutes of the game, a header from
Victor Guzman in the 93rd minute gave the title to Pachuca in what was described by the Mexican media as a heart-breaking defeat for Monterrey.
The following tournament ended in disappointment as the team narrowly failed to qualify to the playoffs of the
Apertura 2016. However, it also saw the return of Rayados to 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 ...
after a three-year absence, having won the tournament three times in a row under Vucetich. The team had high hopes to redeem itself after their league title loss; however, the team was shockingly eliminated in the group stage after finishing second in their group behind Panamanian club
Arabe Unido
Arabe ('Arabic' or 'Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Ar ...
.
In the Apertura 2017 season, Monterrey finished the regular season in first place with 37 points and advanced to playoffs. In quarterfinals, Monterrey beat
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
2–1 in the first leg and 4–1 in the second, a 6-2 aggregate. Monterrey faced
Morelia in semifinals, winning 1–0 in the away leg and 4–0 in the home leg, a 5-0 aggregate. Monterrey advanced to the final against arch rival
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 ...
. In the first leg, the teams tied 1–1 at the
Estadio Universitario. In the second leg at the
Estadio BBVA Bancomer
The Estadio BBVA, nicknamed "El Gigante de Acero" (Spanish for "The Steel Giant"), formerly known as the Estadio BBVA Bancomer, is a stadium developed by FEMSA and C.F. Monterrey in Guadalupe, Greater Monterrey. The stadium replaced the Estadio Te ...
, Tigres beat Monterrey 2–1 with goals from
Edu Vargas and
Francisco Meza
Francisco Javier Meza Palma (born in Barranquilla, August 29, 1991) is a Colombian football player who plays for Colombian club Atletico Bucaramanga as a center back.
Club career Santa Fe
After several years in the youth teams of Independi ...
.
Appointment of Diego Alonso (2018–2019)
![MONTERREY 2019 SCOTIABANK CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CHAMPIONS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/MONTERREY_2019_SCOTIABANK_CONCACAF_CHAMPIONS_LEAGUE_CHAMPIONS.jpg)
After announcing the appointment of
Diego Alonso
Diego Martín Alonso López (; born 16 April 1975) is a Uruguayan professional football head coach and former player who played as a striker.
Other than in his own country, he played football in Argentina, Spain, Mexico and China in a 16-year ...
in July 2018, the club would have a great run in the
Copa MX. Despite beating
Querétaro F.C.
Querétaro Fútbol Club, also called ''Gallos Blancos de Querétaro'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Querétaro City. Querétaro plays in the Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football league system. Their colors are blue, ...
1–0 in the quarter finals and
C.F. Pachuca on penalties in the semi finals, the club would fall short losing 2–0 to
CD Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul is a Honduran football club based in San José de Colinas, Honduras. The club currently plays in Liga de Ascenso de Honduras. Is a copy of Sport Club "Cruz Azul" from League MX, Mexico. This is not the first time that Honduras' socce ...
in
Copa MX Apertura final. Monterrey would finish third in the
Liga MX Clausura and fifth in the
Liga MX Apertura giving them a playoff spot in both competitions. They would advance to the semifinals in the Clausura playoffs, beating
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 ...
but losing to
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 ...
on a league position decider after a 1–1 draw. In the Apertura playoffs they would have to face the same faith, going on to the semi-finals of the competition, beating
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 ...
3–0 on aggregate in the quarter finals until facing
CD Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul is a Honduran football club based in San José de Colinas, Honduras. The club currently plays in Liga de Ascenso de Honduras. Is a copy of Sport Club "Cruz Azul" from League MX, Mexico. This is not the first time that Honduras' socce ...
and falling short on a league position decider after a 1–1 draw. In 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 ...
, they would go on winning the continental tournament after convincingly beating
Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City, often shortened to Sporting KC, is an American men's professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and t ...
10–2 on aggregate in the semi-final and finally beating
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 ...
in the
CONCACAF Champions League final in a 2–1 win in aggregate score. This championship was significant to the city, and seen as a kind of revenge for the domestic final lost to Tigres, and is known in the city as "the star that shines the most".
In the Apertura 2019 season, Diego Alonso would be dismissed from his post having more defeats than victories in the
Apertura.
Reappointment of Antonio Mohamed (2019–2020)
On 14 October, Antonio Mohamed was reappointed as the manager of Monterrey. The club would find themselves in a good run in the
Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, advancing to the semi-finals after beating
Al Sadd
Al Sadd Sports Club ( ar, نادي السد الرياضي, lit=Dam Sports Club) is a Qatari sports club based in the Al Sadd district of the city of Doha. It is best known for its association football team, which competes in the ...
3–2, ultimately the club would lose to
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
after a stoppage time winner by
Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino Barbosa de Oliveira (born 2 October 1991) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for club Liverpool and the Brazil national team.
After starting his career with Figueirense in 20 ...
. The club would beat
Al Hilal on penalties, earning a third place medal in the
2019 FIFA Club World Cup
The 2019 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019 presented by Alibaba Cloud for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament betw ...
. That same month, despite the club finishing 8th on the
Apertura general table, they would go on to reach the championship finals against
América and defeat them in penalties, winning 4–2 and securing their 5th championship league trophy.
Culture
Colours
Since the club's founding in 1945, the colours used by the club have been white and blue, with varied use from the usual stripes. The shade of the blue itself has been in constant change, ranging from navy and cobalt to slightly lighter tones. The third colour has also been inconsistent, sometimes presented as being red, orange and cyan, and recently, violet, purple or green.
Youth development
The club has constantly emphasized home-grown (''
cantera'') players and has produced international players such as
Francisco Javier Cruz
Francisco Javier Cruz Jiménez (born 24 May 1966) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played for Monterrey and Tigres UANL, becoming one of the few players to be successful in both professional teams from Monterrey. He is nicknamed ...
,
Héctor Becerra
Héctor Becerra (born May 10, 1965) is a Mexican 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 ...
,
Missael Espinoza
Eduardo Missael Espinoza Padilla (born 12 April 1965) is a Mexican former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
A versatile player capable of lining up in the attack or on the right side of midfie ...
,
Jesús Arellano
José de Jesús Arellano Alcocer (born 8 May 1973) is a Mexican former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger and a wanted fugitive. He last played for C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey in the Liga MX, Pr ...
,
Antonio de Nigris
Antonio de Nigris Guajardo (; 1 April 1978 – 15 November 2009) was a Mexican professional footballer who played as a striker.
During his career, which was cut short at 31 by a fatal heart attack, he played in six countries, also representin ...
,
Severo Meza,
Jonathan Orozco,
Jesús Zavala,
Hiram Mier
Hiram Ricardo Mier Alanís (born 25 August 1989) is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga MX club Guadalajara. He is an Olympic gold medalist.
Club career
Monterrey
Hiram Mier started his career with home-t ...
,
Jesús Manuel Corona,
César Montes,
Jonathan González, and
Carlos Rodríguez among others.
Rivalry
Rayados' biggest rival is
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 ...
. This rivalry is called the
Clásico Regiomontano
Clásico Regiomontano, Clásico Regio, Clásico del Norte or Clásico Norteño is a football derby in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, between crosstown rival teams Monterrey and Tigres. Since the first Clásico in 1974, the two teams have competed over 100 ...
. Monterrey and Tigres are both known to sell out all of their home games regardless of weather conditions and the teams' status. For Clásico matches, the stadium is sold out as soon as tickets go on sale. The rivalry has been labeled as the most intensely competed rivalry in Mexican football
As of August 2022, there have been a total of 128 official Clásico games, Tigres has been victorious in 47 of them, while Monterrey has won 42, and a total of 39 games have been draws. Monterrey and Tigres played their first Clásico on 13 July 1974 in the
Estadio Universitario, with the match ending in a 1–1 draw. Monterrey would be the first team to win the Clásico in their second confrontation, 2–1. Almost all their first encounters were played in the Estadio Universitario, with averages of 70,000 fans attending these games, which were before the stadium renovation. In addition, there were also another six "non-official" games before the first official Clásico, in five of which Rayados were victorious.
Monterrey has recently held somewhat of a regional rivalry with state neighbors
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 ...
, whom they have played a total of four finals, with Monterrey winning three of them and Santos one. It is known by many as La Nortena.
Fan base
![Entrenamiento del Monterrey](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Entrenamiento_del_Monterrey.jpg)
Los Rayados supporters constantly fill the Estadio BBVA Bancomer. They had the highest average
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 ...
attendance (50,000 per game) in 2016. The city of Monterrey claims and does have Mexico's most loyal supporting crowds for their teams, due to the city having the only venues that regularly sell-out in the
Primera División
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 ...
. There is a rivalry between the ''La Adicción'', a C.F. Monterrey support crowd, and the ''
Libres y Lokos'', a
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 ...
support crowd, each time a ''Clásico'' takes place.
Rayados Kids
In 2017 Rayados C.f. launched its YouTube and YouTube Kids original series, Rayados Kids, dedicated to creating content for children who love the team, in interview style format with the team players and original stories revolving around the teams actual positioning on soccer leagues. The web garnered around six thousand subscriptions and one million views in its first year.
Rayados Christmas Campaign
Since 2010 Rayados teammates have joined to wish a merry Christmas to its fans, by filming their annual holiday campaign. It has become a tradition to include a new rendition of their famous crowd chant song "corrido de monterrey" each year on their holiday video, showing their fans how their passion lives "en la vida y en la cancha".
Grounds
Monterrey played their home matches at the
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 ...
from 1950 to 2015, though for a period of time from 1973 to 1980 they played at the
Estadio Universitario, the stadium was opened on July 17, 1950, by Mexican president
Miguel Alemán Valdés, it was the second oldest football stadium in Mexico, after Estadio Azul. The stadium was a part of the
1986 Mexico FIFA World Cup which could hold 38,000 people, and served 4 matches within the tournament but, in July 2017 the stadium began to be demolished.
![EstadioTecnologico](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/EstadioTecnologico.JPG)
In
1977–78, with preparations for the
1977 CONCACAF Championship
The 1977 CONCACAF Championship, the seventh edition of the CONCACAF Championship, was held in Mexico from 8 to 23 October. Mexico, as the host nation, easily secured a third title and a place in Argentina '78 since the tournament also served as ...
underway at the Estadio Universitario, both Tigres and Rayados played at the Estadio Tecnológico, including the first ''
Clásico Regio'' derby held in the stadium; it would be the first of 42 meetings between the two clubs venue, with the final fixture being a 2–2 draw in October 2014.
Monterrey won league titles in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
(Mexico 1986) and
Apertura 2010 in the venue, as well as the
Copa MX in 1991 and 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 2012–13.
![Estadio BBVA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Estadio_BBVA.jpg)
In July 2015, Monterrey moved to a new stadium called
Estadio BBVA, located in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, in
Greater Monterrey
The Monterrey metropolitan area refers to the surrounding urban agglomeration of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Officially called ''Area Metropolitana de la Ciudad de Monterrey'' or AMM, the metropolitan area is the 2nd-largest in Mexico.
Overview
...
. The new stadium currently has a capacity of 53,500 people. The stadium has similar features of those incorporated within the design of England's
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
and the
Aviva Stadium in Ireland. The stadium was inaugurated on 2 August 2015 in a friendly match for the eighth edition of the
Eusébio Cup
The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at E ...
, where Monterrey defeated
Benfica 3–0 hosting in front of a sold-out crowd.
![Estadio BBVA Bancomer (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Estadio_BBVA_Bancomer_%281%29.jpg)
Estadio BBVA, designed by Christopher Lee of
Populous, started its development in October 2011, and included plans for reforestation and environmental healing for the decaying area that surrounds the construction site. The stadium was developed by
FEMSA
Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as FEMSA, is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. It operates the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world and the la ...
which costed around US$200 million. It is seen as one of the most beautiful stadiums in Mexico, it has the fourth largest capacity crowd in Mexico. It has an authentic grass surface, suites, a club-themed Restaurant, a club lounge, and high-end interior and exterior design. The inclination of the grandstand is 34 degrees and with the minimum distance allowed by FIFA to provide unsurpassed closeness to the action.
On 29 May 2016, Monterrey played their first final in their new stadium in front of 50,000 fans 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 ...
for the
Clausura 2016 championship, which they tied 1–1, but lost 2–1 on aggregate.
Kits and sponsorship
Kit evolution
The original uniform was a shirt that was split diagonally across the chest with blue and white at each side, with white shorts and navy blue socks. In 1955 after winning the second division the club used a white shirt with two horizontal blue lines across the chest. In the 1960s the club wore a different kit inspired by the one used by
Jaibos Tampico Madero
Club Deportivo y Social Tampico Madero is a Mexican professional football club based in Tampico, Tamaulipas that plays in the Liga Premier de México.
History
CD Tampico
The club was founded on July 8, 1945 soon after the club played a promoti ...
with vertical baby blue lines with white shorts and socks. It was in 1962 when D. José Ramón Ballina introduced the kit that the club still uses to date, inspired by
Asturias FC, a club he had played in Mexico City.
In the 1970s, many models emerged, some with broad, thicker stripes, and blue and black combinations, but the most significant change occurred in the mid-1980s when the color of the T-shirt changed from royal blue to navy blue, a colour that is still in use today.
Atletica was the kit manufacturer from 1999 to 2007, followed by American company
Nike which manufactured the kits from 2007 to 2014. Afterwards, Monterrey signed a contract with German sportswear manufacturer
Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
which has been making the team's kit ever since.
Sponsors
Honours
National competitions
*
Primera División / Liga MX
:Winners (5):
Mexico '86,
Clausura 2003,
Apertura 2009,
Apertura 2010,
Apertura 2019
*
Copa México / Copa MX
:Winners (3):
1991–92,
Apertura 2017,
2019–20
*
InterLiga
:Winners (1):
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
*
Campeón de Campeones
:Winners (1): 1992
:''Runners–up (1):''
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
*
Supercopa MX
:''Runners–up (1):''
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
*
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 ...
:Winners (2): 1955–56, 1959–60
*Second Division Super Cup
:Winners (1): 1956
International competitions
*
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 ...
:Winners (5):
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2011–12,
2012–13
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
*
CONCACAF Cup Winners Cup
:Winners (1):
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
*
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
::Third place (2):
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
,
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Friendly tournaments
*
Eusébio Cup
The Eusébio Cup is a pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese club S.L. Benfica since 2008. It has been played mostly at their home stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the two exceptions being the 2015 and 2018 editions (played at E ...
(1): 2015
* 2nd place ''Trofeo Ciudad de la Línea'' (Spain, 1979)
* 2nd place:
Ciudad de Alicante Trophy (Spain, 1979)
* 2nd place: Ciudad de Jerez Trophy (Spain, 1979)
* Los Angeles Nations Cup (1): 1991
* Copa Gobernador de Nuevo León (1): 1992
* Subcampeón del Torneo Ría de Aveiro (Portugal): 1995
* Subcampeón del Trofeo Ciudad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain): 1995
* Copa Rial (Pontevedra, España) (1): 1995
* Copa Movistar (1): 2002
* International Challenge Cup (1): 2003
* Torneo de Verano Miller Lite (1): 2004
* Copa Chiapas(1): 2006
* Trofeo Santos Laguna 25 Aniversario (1): 2008
* Chicago Mayor's Cup (1): 2009
* Copa 100 años de la UNAM (1): 2010
Personnel
Management
Coaching staff
Players
First-team squad
Out on loan
Other players under contract
Reserve teams
;
Raya2
:Reserve team that plays in the
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 ...
in the second level of the Mexican league system.
Top scorers
Most appearances
* Players in bold are currently active with Club de Fútbol Monterrey.
* Does not count appearances in international competitions.
Managers
*
Roberto Scarone
Roberto Scarone Rivera (16 July 1917 – 25 April 1994) was a Uruguayan football player and manager. He is mainly known for his successful managing spell at the helm of the Uruguayan powerhouse Peñarol in the early 1960s.
Career
Scarone starte ...
(1962–65)
* Mario Perez (1966–69)
*
Ignacio "El Gallo" Jáuregui (1969–74)
*
Fernando Riera
Fernando José Riera Bauzá (27 June 1920 – 23 September 2010) was a Chilean professional football player and manager, patriarch of Chilean football.
Career
Riera was born in Santiago, Chile. As a footballer, he played for Chile in the 194 ...
(1975–76)
*
Bira (1976)
*
Luis Firpo
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
(1976–77)
*
Fernando Riera
Fernando José Riera Bauzá (27 June 1920 – 23 September 2010) was a Chilean professional football player and manager, patriarch of Chilean football.
Career
Riera was born in Santiago, Chile. As a footballer, he played for Chile in the 194 ...
(1977–78)
*
Otto Glória (1978–79)
*
Gustavo Peña
Gustavo Peña Velasco (22 November 1942 – 19 January 2021) was a Mexican professional footballer and manager.
Life
Born in Talpa de Allende, Peña moved to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, with his parents when he was young.
Gustavo Peña di ...
(1979)
*
Bira (1979–80)
*
Pedro Dellacha (1980–81)
*
Héctor Hugo Eugui
Héctor Hugo Eugui Simoncelli (born 18 February 1947) is a Uruguayan football manager and former player. A forward, was a notably player with Deportivo Toluca.
Club career
Born in Mercedes, Eugui began playing football with Bristol de Merc ...
(1981–82)
*
Vicente Pereda
Vicente Pereda Mier (born 18 July 1941) is a Mexican former professional footballer.
Career
Born in Toluca, Pereda began playing youth football for local side River Plate Coyoacán, before joining Deportivo Toluca F.C.'s reserves. He debuted in t ...
(1982–83)
*
Roberto Matosas
Roberto Matosas Postiglione (born 11 May 1940 in Mercedes, Department of Soriano, Uruguay) is a Uruguayan former football defender.
Career
At the club level, he played for C.A. River Plate of Argentina and C.A. Peñarol of Uruguay. In Sept ...
(1983–84)
*
Francisco Avilán (1984–87)
*
José Ledezma (1987–89)
*
Fernando Riera
Fernando José Riera Bauzá (27 June 1920 – 23 September 2010) was a Chilean professional football player and manager, patriarch of Chilean football.
Career
Riera was born in Santiago, Chile. As a footballer, he played for Chile in the 194 ...
(1989)
*
Pedro García (1989–91)
*
Carlos Alberto Torres (1991–92)
*
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 ...
(1 July 1991 – 30 June 93)
*
Hugo Hernández (1993–94)
*
Magdaleno Cano
Magdaleno Cano (29 May 1933 – 8 January 2009) was a Mexican cyclist. He competed in the individual and team road race events at the 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, we ...
(1994), (1997), (1999)
*
Arturo Salah
Arturo Salah Cassani (born 4 December 1949) is a Chilean former footballer and manager. From January 2016 until 2019 he was the president of Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional.
He studied civil engineering at the Pontifical Catholic Un ...
(1 July 1994 – 30 June 97)
*
Claudio Lostanau (1997)
*
Tomás Boy
Tomás Juan Boy Espinoza (28 June 1951 – 8 March 2022) was a Mexican professional manager and footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
Known for his technical skills and field vision, Boy is considered as one of the greatest Mexica ...
(1 July 1997 – 30 June 98)
*
José Treviño (22 Jan 1999 – 1 March 99)
*
Carlos Jara Saguier
Carlos de los Santos Jara Saguier (born 25 August 1950 in Asunción) is a former Paraguayan football player who works as a coach.
Carlos is one of the seven Jara Saguier brothers that played professional football in Paraguay.
Career
Born in As ...
(4 March 1999 – 30 June 99)
*
Eduardo Solari (1999)
*
Benito Floro
Benito Floro Sanz (born 2 June 1952) is a Spanish football manager.
Football career
Floro was born in Gijón, Asturias. During his professional career he managed Albacete Balompié (two spells, starting off in 1989 in Segunda División B and le ...
(12 Nov 1999 – 30 June 2001)
*
Daniel Passarella (1 July 2002 – 31 Dec 2003)
*
Hugo de León
Hugo Eduardo de León Rodríguez (born 27 February 1958) is a Uruguayan football coach and former player, who played as a defender.
Club career
De León joined Nacional in 1977. With Nacional, he won two Uruguayan league titles, in 1977 and 198 ...
(2004)
*
Sergio Orduña
Sergio Orduña Carrillo (born 4 April 1954) is a Mexican football manager and was a former manager Altamira of Ascenso MX.
Career
Orduña was a star football player for Tigres before becoming a manager.
See also
*List of people from Morelos ...
(20 April 2004 – 30 June 2004)
*
Miguel Herrera (1 July 2004–16 Sept 2007)
*
Isaac Mizrahi Smeke (1 Oct 2007 – 10 Jan 2008)
*
Ricardo La Volpe (12 Jan 2008 – 8 Jan 2009)
*
Víctor Manuel Vucetich
Víctor Manuel Vucetich Rojas (born 25 June 1955) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
With a career spanning more than thirty years, Vucetich is one of the most ...
(9 Jan 2009 – 26 Aug 2013)
*
José Guadalupe Cruz (27 Aug 2013 – 18 Feb 2014)
*
C. Barra &
J. Treviño ''(interim)'' (19 Feb 2014 – 16 May 2014)
*
Carlos Barra
Carlos Leonardo Barra Díaz (born 6 November 1968 in Entabladero, Veracruz) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player.
Playing career
The debut of Carlos Barra was the play-off with Veracruz on Saturday, 11 November 1989. ...
(16 May 2014 – 15 February 2015)
*
Antonio Mohamed
Ricardo Antonio Mohamed Matijević (born 2 April 1970) is an Argentine football manager and former player.
Mohamed played as a striker, making his senior debut with Huracán in 1988 and being sold to Italian club Fiorentina in 1991. He neve ...
(16 February 2015 – 7 May 2018)
*
Diego Alonso
Diego Martín Alonso López (; born 16 April 1975) is a Uruguayan professional football head coach and former player who played as a striker.
Other than in his own country, he played football in Argentina, Spain, Mexico and China in a 16-year ...
(18 May 2018 – 30 September 2019)
*
Antonio Mohamed
Ricardo Antonio Mohamed Matijević (born 2 April 1970) is an Argentine football manager and former player.
Mohamed played as a striker, making his senior debut with Huracán in 1988 and being sold to Italian club Fiorentina in 1991. He neve ...
(9 October 2019 – 25 November 2020)
*
Javier Aguirre (7 December 2020 – 26 February 2022)
*
Víctor Manuel Vucetich
Víctor Manuel Vucetich Rojas (born 25 June 1955) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Liga MX club Monterrey.
With a career spanning more than thirty years, Vucetich is one of the most ...
(2 March 2022 –)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monterrey
Football clubs in Mexico
Association football clubs established in 1945
Liga MX teams
C.F. Monterrey
Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in Monterrey, Nuevo León which currently plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican footba ...
1945 establishments in Mexico
M
M