Club Universidad de Chile () is a professional football club based in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Chile, that plays in the Primera División. Founded on 24 May 1927, Universidad de Chile is one of the most successful and popular football clubs in Chile, having won the league title 18 times. In the last 10 years, the team has been crowned champion six times, including their undefeated run to the 2011 Copa Sudamericana title. The team has been associated with the colour blue throughout its history, blue is present on the logo, which was officially adopted in 1943. The club rivalries are with

Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...

and Universidad Católica, with whom they regularly contest the Santiago derbies known as ''Clásicos''. Despite not owning its stadium, the club usually plays its home games at the

Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos (originally known as Estadio Nacional) is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago. It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 48,665. It is ...

, in the commune of

Ñuñoa Ñuñoa (; from Mapudungun ''Ñuñohue'', "place of yellow flowers") is a commune of the Northeastern zone of Santiago, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile. According to the 2021 Urban Life Quality Index (ICVU), it is considered the fou ...

in Santiago. Universidad de Chile was the champion of the

Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...

2011. In this tournament, the club had an excellent performance: wasn't defeated, won all their matches in Chile and had the top scorer of the tournament's history (

Eduardo Vargas Eduardo Jesús Vargas Rojas (; born 20 November 1989) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Brazilian Série A club Atlético Mineiro and the Chile national team. Emerging as a top talent at Cobreloa, Vargas moved ...

). Universidad de Chile has reached semi-finals in 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 ...

four times (years 1970, 1996, 2010 and 2012).

History

The club was founded on 24 May 1927, as ''Club Deportivo Universitario'' by the merger of ''Club Náutico'' and ''Federación Universitaria''. Initially, the club was formed by students of the

Universidad de Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

and was the sport brand of the university until 1980 when the university's rector and president of the club at the time (both of them appointed by the

Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

dictatorship) decided to separate the club from the university and created the CORFUCH to manage the football team. This move was a part of the

atomization Atomization refers to breaking bonds in some substance to obtain its constituent atoms in gas phase. By extension, it also means separating something into fine particles, for example: process of breaking bulk liquids into small droplets. Atomizati ...

of the Universidad de Chile made by the military dictatorship to strengthen the private universities that were founded during that time and also to reduce state power. This was seen as a major blow to the club, as it was left with nothing but a loyal fan base. From then on, the club started to decline in terms of results on the field and lack of support from various sectors of the economy when other major clubs in Chile were helped by main powers such as the government, the

catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, and

Codelco Codelco (''Corporación Nacional'' ''del'' ''Cobre de Chile'' or, in English, the National Copper Corporation of Chile) is a Chilean state-owned copper mining company. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalise ...

. Eventually, the team's poor performances led to a relegation to

second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in 1988, and threats to dissolve the club were made by the university if the team did not manage to return to the first division within a year. In 1989, Universidad de Chile were able to earn the 2nd division's championship, thus bringing them back to the first division, where they have remained since then.

Bankruptcy and Azul Azul

In 2006, the club declared bankruptcy and received an imposed administration that was criticized by the supporters, as the new chairman immediately fired club symbols and tried to transform the club into a private company of public stocks, being opposed to the decision of the club members in a previous assembly. The team finished the year with the worst campaign in the club history and the almost-sure transformation into private company due to the ties between the appointed chairman and several businessmen. During 2007, the imposed administration gave the club into concession to a private group (Azul Azul). In 2008, the new university's rector agreed to enter a contract with the now private club, in which he allowed the use of the university's name and symbols in exchange for a

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

and the right to appoint two out of the eleven directors of the board.

Colours and logo

Home kit and away kit

The team's home kit from 1943 to 1958 consisted of a blue jersey, a white short and blue socks. In 1959, the home kit was changed to an all royal blue kit. In 1992 a darker tone of blue was used for the home kit and in 1996 a red stripe was added to the sleeves. The team's home kit saw its most drastic change in 2001–02 when red sleeves were included on the jersey; this kit retained the blue shorts and blue socks. In 2006, the team returned to the 1959 variation of its uniform and has not changed it since then. The current home kit features the classic red letter U on the front of the jersey. From 1934 until 2001–02, Universidad de Chile's away kit consisted of a white jersey, shorts and socks, occasionally using blue shorts during the 1990s. In 2001–02, for the first time in the club's history a red kit was introduced; this kit consisted of a red jersey with dark blue sleeves, red shorts and red socks. In 2005, the club introduced a new all-red away kit, thereby dropping the blue sleeves in favor of red ones. The current away kit in a similar fashion to the home kit also features the red letter U on the front of the jersey. Universidad de Chile wore a kit that featured the regular royal blue jersey, white shorts and royal blue socks for a game against Chivas during the 2010 Copa Libertadores. At the end of 2010 the historical all-white combination made a return as the club's alternate kit.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

The chuncho logo

The team's logo, a red and white chuncho (

Austral pygmy owl The austral pygmy owl (''Glaucidium nana'') is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Argentina and Chile. Taxonomy and systematics The austral pygmy owl has sometimes been treated as a subspecies of ferruginous pygmy owl ( ...

), has its origins in the days of the Club Náutico Universitario which gave its emblem to the Club Universitario de Deportes (CUD), when was founded in 1927. The logo was taken from Germany by Pablo Ramírez Rodríguez, who turned into a Minister of Exchequer in 1945. The chuncho was chosen for its association with wisdom, mutual knowledge, harmony of the body and soul. The team's logo is not usually found on the team's uniform, being favored in turn by a red letter U with a white trim. The chuncho logo was absent from the team's jersey starting in 1979, but made a return during the 1996–97 season. Since 2006–07, a small chuncho logo could be found on the jersey along with the red U.

Achievements

Universidad de Chile's first title was won in 1940, just 3 years after their professional debut. The team won six titles (1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969) between 1959 and 1969 and the became known as the ''Blue Ballet'' in reference the beautiful style of football they played. Nine members of that squad were part of the Chilean national team that reached 3rd place in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, the best result ever achieved by Chile in a World Cup. In 1995, Universidad de Chile won the cup once more, this time at home in front of almost 78,000 people in the Estadio Nacional. The team would then win back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000. More recently Universidad de Chile has won the

Apertura 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 div ...

in 2004, 2009, 2011 and 2014/2015, and Clausura in 2011 and 2016/2017. The 2011, the title was won at the hands of defending champions Universidad Católica, by a global score of 4–3, having lost the first leg of the final 2–0 and needing to win by a 3-goal margin, the team managed to win the second leg by a 4–1 score. On the international stage Universidad de Chile have had a few of good runs in

, reaching the semi-finals in 1970, 1996, 2010, and 2012. On 14 December 2011, they defeated Liga De Quito from Ecuador 3–0 (4–0 on aggregate) to win the

, becoming the third Chilean team to win a South American tournament, behind

's 1991

and Universidad Catolica's 1994

Copa Interamericana The Copa Interamericana ( en, Interamerican Cup) was an annual club football competition contested between a representative from North America (CONCACAF) and South America (CONMEBOL). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACA ...

. In the tournament, the club had an excellent performance (undefeated, and winning all their matches in Chile), and was nicknamed the "South America's

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded ...

". Also, the team was named the most successful chilean club of the 2010s, by winning a total of 9 titles in the whole decade. The achievement included 5 Primera División titles ( 2011 Apertura, 2011 Clausura, 2012 Apertura, 2014 Apertura and 2017 Clausura), 2 Copa Chile titles ( 2012–13 and 2015), the 2015 Supercopa and the 2011 Copa Sudamericana.

Records

*Record Primera División victory — 9–1 ''v.'' Magallanes (1962) *Record Primera División defeat — 0–6 ''v.''

(1938) *Record Copa Chile victory — 7–1 ''v.'' Audax Italiano (1984) *Most goals scored in Primera División — 184 Carlos Campos (1956–69) *Most Primera División appearances — 386

Leonel Sánchez Leonel Guillermo Sánchez Lineros (25 April 1936 – 2 April 2022) was a Chilean professional footballer who played as a striker on the left wing. He is recognized as one of the Best South American Footballers of the 20th Century and one of ...

(1953–69) *Most appearances overall — 539

Luis Musrri Luis Eduardo Musrri Saravia (born 24 December 1969 in Mallarauco) is a former Chilean footballer and current coach of San Antonio Unido. Club career Musrri played mostly for Universidad de Chile as well as one season in Yunnan Hongta. He was ca ...

(1988–04) *Record Unbeaten Matches in Primera Division (''National Record'') — 33 (1999) *Record Straight Wins in Primera Division (''National Record'') — 16 (1963–64) *Record Best Start in Primera Division (''National Record'') 9 straight wins (2011) *Highest attendance in Primera Division (''National Record'') — 85,268 ''v.'' Universidad Catolica (29 December 1962)

Honours

Domestic

* Primera División: 18 ** 1940, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004-A, 2009-A, 2011-A, 2011-C, 2012-A, 2014-A, 2017-C *Torneo Metropolitano: 2 ** 1968, 1969 *

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 ...

: 1 ** 1989 *

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

: 2 ** 1936, 1937

Cups

Copa Chile The Copa Chile (''Chile Cup'') is an annual cup competition for Chilean football teams. Due to time constraints and club pressure, the trophy was cancelled in 2000, but returned in 2008. Its precursor was the Campeonato de Apertura (''Opening Ch ...

: 5 ** 1979, 1998, 2000, 2012–13, 2015 *Copa Francisco Candelori: 1 ** 1969 * Supercopa de Chile: 1 ** 2015

Continental

**Winners (1): 2011 * Recopa Sudamericana **''Runner-up (1)'': 2012

International

* Suruga Bank Championship **''Runner-up (1)'': 2012

Players

First team squad

Youth Academy

Out on loan

2022 Summer transfers

In

Out

Player records

Individual honours

Primera Division top scorers

* Víctor Alonso: 20 goals (1940) *

Ubaldo Cruche Ubaldo Cruche (May 25, 1920 – 1988) was a Uruguayan footballer who played for clubs in both Uruguay and Chile as well as for the Uruguay national football team in the Copa América 1941. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Montevideo in May 1920 ...

: 17 goals (1945), 25 goals (1946) * Carlos Campos: 24 goals (1961), 34 goals (1962), 21 goals (1966) *

Eladio Zárate Eladio Zárate (born 14 January 1942 in Alberdi, Paraguay) is a former Paraguayan footballer who played in clubs of Paraguay, Argentina and Chile and the Paraguay national football team in the Copa América 1963. Teams * Olimpia 1962–1963 * ...

: 25 goals (1971) *

Richart Báez Richart Martín Báez Fernández (born 31 July 1973) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a striker. Career Baez can be considered one of the most notable strikers in Olimpia's history. In 2002, he helped Olimpia conquer the Copa L ...

: 10 goals (Clausura 1997) * Pedro González: 23 goals (1998), 26 goals (2000) *

Felipe Mora Felipe Andrés Mora Aliaga (born 2 August 1993) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers and the Chile national team. International career Mora was selected for the Chile nation ...

: 13 goals (Clausura 2017)

Copa Chile top scorers

Luis Alberto Ramos Luis Alberto Ramos (born October 2, 1953 in Mendoza, Argentina) is a former Argentine footballer who played for clubs of Argentina and Chile. Teams * Huracán Las Heras 1966-1970 * Rosario Puerto Belgrano 1970-1974 * Atlanta 1975-1976 * Universid ...

: 12 goals (1979) *

Marcelo Salas José Marcelo Salas Melinao (; born 24 December 1974), nicknamed ''Matador'' (due to his goalscoring celebrations), ''El Fenómeno'' and ''Shileno'', is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker. Salas is considered the best strik ...

: 12 goals (1994)

Copa Sudamericana top scorers

: 11 goals (2011)

Chilean Footballer of the Year

* Sergio Navarro: 1961 * Pedro Araya: 1966 *

Alberto Quintano Alberto Guillermo Quintano Ralph (born 26 April 1946), commonly known as El Mariscal, is a Chilean former professional footballer. He played as a defender for Universidad de Chile in Chile's Primera División. Career Player He emerged from t ...

: 1967 *

Adolfo Nef Adolfo Nef Sanhueza (born January 18, 1946) is a former Chilean football goalkeeper, who played for the Chile national team between 1969 and 1977, gaining 42 caps. He was part of the Chile squad for the 1974 World Cup. At club level, Nef played ...

: 1969 *

Héctor Hoffens Héctor Antonio Hoffens Valenzuela (born 3 January 1957) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a forward. Honours Club Universidad de Chile *Copa Chile: 1979 *Segunda División: 1989 Individual * Chilean Footballer of the Year Chilean ...

: 1989 *

Patricio Mardones Luis Patricio Mardones Díaz (born 17 July 1962), known as Patricio Mardones, is a former Chilean football midfielder. Playing career Mardones is a historical player of the traditional rivals Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile, si ...

: 1994 * Pedro González: 1999 *

Sergio Vargas Sergio Pascual Vargas Parra (Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, March 15, 1960) is a performer of merengue and bolero, who was very popular in the 80s and 90s, during the "golden age of merengue" and today remains active as one of the leadin ...

: 2000 *

: 2011 *

Charles Aránguiz Charles Mariano Aránguiz Sandoval (; born 17 April 1989) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the Chile national team. With his former club Universidad de Chile, Aránguiz was ...

: 2012

Primera División Footballer of the Year

* Juan Rodríguez: 1969 *

Cristian Traverso Cristian Alberto Traverso (born 17 April 1972 in San Martín, Buenos Aires Province) is a retired Argentine footballer who played for a number of clubs both in Argentina and Latin America, including Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors and Puebla. ...

: 1995 * Pedro González: 1999 *

: 2000 *

Miguel Pinto Miguel Ángel Pinto Jerez (born July 4, 1983) is a Chilean football goalkeeper who plays for Chilean club Coquimbo Unido. Club career Universidad de Chile Pinto was born in Santiago, Chile, and was thrust into action in 2002 against Universid ...

: 2009 *

: 2011 * José Rojas: 2012

America's ideal team

: 1996 *

: 2009 *

Mauricio Victorino Mauricio Bernardo Victorino Dansilo (; October 11, 1982 in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan former football defender. Club career Nacional He made his debut for Nacional in a Copa Libertadores match against Argentine River Plate on March 3, 20 ...

: 2010 *

, Johnny Herrera &

Marcos González Marcos Andrés González Salazar (born 9 June 1980) is a Brazilian born Chilean professional football defender. Although born in Brazil, he moved to Santiago aged two and has Chilean citizenship. Noteworthy, he has scored in all the team which ...

: 2011 * Matías Rodríguez &