Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican
sports club
A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports.
Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
, mostly known for its
football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás,
San José, and play their home games at the
Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá
Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá is a football stadium in San José, Costa Rica, with a seating capacity of 23,112, making it the second-largest stadium in the country.
The stadium is the home of Deportivo Saprissa, and was named in honor of the t ...
. The team's signature colours are purple (burgundy) and white. It is the main team representing the capital, but with the distinction of being massively followed throughout the whole country and overseas. The club was founded in 1935 and has competed in the Costa Rican first division since 1949. The name of the team comes from one of the club's main founders, Ricardo Saprissa. One of the most popular nicknames for the team (''The Purple Monster'') can be traced back to 1987, when the Costa Rican newspaper ''
Diario Extra'' gave the team the nickname during a derby, because of the club's enormous following. A reporter commented that the sea of fans in the stands at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá in
Tibás
Tibás is the thirteenth canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The head city of the canton is San Juan.
History
Tibás was created on 26 June 1914 by decree 31. It was formerly known as San Juan del Murciélago and was meant to be ...
wearing purple, and the tremendous noise they were generating, made him feel like he was "in the presence of a thousand headed monster". Saprissa immediately adopted the nickname . It remains the most lauded
football team in the whole region.
Saprissa won 37
Primera División de Costa Rica
The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...
championships, including six consecutive national titles in the 70s. It stands as one of the more successful teams in the
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
region as well, having won the
CONCACAF Champions' Cup three times – in
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 peacefu ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, and
2005. Saprissa has also won five
Central American crowns in 1972, 1973, 1978, 1998, and 2003.
For the period 1 September 2007 to 31 August 2008 the club was ranked the 106th best team in the world by the
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...
, an organization recognized by
FIFA.
[The last IFFHS World Club ranking of 16 January 2018 has the club in 250th place.
]
Saprissa has regularly appeared in the CONCACAF Champions Cup finals in recent decades, with three first-place finishes and four runners-up finishes. One of the club's most notable moments came in 2005 when Saprissa became the second club in
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 language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
to finish third in the
FIFA Club World Cup together with the Mexican club
Necaxa who accomplished it in 2000 and were joined by two more Mexican clubs, in 2012 by
C.F. Monterrey
Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Monterrey, Nuevo León which currently plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. Founded on 28 ...
and in 2017 by C.F Pachuca.
The club was chosen by the IFFHS as the
CONCACAF team of the 20th Century.
This event gave Saprissa worldwide recognition.
Their main partner is a Costa Rican Investment Consortium named Horizonte Morado (Purple Horizon), composed mainly of Juan Carlos Rojas Callán, Edgar Zurcher, and Televisora de Costa Rica.
History
Deportivo Saprissa was founded on 16 July 1935, by Roberto Fernández who named his team after the man who sponsored their uniform, Don
Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The club entered the Costa Rican Third Division as Saprissa F.C. They were promoted to the
Primera División de Costa Rica
The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...
, making their debut in the top flight on 21 August 1949. That year Saprissa actually won the first final match against Gimnástica Española with 0–3 score, then lost the away game by 6–2 to be defeated again 2–1 in a third game. They were accepted in 1st category as a favor granted by the administrative entity of that time. One of the most notable achievement of their early years, was to win the third and second division titles undefeated. The club has remained in the Costa Rican top flight ever since.
Recent events
In 2003, the majority of the club's stock was bought by Mexican entrepreneur
Jorge Vergara
Jorge Carlos Vergara Madrigal (; 3 March 1955 – 15 November 2019) was a Mexican businessman and film producer. He was the founder of the multi-level marketing company Grupo Omnilife. In addition to its health products business, Grupo Omnili ...
, the owner of Mexican football club
Club Deportivo Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara (); often simply known as Guadalajara () and their nickname ''Chivas'' (), is a Mexican professional football club based in Zapopan, Jalisco. Guadalajara is one of the ten founding members of the Mexican First Divisi ...
and soon after the operator of
Major League Soccer club
Club Deportivo Chivas USA
Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer (MLS) and was a subsidiary of Mexican club C.D. Guad ...
in the United States.
Saprissa won the
2005 CONCACAF Champions Cup, beating Mexican club
UNAM
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigge ...
in the final over two legs, in May 2005. As
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 language, Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CON ...
club champions they qualified for the
2005 FIFA Club World Championship
The 2005 FIFA Club World Championship (officially known as the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Japan 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the second FIFA Club World Championship, a football competition organised by FIFA for the champion club ...
, held in Japan in December 2005. They beat
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
club
Sydney FC in the quarter-finals thanks to a goal by
Christian Bolaños. In the semi-finals they were beaten 3–0 by
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
club
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, who were the Champions League holders that year, making it the strongest team in Europe. In the third place match they beat
Al Ittihad of
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
3–2.
Álvaro Saborío
Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón (; born 25 March 1982) is a Costa Rican professional footballer, who plays as a forward and captains Costa Rican club San Carlos from the Primera División de Costa Rica. Saborío originally retired in 2017, b ...
scored two goals, and
Rónald Gómez
Rónald Gómez Gómez (born 24 January 1975 in Puntarenas) is a retired Costa Rican football forward and manager. He is the current manager for Liga Nacional club Santa Lucía.
An important player on the Costa Rica national football team ...
scored an astonishing free-kick final goal in the 89th minute to seal the win. After this "late goal" Costa Rican people start calling the late-game goal "La Saprihora" (The Sapritime) in honor to this late goal even though this event happened in 2005 people still using this name for most of the Saprissa goals scored after the minute 85. They finished the competition in third place behind
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and Liverpool. Saborío was joint top scorer, and Bolaños was awarded the Bronze Ball by
FIFA as third best player of the championship out of 5 teams.
Team colours
Even though the very first colours were red and white, the team is known by their purple-burgundy colour. Red and white were utilised very briefly, and Ricardo Saprissa's influence from the Polo Club of Barcelona had the team try red and blue instead, even though this is the origin of the colour used throughout all of its history. When the new kit for 1937 (red and blue) was being manufactured, some of the threads got mixed evenly along the sides of the jerseys, producing a type of purple, resembling a burgundy/maroon colour. This new colour went down well with everyone involved, it reflected class and originality, and it was selected as the team's official colour. It was decided that the team's shield would appear on the chest of the uniform, with a notable bold white letter "S".
Saprissa utilizes a purple/burgundy jersey with white and grey details, and white shorts with burgundy and grey details for home games. For away games, a white jersey with burgundy and grey details is used, and white shorts with burgundy and grey details.
Kit history
Jersey Suppliers
Stadium
![La Ultra Morada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/La_Ultra_Morada.jpg)
Saprissa plays home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá named after Ricardo Saprissa. They originally played at the
Costa Rica National Stadium, which they rented and shared.
A new site for a stadium was bought in 1965 and on 27 August 1972 after six years of construction and upgrades, Estadio Ricardo Saprissa was officially opened. The first match was between Deportivo Saprissa and Comunicaciones of Guatemala. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with Peter Sandoval of Comunicaciones scoring the first goal at the new stadium.
The stadium is called , named after the founder of the club. There is a bust of ''Don Ricardo'' in one of the corners of the stadium. The stadium is also nicknamed (The Monster's Cave/Lair) or (The Lair), after the nickname of the club, ("The Purple Monster"). It has a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 24,000 and is overlooked by local mountains and downtown San Jose.
The stadium has great fame internationally, especially with all the national teams that play against Costa Rica.
Supporters
(The Purple Ultra) is the club's most radical supporters group, even though it is not recognized as an official or formal part of the club. This group is always set on the south side of the stadium. La Ultra Morada is categorized as an "ultras group" or "ultras movement", being similar to what is more commonly known to outsiders as "hooligans"; even though members of , or simply , emphasize their support for the club by creating a passionate atmosphere during matches.
The group was the first
Ultras
Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
group in Costa Rica, formed in 1995 when then-Saprissa president Enrique Artiñano brought fans from the Chilean football club
Universidad Católica to help build a similar ultras group to their for Saprissa. In the mid-to-late 1990s the Ultras began to develop the image of being
football hooligans
Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...
when violence began to break out with opposition fans during games. Due to the negative atmosphere and press coverage, Saprissa officials stepped in to restore order to a group that they had help create. The group is sub-divided in smaller groups called . They maintain the style of a classic Ultras group, with chants, choreos, pyro shows (flares and gunpowder), abundant flags, giant banners, and the constant beat of an oversized bass drum.
There are, however, several different other supporter group that are legally recognized by the club. These groups occupy different zones in the stadium, and they are mainly groups that get organized with transportation, original merchandise, and massive displays for the team during a game (confetti, balloons, banners, flares, etc.)
Mascot
The official mascot of the team is a cartoonish purple dragon, which was based on the Dragon Elliot from
Pete's Dragon,
and similar to one from ''
Dragon Tales
''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker and developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and produced by Sony Pi ...
'' and many other dragons from children's shows. Because of this, many of the fans call the mascot which means "a friendly monster". The mascot was meant to appeal to children in general, but it ended up being loved by the entirety of the fans. This caused it to be present in all kinds of paraphernalia and merchandise. It is the most recognizable and appreciated mascot in all the region.
However, in early 2010, a new mascot was introduced. The mascot was designed in Mexico and many club supporters felt that it was a campy, superhero-like purple monster. As a result, the new mascot was highly rejected by the fans, claiming that "" (We don't want a super hero dinosaur, we want the original spirit of the team).
The new mascot was replaced immediately after the strong rejection, and the team now has a new mascot that resembles the original. The new costume was manufactured by Fernando Thiel, a widely recognized Argentina-born puppeteer who lives in Costa Rica.
Honours
National
*
Primera División de Costa Rica
The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Fútbol de Primera División (FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Unión de Clubes ...
: 37
:1952, 1953, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2003–04,
2005–06,
2006–07,
Invierno 2007,
Verano 2008,
Invierno 2008,
2010 Verano,
2014 Verano,
2014 Invierno,
2015 Invierno,
2016 Invierno,
2018 Clausura,
2020 Clausura,
2021 Clausura,
2022 Apertura
*Costa Rican Short Championships: 8
::1997–98 Clausura, 1998–99 Apertura, 1998–99 Clausura, 2003–04 Apertura, 2005–06 Apertura, 2005–06 Clausura, 2006–07 Apertura, 2006–07 Clausura
*Costa Rican Cup: 6
:: 1950, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1972,
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 fa ...
*Costa Rican Super Cup: 3
:: 1963, 1976, 2021
*
Segunda División de Costa Rica
Costa Rican Second Division also known as Liga Motorola for sponsorship reasons, is a professional league formed on 1921 for association football clubs in Costa Rica. It is the country's second-tier/division football competition, which is contest ...
: 1
:: 1948
*
Tercera División de Costa Rica: 1
:: 1947
International
*
CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 36 appearances
::Winners (3):
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 peacefu ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
,
2005
::Runners-up (2):
2004,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
*
CONCACAF League
The CONCACAF League was an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF as its second-tier continental competition. It was announced on 8 May 2017.
The competition uses a knockout cup format with each round having two le ...
: 3 appearances
::Winners (1):
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 ...
::Runners-up (1):
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
*
Central American Club Championship: 17 appearances
::Winners (5):
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...
,
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
,
1978,
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
,
2003
::Runners-up (7):
1971,
1974,
1996,
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
,
2001,
2004,
2007
*
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 ...
: 2 appearances
::Runners-up (2):
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 peacefu ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
*CONCACAF Central American Champions: 1 appearance
::Winners (1):
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
*US Camel Cup: 1 appearance
::Winners (1): 1985
*
FIFA World Club Championship
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 ...
: 1 appearance
::Third place (1):
2005
*CONCACAF League Fair Play:
::Winners (1): 2019
Performance in CONCACAF competitions
*
CONCACAF Champions League: 35 appearances
::
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
– Semi-finals
::
1965 – Final (not continued)
::
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
– Semi-finals
::
1970
Events
January
* January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC.
* January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
– Semi-finals
::
1971 – Second Round
::
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
– ''Finalist''
::
1974 – First Round
::
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
– Semi-finals
::
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...
– Semi-finals
::
1978 – Third Round (Quarter-finals)
::
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
– First Round
::
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 enter ...
– First Round
::
1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...
– Quarter-finals
::
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
– Fourth Round (Quarter-finals)
::
1992 – First Round
::
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 peacefu ...
– Champion
::
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
– Champion
::
1996 – Second Round
::
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
– Third place
::
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
– Quarter-finals
::
2002 – Round of 16
::
2004 – ''Finalist''
::
2005 – Champion
::
2006 – Semi-finals
::
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
– ''Finalist''
::
2008–09 – Group Stage (Top 16)
::
2009–10 – Group Stage (Top 16)
::
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. ...
– Semi-finals
::
2014–15 – Quarter-finals
::
2015–16 – Group Stage (Top 24)
::
2016–17 – Quarter-finals
::
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 Unit ...
– Round of 16
::
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 ...
– Round of 16
::
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
– Round of 16
::
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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
– Round of 16
*
CONCACAF League
The CONCACAF League was an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF as its second-tier continental competition. It was announced on 8 May 2017.
The competition uses a knockout cup format with each round having two le ...
: 3 appearances
::
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 ...
– Champion
::
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
– ''Finalist''
::
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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
– Quarter-finals
Records and statistics
Player records
, -
Current squad
As of November 6, 2022
Non-playing staff
List of coaches
* Roberto Fernández ''"Beto"'' (1936–47)
* José Francisco García ''"Pachico"'' (1947–50)
*
Otto Bumbel
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded f ...
(1951–53)
* José Francisco García ''"Pachico"'' (1953–55)
*
Alfredo Piedra
Alfredo Piedra Mora (16 August 1915 – 18 December 2003) was a Costa Rican footballer and manager.
Playing career
Club
Piedra made his debut for Orión on 24 May 1936 against Herediano, immediately scoring two goals. He went on to win two l ...
''"Chato"'' (1955–56)
*
Carlos Peucelle
Carlos Desiderio Peucelle (13 September 1908 – 1 April 1990) was an Argentine football player who played as an inside forward or as a right winger and is considered one of Argentina's finest wingers in their history. He is also known for being ...
(1957–58)
*
Eduardo Viso Abella (1958–61)
* Jorge Thomas (1961)
*
Alfredo Piedra
Alfredo Piedra Mora (16 August 1915 – 18 December 2003) was a Costa Rican footballer and manager.
Playing career
Club
Piedra made his debut for Orión on 24 May 1936 against Herediano, immediately scoring two goals. He went on to win two l ...
''"Chato"'' (1962–64)
*
Mario Cordero
Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top defenders to have played the game.
Club career
Better known as ''Catato'' or ''Pi ...
''"Catato"'' (1964–67)
* José Ramos Costa (1967)
*
Mario Cordero
Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top defenders to have played the game.
Club career
Better known as ''Catato'' or ''Pi ...
''"Catato"'' (1968–70)
*
Marvin Rodríguez (1971–76)
*
Jozef Karel
Jozef Karel (13 September 1922 in Humenné – 26 September 2005 in Košice) was a Slovak association football, football player and coach. A midfielder, he played for SAC Sečovce, Snaha Košice, 1. FC Tatran Prešov, Slávia Prešov, ŠK Slovan ...
(1977–79)
* Giovanni Rodríguez (1979–80)
* Marcos Pavlovsky (1980)
*
Mario Cordero
Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top defenders to have played the game.
Club career
Better known as ''Catato'' or ''Pi ...
''"Catato"'' (1980)
* Wálter Elizondo (1981–82)
* Giovanni Rodríguez (1982–83)
*
Javier Mascaró (1983)
* José Mattera (1984–85)
*
Marvin Rodríguez (1985–86)
*
Walter Ormeño
José Francisco Walter Ormeño Arango (3 December 1926 – 4 January 2020) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper.
Career
Born in Lima, Ormeño played for Club Universitari ...
(1986)
* Rigoberto Rojas ''"Feo"'' (1986)
* Guillermo Hernández ''"Coco"'' (1986–87)
* Raúl Higinio Bentancor (1987–88)
* Josef Bouska (1988–91)
*
Odir Jacques
Odir Jacques Ferreira (born April 2, 1946) is a retired Brazilian soccer striker who played most of his career in Costa Rica.
Club career
El Salvador
Before moving to Costa Rica, Jacques Ferreira started at Bangu in Brazil's Carioca Leagu ...
(1991)
*
Rolando Villalobos (1991–92)
*
Odir Jacques
Odir Jacques Ferreira (born April 2, 1946) is a retired Brazilian soccer striker who played most of his career in Costa Rica.
Club career
El Salvador
Before moving to Costa Rica, Jacques Ferreira started at Bangu in Brazil's Carioca Leagu ...
(1992–93)
*
Fabrizio Poletti
Fabrizio Poletti (; born 13 July 1943) is a former Italian football (soccer), football Association football manager, manager and former association football, player who played as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, full-back.
He is reme ...
(1993)
*
Julio César Cortés
Julio César "''El Pocho''" Cortés Lagos (born 29 March 1941) is an Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder who participated in three World Cups with the Uruguay national team.
At the club level, Cortés was most successful during t ...
''"Pocho"'' (1993)
*
Carlos Watson (1993–94)
* Carlos Linaris (1994–95)
*
Luis García ''"Chiqui"'' (1995–96)
*
Carlos Watson (1996)
*
Jorge Olguín
Jorge Mario Olguín (born 17 May 1952 in Dolores, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine footballer who played as a defender. He is perhaps most famous for having been part of the 1978 World Cup winning team. Since his retirement as a player h ...
(1996–97)
*
Alexandre Guimarães
Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães (born 7 November 1959) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of América de Cali.
Born and raised in Brazil, Guimarães played for the ...
(1997–99)
*
Carlos Santana (1999)
* Jorge Flores (1999)
*
Alexandre Guimarães
Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães (born 7 November 1959) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of América de Cali.
Born and raised in Brazil, Guimarães played for the ...
(1999–00)
*
Miguel Company
Miguel Alejandro Company Chumpitazi (born January 12, 1945) is a Peruvian association football, football coach, ex-football player (1965–1973), and sports reporter.
Playing career
Company didn't have a great track record during his playing day ...
(2000)
* Jorge Flores (2000)
*
Valdeir Vieira ''"Badú"'' (3 Nov 2000–01)
*
Evaristo Coronado
Evaristo Coronado Salas (born 13 September 1960) is considered the best Costa Rican football striker during the 1980s.
Club career
Born in Ciudad Cortés, Coronado is one of the most recognized sports figures in his country. He played his e ...
(2001)
*
Enrique Rivers (2001)
*
Patricio Hernández
Patricio Hernández (born 16 August 1956) is an Argentine football coach and former player.
Hernández started his career in 1974 at Estudiantes de La Plata, a club that he would later manage. He soon earned a reputation as a skillful attacki ...
(2001–02)
*
Vladimir Quesada
Vladimir Quesada Araya (born 12 May 1966) is a former Costa Rican association football, football player who played his entire career with Deportivo Saprissa, during the 1980s and 1990s.
Club career
Quesada came through the Saprissa youth system ...
(2002)
*
Manuel Keosseian (10 May 2002 – 30 June 2003)
*
Hernán Medford
Hernán Evaristo Medford Bryan ( , ; born May 23, 1968) is a Costa Rican former Association football, football player and coach. Highly regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Central American football, Medford achieved su ...
(1 July 2003 – 30 October 2006)
*
Jeaustin Campos
Jeaustin Campos Madriz (born June 30, 1971) is a Costa Rican football manager and retired player. He is currently the manager for Saprissa.
Club career
He was one of the most famous Costa Rican soccer midfielders during the 1990s and play ...
(1 July 2007 – 2 November 2009)
*
Roy Myers
Roy Anthony Myers Francis (born April 13, 1969 in La Francia de Siquirres) is a Costa Rican former football player who played most of his career with Deportivo Saprissa.
Club career
Myers was known as ''El Maravilloso'' (The Marvellous) due ...
(1 Jan 2010 – 31 December 2010)
* Juan Manuel Álvarez (1 Jan 2011 – 30 June 2011)
*
Alexandre Guimarães
Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães (born 7 November 1959) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of América de Cali.
Born and raised in Brazil, Guimarães played for the ...
(1 July 2011 – 31 May 2012)
*
Daniel Casas (1 July 2012 – 31 December 2012)
*
Rónald González Brenes (1 Jan 2013 – 30 September 2014)
*
Jeaustin Campos
Jeaustin Campos Madriz (born June 30, 1971) is a Costa Rican football manager and retired player. He is currently the manager for Saprissa.
Club career
He was one of the most famous Costa Rican soccer midfielders during the 1990s and play ...
(30 September 2014 – 17 September 2015)
*
Douglas Sequeira
Douglas Esteban Sequeira Solano (Also known as ''El Esqueleto Sequeira'') (born 23 August 1977 in San José, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender.
Club career Early career
Sequeira started his c ...
(18 September 2015 – 15 October 2015)
*
Carlos Watson (15 Oct 2015 – 17 December 2017)
*
Vladimir Quesada
Vladimir Quesada Araya (born 12 May 1966) is a former Costa Rican association football, football player who played his entire career with Deportivo Saprissa, during the 1980s and 1990s.
Club career
Quesada came through the Saprissa youth system ...
(18 Dec 2017 – 3 February 2019)
*
Walter Centeno
Wálter Centeno Corea (born 6 October 1974) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and current manager of Guadalupe.
He was a regular member of the Costa Rica national team and holds the record ...
(3 Feb 2019 – 7 February 2021)
*
Roy Myers
Roy Anthony Myers Francis (born April 13, 1969 in La Francia de Siquirres) is a Costa Rican former football player who played most of his career with Deportivo Saprissa.
Club career
Myers was known as ''El Maravilloso'' (The Marvellous) due ...
(8 Feb 2021 – 18 April 2021)
*
Mauricio Wright
Wílber Mauricio Wright Reynolds (born 20 December 1970 in San José, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was a key member of the Costa Rica national team for over ten years.
Club career
Wri ...
(20 Apr 2021 – 9 November 2021)
*
Iñaki Alonso
José Iñaki Alonso Rodríguez (born 7 August 1968) is a Spanish football manager.
Manager career
Born in Durango, Biscay, Basque Country, Alonso began his managerial career at local SCD Durango, and subsequently managed neighbours SD Eibar B ...
(10 Nov 2021 – present)
See also
*
*
List of Deportivo Saprissa players
This is a list of notable Deportivo Saprissa players - footballers who have played for the Costa Rica Association football, football club. Generally, this refers to players who are considered to have made significant contributions to the club's hi ...
References
http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/saprissa-intl.html
http://www.rsssf.com/tablesf/fraternidad.html#71
http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/ca2.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20160112090854/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/ca1.html
http://www.rsssf.com/tablesu/uncaf-club.html
External links
*
{{Authority control
Saprissa
Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The team's signature colours are purple ...
Association football clubs established in 1935
1935 establishments in Costa Rica
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