Sporting Cristal
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Club Sporting Cristal S.A. is a Peruvian
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 ...
located in the city of
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
, best known for its football team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the
Rímac district Rímac is a district in the Lima Province, Peru. It lies directly to the north of downtown Lima, to which it is connected by six bridges over the Rímac River. The district also borders the Independencia, San Martín de Porres, and San Juan de ...
by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica and his wife Esther Grande de Bentín, stockholders of the Peruvian brewery
Backus and Johnston Backus and Johnston (, ''Backus y Johnston'') is the largest brewery in Peru, part of Bavaria Brewery, which itself is part of the international AB InBev group. Its main brewery is located in the Ate District of Lima. Backus, as owner of almost ...
. The club and the brewery have been closely linked since its inception, and it is for this reason that it is popularly known as ''los Cerveceros'' ("the brewers"). The team has played in the Primera División since 1956, where it obtained the title that year. Due to this achievement, Cristal is often referred to as "El club que nació campeón". Since their first participation, they have won the league title 19 times and are one of the few teams in Peru to have never been relegated from the top division. Sporting Cristal is also the first Peruvian team to have been crowned ''tricampeóns'', successively winning the 1994, 1995, and 1996 seasons. In 1997, they were runners-up of 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 ...
, losing
the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
to Brazilian side Cruzeiro. Cristal holds the longest undefeated streak in the tournament; 17 games without suffering a loss. Cristal has a heated rivalry with
Club Universitario de Deportes Club Universitario de Deportes, popularly known as Universitario or simply as La "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of S ...
. One of the main reasons for the enmity between the two sides is the series of transfers of Universitario's star players to ''los Celestes''. The club also has rivalries with
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams i ...
,
Deportivo Municipal Club Centro Deportivo Municipal, commonly known as Deportivo Municipal, is a Peruvian football club based in Lima, Peru. They are among Peru's most recognizable clubs and enjoy considerable popularity. The bulk of their success was won a few ye ...
, and
Sport Boys Sport Boys Association, commonly referred to as Sport Boys or simply Boys, is a Peruvian football club based in the port city of Callao. It was founded on 28 July 1927. Its classic and historic rival is the Atlético Chalaco against whom dispute ...
. Sporting Cristal plays its home games at the
Estadio Alberto Gallardo Estadio Alberto Gallardo is a football stadium in the Rimac District of Lima, Peru, named after Alberto Gallardo, a former Peruvian football player and manager who played several years for Sporting Cristal. It is the home of football club Spo ...
. They play at the Estadio Nacional for international competitions such as the
Libertadores ''Libertadores'' (, "Liberators") were the principal leaders of the Spanish American wars of independence from Spain and of the movement in support of Brazilian independence from Portugal. They are named that way in contrast with the ''Conquistad ...
or Sudamericana. The Estadio Nacional is also the venue for matches against Universitario and Alianza Lima. In addition to football, the club has teams specializing in
futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...
, women's football (3
Peruvian Primera División Femenina Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...
titles), and
volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
.


History

Ricardo Bentín Mujica, with the support of his wife, co-owners of
Backus and Johnston Backus and Johnston (, ''Backus y Johnston'') is the largest brewery in Peru, part of Bavaria Brewery, which itself is part of the international AB InBev group. Its main brewery is located in the Ate District of Lima. Backus, as owner of almost ...
brewery, was the man who is credited with achieving the company's goal. A club from Rímac ward, known as ''Sporting Tabaco'' founded in 1926 and originally belonging to the tobacco growers' union, was already playing in the professional
Peruvian First Division Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...
. Never having won a national championship, the club was in dire economic straits. Bentín decided to buy the club and search for a playing ground, so that the club could develop and be able to play better at the professional level. The club found a lot in the neighborhood of ''La Florida'' of 137,000 m². On December 13, 1955 the club was founded as Sporting Cristal , after Backus' best-known beer brand, ''Cristal''. The new club from the Rímac ward debuted in 1956 in the professional Primera Division and won their first national title that same year. Journalists thus called them the club born a champion (''nació campeon''). The team managed to win more titles over the years and was known as one of the best football clubs in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
after Universitario and
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams i ...
. A few years later, the club eliminated the word ''Backus'' from their name to demonstrate their economic independence. During the 1962 edition until the 1969 edition of the Copa Libertadores, Sporting Cristal went on an 17-game undefeated streak, the longest unbeaten streak in the Copa Libertadores, winning 8 games, and tying 9. Sporting Cristal changed its shirt color from blue to light blue. They are known as "Los Celestes". During a brief period between 1978 and 1981, they again used blue shirts. In 1982 they returned to light blue as the color of the club. The 1990s were the most successful decade as they claimed 4 national titles (including 3 in a row) with coach
Juan Carlos Oblitas Juan Carlos Oblitas Saba (16 February 1951 in Mollendo, Arequipa) is a retired Peruvian footballer, who is a football manager, who is nicknamed ''El Ciego'' ("The Blind One"). Oblitas was an extraordinary outside left wing forward at the natio ...
. Under Oblitas, Cristal won 1991, 1994 and 1995 domestic league. Then, guided by Sergio Markarián
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
they won 1996 league. By 1997, the team, led by
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an coach Sergio Markarián, reached the finals of 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 ...
, where they faced the Brazilian club '' Cruzeiro''. The first leg was a home game, in which they ended in a scoreless draw; in the second leg, they lost 1–0. This is the closest Team Peru has come to the Copa Libertadores Final since 1972, when Universitario had a similar fate playing against Independiente. The club stayed on the top spots of the national tournament during most of the 2000s and gained qualification to 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 ...
eight years in a row from 2000 to 2007. It would only win two titles during the decade which were obtain in 2002 and 2005 with many notable players as Sergio Leal, Jorge Soto and Luis Alberto Bonnet. However, during the 2007, Cristal would come four points away from relegation. It would make a comeback during the 2008 season and qualify to the Copa Libertadores once again. In 2009, the Primera División Peruana would change the tournament structured which caused Sporting Cristal to have mediocre results for the next few years into the new decade. After a seven-year dry spell it would become the national champion once more during the 2012 season when it defeated
Real Garcilaso Cusco Fútbol Club (known as ''Real Garcilaso'' until 2019) is a professional Peruvian football club based in the city of Cusco, that competes in the Liga 2, the top flight of Peruvian football. History Beginnings The club was founded in ...
in the finals. They qualified to the 2013 Copa Libertadores where they did not pass the tournament's group stage. In the 2013 season, they played on the same liguilla as Real Garcilaso and fought for a place in the final up to the last match of the season in which they finished third and qualified for the 2014 Copa Libertadores once more. In the 2018 season, they conquered another historical feat, they became the best Team Peru in the Historic Table during the Professional Era (1966 - 2018). As of 2018, they surpassed Universitario for the first spot, 3264 points to Universitario's 3236 points.


Rivalries

Sporting Cristal has had longstanding rivalries with Universitario,
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, popularly known as Alianza Lima or simply Alianza, is a Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. It is widely known for having one of the most historical and successful football teams i ...
,
Deportivo Municipal Club Centro Deportivo Municipal, commonly known as Deportivo Municipal, is a Peruvian football club based in Lima, Peru. They are among Peru's most recognizable clubs and enjoy considerable popularity. The bulk of their success was won a few ye ...
, and
Sport Boys Sport Boys Association, commonly referred to as Sport Boys or simply Boys, is a Peruvian football club based in the port city of Callao. It was founded on 28 July 1927. Its classic and historic rival is the Atlético Chalaco against whom dispute ...
.


Supporters

Cristal has three
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 ...
or ''barra bravas'' known as ''Extremo Celeste'', ''Fverza Oriente'' ''Gvardia Xtrema''. Fverza Oriente was the first
ultra adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. ' ...
of Cristal, founded in 1975. They are located on eastern grandstand of the stadiums. Extremo Celeste was formed in 1991 when a group of young fans from Fuerza Oriente decided to form a new group for young energetic supporters. ''Extremo Celeste'' has become one of the biggest ''barras bravas'' in Peru. And in 2007 a smaller third
ultra adopted by British military intelligence in June 1941 for wartime signals intelligence obtained by breaking high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications at the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. ' ...
was created in the western grandstand to support the team. Sporting Cristal had supporters on every grandstand on
Estadio Alberto Gallardo Estadio Alberto Gallardo is a football stadium in the Rimac District of Lima, Peru, named after Alberto Gallardo, a former Peruvian football player and manager who played several years for Sporting Cristal. It is the home of football club Spo ...
.


Honours


National


League

*
Peruvian Primera División The Peru First Division (; ''First Division'') —known as Liga 1 Betsson for sponsorship reasons and officially as Liga 1 — is the top flight of association football in Peru. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since 1966, when ...
: ::Winners (20): 1956, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 ::''Runner-up (14):'' 1962, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2021 * Torneo Apertura/Fase 1: ::Winners (4): 2003, 2015, 2018, 2021 ::''Runner-up (6):'' 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2019 * Torneo Clausura/Fase 2: ::Winners (6): 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2016 ::''Runner-up (5):'' 2000, 2008, 2020, 2021, 2022 * Torneo de Verano: ::Winners (1): 2018 * Torneo Regional: ::Winners (3): 1989-I, 1991-I, 1991-II * Torneo Interzonal: ::Winners (1): 1982


National Cup

*
Copa Bicentenario The Copa Bicentenario is a football competition in Peru played by the football clubs of the Liga 1 and Liga 2. It was founded in 2019 by the Peruvian Football Federation and is played as a domestic football cup competition between clubs of the f ...
: ::Winners (1): 2021


International

*
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 ...
: ::''Runner-up (1):'' 1997


Friendly International

*
Copa El Gráfico-Perú The Copa El Gráfico-Perú, was an international exhibition game, exhibition association football, football competition hosted in Peru since 1999 until 2006. It features teams from Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. All matches are played at the ...
: ::Winners (2): 2001, 2006 ::''Runner-up (1):'' 2002-II * Copa Marlboro: ::Winners (1): 1988


Under-20 team

* Torneo de Promoción y Reserva: ::Winners (3): 2016, 2018, 2019 ::''Runner-up (3):'' 2014-I, 2015-III, 2017 * Copa Modelo Centenario: ::Winners (1): 2016 * Copa Generación: ::Winners (1): 2021


Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

*
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 ...
: 34 appearances :Runners-up (1): 1997 :: 1962, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009,
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 ...
, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 *
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 ...
: 2 appearances :: 2018: First Stage :: 2019: Round of 16 *
Copa CONMEBOL The Copa CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contes ...
: 1 appearance ::1994: Quarter-finals *
Copa Merconorte The Copa Merconorte () was an international football competition organized by CONMEBOL from 1998 to 2001 by clubs from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela and starting in 2000 clubs from the CONCACAF confederation were invited in ...
: 4 appearances ::1998: First Round ::1999: First Round ::2000: First Round ::2001: First Round *
U-20 Copa Libertadores The Under-20 CONMEBOL Libertadores (Portuguese and Spanish: CONMEBOL Libertadores Sub-20) is the international association football club competition for teams that play in CONMEBOL leagues. It was created by Manuel Burga Seoane and the Peruvian ...
: 1 appearance ::2012: Group Stage


Women’s volleyball

* Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol: ::''Runner-up (1)'': 2013–14


Players


Current squad

.


Out on loan


Presidential history


Records


Year-by-year

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Sporting Cristal. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Sporting Cristal seasons.


Managerial history

List of Sporting Cristal managers through club history.


Notes


References


External links


Sporting Cristal
Official Club Website * {{Primera División Peruana Football clubs in Lima Association football clubs established in 1955 1955 establishments in Peru