Club The Strongest is a
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
n professional
football club based in
La Paz, that currently plays in the
Bolivian Primera División
The División de Fútbol Profesional is the top-flight professional football league in Bolivia. Until 2017 it was known as the "Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano" (; en, Bolivian Professional Football League).
Since 1950, a total of 16 club ...
.
Founded in 1908,
their team colours are yellow and black. Although they have a home ground,
Estadio Rafael Mendoza, (capacity: 15,000), they play most of their games at the
Estadio Hernando Siles
Estadio Hernando Siles is a multi-purpose stadium in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the country's largest stadium, with a capacity of 41,143 seats. It is named after Hernando Siles Reyes, the 31st President of Bolivia (1926–1930).
The stadium is locat ...
, Bolivia's national ground (capacity: 42,000). The club is the oldest active football club in Bolivia and the only team to have played continuously in the country's top division for longer than a century.
The club was well represented in the Bolivian squad at the
1994 FIFA World Cup, the last such tournament in which the national team participated, by
Marcelo Torrico,
Gustavo Quinteros
Gustavo Domingo Quinteros Desabato (born 15 February 1965) is a football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. He is the current manager of Chilean club Colo-Colo. Born in Argentina, he played for the
Bolivia nat ...
,
Óscar Sánchez and
José Melgar.
History
Early Years
The Strongest was founded on 8 April 1908 by a group of 12 students and were originally known as "The Strong Football Club", before later becoming "The Strongest Football Club", or ''El Club Mas Fuerte'' in Spanish. Its first President and founder was José León López Villamil. Its first championship was in 1911, well before any of the current Bolivian teams had even been created.
In 1930, The Strongest became the first and only Bolivian team to win a League championship with no goals scored against them. The same year, The Strongest inaugurated the Estadio Hernando Siles, with a 4–1 victory against its classical rival (at the time),
Universitario.
It is the only football team in the world to have a battle named after it. In the
Chaco War
The Chaco War ( es, link=no, Guerra del Chaco, gn, Cháko Ñorairõ[Bolivian Army
The Bolivian Army ( es, Ejército Boliviano) is the land force branch of the Armed Forces of Bolivia.
Figures on the size and composition of the Bolivian army vary considerably, with little official data available. It is estimated that the arm ...](_blank)
. A division largely composed of these "Stronguistas" played a vital part in the Bolivian Army's most important victory. As a result of that, the battle is named "
Batalla de Cañada Strongest" in Bolivian history books.
The club was one of the founding members of the first professional Bolivia league in
1950, with all 9 clubs being from La Paz. With the
1952 Torneo Interdepartamental, the club won its first professional league championship.
The Strongest won the
1964 Copa Simon BolÃvar, which gave it qualification for its first ever continental competition; the
1965 Copa Libertadores, at a time when only national champions entered the tournament. The club achieved Bolivia's first victory outside of the country on a club level, defeating Ecuador's
Deportivo Quito
Sociedad Deportivo Quito is an Ecuadorian non-professional club football club based in Quito. For most of its existence, it competed in Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. And currently competes in the Seg ...
. The team finished 2nd in its group that year, behind Argentina's
Boca Juniors.
1967–1980: Rafael Mendoza era
Arguably the greatest president in The Strongest's history,
Rafael Mendoza was in charge of the club from 1967 to 1980. In that time, he dealt with the Viloco Tragedy and with many economic hardships, consequent of the political instability of Bolivia and the global economic depression.
One of the greatest achievements was to consolidate the Achumani Sports Complex where the
Estadio Rafael Mendoza currently sits. There were many hardships to reach this goal. First, the club had to secure the lands, which were much more extensive than the small lot the club had in Achumani, near the more centrally located Achumani Market. "Don Rafo", in a meeting with other directors, said that now was the time to stop thinking small and start thinking in the future of the team.
The stadium was built and rebuilt (after the river kept eating away at the foundations for some time) from 1974 to 1986. Along with this, the complex was finished including tennis, racquetball, volleyball, and basketball courts. It also has a swimming pool and dining facilities.
"Don Rafo" is best remembered for his hard work in the Achumani Sports Complex. However, he was also one of the few club presidents to put money into the club. Also, in this time, The Strongest achieved great national and international success. Some events to remember in his presidency are the visit by
Pelé's
Santos team in 1971, an amazing game against
Boca Juniors led by
Antonio Roma
Antonio Roma (13 July 1932 – 20 February 2013) was an Argentine football goalkeeper.
Nicknamed ''Tarzan'' for the way of throwing himself for the ball, he started his professional career with Ferrocarril Oeste in 1955, where he played unti ...
and
, and many national championships including the formation of the
Bolivian Professional Football League.
1969: The Viloco tragedy
On 24 September 1969, a local holiday, the team was invited to participate in an
exhibition game
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
in Santa Cruz organized by the Asociacion Cruceña de Fubol (Santa Cruz's football association); the team had played its last official match on 14 September, and the friendly game was part of a break from their local competition.
On 26 September, the day the team was due to return from Santa Cruz by plane, it was announced that the aircraft, a
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano S.A.M. (abbreviated LAB and internationally known as LAB Airlines), was the flag carrier and principal airline of Bolivia from 1925 until it ceased operations in 2010. Before its demise it was headquartered in Cochabamba ...
DC-6 that was carrying twenty members of the team, had disappeared. A day later, there was news that the plane had crashed near Viloco, a rural area between the Tres Cruces Peaks. All sixty-nine passengers, including the entire squad, and five crew members died. The cause of the crash was attributed to
pilot error
Pilot error generally refers to an accident in which an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pilot's failure to make a correct decision or take proper a ...
.
Luis Gini,
Marco Antonio Velasco, and
Rolando Vargas didn't board the plane due to their injuries.
Members of the team who died in the crash were:
*
Armando Angelacio
* Orlando Caceres
*
Hernán Andretta
*
Héctor Marchetti
Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'', m ...
*
Eduardo Arrigó
*
Raúl Oscar Farfán
*
Julio Alberto DÃaz
*
Oswaldo Franco
* Ernesto Villegas
* Jorge Durán
*
Angel Porta
*
Juan Iriondo
*
Oscar Guzmán
*
Jorge Tapia
*
Germán Alcázar
*
Oscar Flores
*
Diógenes Torrico
*
Eustaquio Ortuño (coach)
*
José Ayllón Guerra (manager)
*Felipe Aguilar (staff)
1977–2013: Inaugural league champion and ''Tricampeonato''
In 1977, the club was one of the founding members of the
Bolivian Professional Football League, and won the
first edition. From 1979 to 1981, the club finished as runner-ups three consecutive times. In 1989, they won the league title, and earned the right to play in the Copa Libertadores the following year: the
1990 Copa Libertadores, where the club was eliminated in the second round by
Universidad Católica.
In 2003 the club won both tournaments of the year: Apertura and Clausura, becoming the first "Bicampeon" (two-time champion) of the new league format under Argentine manager
Néstor Clausen
Néstor Rolando Clausen (born 29 September 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender.
A native of Arrufó, Santa Fe Province, his ancestors were originally from Ernen, Valais in Switzerland and emigra ...
.
The highest achievement in an international competition for The Strongest was achieved in the
2005 Copa Sudamericana, when the squad led by coach Eduardo Villegas eliminated its classic rivals BolÃvar 4–2 on aggregate (first and second legs both ended in 2–1 victories). Later, the team went on to defeat Ecuador's
LDU Quito
Liga Deportiva Universitaria (), often referred to as Liga de Quito, LDU, is an Ecuadorian professional football club based in Quito. They play in the Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. They play their ho ...
– including a 3–0 victory in
Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
. The Strongest was eliminated by Mexican side
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 ...
in the third round (round of 16) 4–3 on aggregate, who later went on to become runners-up to cup winners Boca Juniors.
The club became the first "Tricampeon" (three-time champion) of Bolivian football following its
2013 Apertura league title under Bolivian manager
Eduardo Villegas
Eduardo Andres Villegas Camarena (born 29 March 1964) is a Bolivian association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
Club career
Villegas began his career at hometown club :es:C ...
. ''Tigre'' had previously won the
2012 Apertura and Clausura tournaments.
2014–present: Recent history
In the
2016 Copa Libertadores, The Strongest made its debut in the competition by historically beating
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 GaWC a ...
at
Pacaembu Stadium
Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho, colloquially known as Estádio do Pacaembu (), is an Art Deco stadium in São Paulo, located in the Pacaembu neighborhood. The stadium is owned by the Municipal Prefecture of São Paulo. The stadium w ...
1–0 with a goal from
MatÃas Alonso, earning their first Copa Libertadores away win in 34 years. Their last away win in the competition was a 3–2 victory against
Técnico Universitario in April 1981. The club eventually placed third in the group with 8 points and 2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.
In
2017 the club had arguably its best ever run in the Copa Libertadores. The club entered the tournament in the second phase and beat
Montevideo Wanderers
Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the cl ...
6–0 on aggregate. In the next phase, it had to face
Unión Española
Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional association football, football club based in the Independencia, Chile, Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile. They currently participate in the Chilean Primera Division, Primera D ...
, and beat them 6–1 on aggregate, including a 5–0 home victory which equalled their highest international win margin. The club made the group stage, and was drawn with
Santos,
Independiente Santa Fe, and
Sporting Cristal
Club Sporting Cristal S.A. is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, football team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the RÃmac District, RÃmac district by engineer Richard BentÃn Mujica ...
. They began their group stage campaign by beating Santa Fe 2–0 in La Paz. Then they lost their only game of that group, 2–0 against Santos in Brazil. They went on to draw three more games while beating Sporting Cristal 5–1. The club finished second in the group, giving them qualification for the round of 16, where they faced
Lanús
Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lanà ...
. The first leg was a 1–1 draw in La Paz, and the second one was a 0–1 win for Lanus in Argentina, so the Bolivian club was narrowly eliminated 2–1 on aggregate.
Kit
The Strongest adopted the yellow and black stripes upon foundation in 1908. While looking for a proper uniform, a friend sent the founders a shirt from Germany that sported a dark green with horizontal, yellow stripes. Upon this, one of the founders commented on how a local bird, the
Chayñita, had similar colours. The club adopted the idea and since 1908, the main outfit has been vertically striped yellow and black with a varying number of stripes.
The supplementary uniform has commonly been white with yellow and black, though there have been several other combinations such as a full yellow top and black shorts and even full yellow outfit. More recently, an all black secondary uniform has been adopted for
Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
matches.
It is sometimes claimed that the similarity to the kit of
Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...
of
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, Uruguay is due to the fact that The Strongest lacked originality and imitated those colours. However, this theory is countered by the argument that Peñarol did not adopt a full striped kit until the 1911 season,
and was an unknown team at the time (won 4 titles in its 24-year existence, up to that point).
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 ...
: 28 appearances
::Best: Second Round in 1990, 1994, 2014, and 2017
::1965 – First Round
::1971 – First Round
::1975 – First Round
::1978 – First Round
::1980 – First Round
::1981 – First Round
::1982 – First Round
::1987 – First Round
::1989 – Group Stage
::1990 – Second Round
::1994 – Second Round
::2000 – Group Stage
::2001 – Group Stage
::2003 – Group Stage
::2004 – Group Stage
::2005 – Group Stage
::2006 – Group Stage
::2012 – Group Stage
::2013 – Group Stage
::2014 – Round of 16
::2015 – Group Stage
::2016 – Group Stage
::2017 – Round of 16
::2018 – Group Stage
::2019 – Second stage
::2020 – Second Stage
::2021 - Group Stage
::2022 - Group Stage
*
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 ...
: 4 appearances
::2003 – Quarter-finals
::2005 – Second Round
::2011 – First stage
::2013 – First stage
::2022 – 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 ...
: 2 appearances
::1995 – First Round
::1997 – Preliminary Round
*
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 ...
: 2 appearances
::1998 – Group stage
::1999 – Group stage
Honours
National honors
*
División Professional:
::Winners (15): 1952, 1964, 1974, 1977, 1986, 1989, 1993, 2003-A, 2003-C, 2004-C, 2011-A, 2012-C, 2012-A, 2013-A, 2016-A
::Runners-up (16): 1970, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1999, 2005-AD, 2015-C, 2016-C, 2017-A, 2017-C, 2018-A, 2018-C, 2019-A, 2019-C, 2022-A
Records and other achievements
* First team to win an organized football Championship in the country (Copa Prefectural 1911, organized by the regional government),
* First team to win an official title (organized by an official football entity) (Campeonato Liga 1914, organized by the LPFA),
* First undefeated champion in the country (1914 League, 6 wins and 1 tie),
* First multiple champion of Bolivian football (six straight league titles after 1916),
* Only team to finish a season with no goals conceded (1930 LPFA Championship),
* Only team to have won all the official titles in an entire decade (between 1916 and 1925),
* Only Bolivian team to win a title in several categories (Champion LPFA 1914 and Champion Second Division 1914),
* First Bolivian team to win a game abroad in an official cup (1–0 in Ecuador against
Deportivo Quito
Sociedad Deportivo Quito is an Ecuadorian non-professional club football club based in Quito. For most of its existence, it competed in Serie A, the highest level of the Ecuadorian professional football league. And currently competes in the Seg ...
for the 1965 Copa Libertadores de América),
* Oldest Bolivian team, reaching the 100-year milestone playing in the top division,
* Oldest and one of two teams (with
Oriente Petrolero
Club Deportivo Oriente Petrolero () is a Bolivian football club based in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. They play at the 38,000-capacity Estadio Tahuichi Aguilera. Oriente have been Bolivian champions five times, Copa Aerosur winners two ti ...
), to have never been relegated,
Current squad
Notable players
''See also
:The Strongest players.''
Managers
*
Ramiro Blacut
Ramiro Blacut Rodriguez (born 3 January 1944 in La Paz) is a Bolivian former international footballer. He was a member of the Bolivian team that won the 1963 South American Championship.
Career
During his career, he represented Club BolÃvar an ...
(1980–81)
*
Carlos Aragonés
Carlos Aragonés Espinoza (born 16 February 1956), nicknamed "Aragonez" in Brazil, is a former Bolivian football (soccer) midfielder, who is Bolivia national team's third-placed all-time goalscorer. He played for several top-level clubs of Bo ...
(1992–93)
*
Ramiro Blacut
Ramiro Blacut Rodriguez (born 3 January 1944 in La Paz) is a Bolivian former international footballer. He was a member of the Bolivian team that won the 1963 South American Championship.
Career
During his career, he represented Club BolÃvar an ...
(1994)
*
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (; born 15 July 1954) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer, he finished as La Liga's top goalscorer twice with Valencia and amassed 11 ...
(1999)
*
Jorge Habegger
Jorge Habegger (born 19 October 1946) is an Argentinian football coach.
Career
Habegger started his career as coach in Colombia. He has trained clubs in Argentina, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; ...
(1 July 2000 – 30 June 2001)
*
Néstor Clausen
Néstor Rolando Clausen (born 29 September 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender.
A native of Arrufó, Santa Fe Province, his ancestors were originally from Ernen, Valais in Switzerland and emigra ...
(1 January 2004 – 30 June 2004)
*
VÃctor Hugo Antelo (2004)
*
Eduardo Villegas
Eduardo Andres Villegas Camarena (born 29 March 1964) is a Bolivian association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
Club career
Villegas began his career at hometown club :es:C ...
(2005)
*
Rolando Chilavert (6 September 2006–06)
*
Óscar Carmelo Sánchez (2007)
*
Félix Berdeja (2007 – 31 July 2007)
*
Eduardo Villegas
Eduardo Andres Villegas Camarena (born 29 March 1964) is a Bolivian association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
Club career
Villegas began his career at hometown club :es:C ...
(2007)
*
Bernardo RedÃn
Bernardo RedÃn Valverde (born 26 February 1963 in Cali) is a retired Colombian football player. He is the current manager of Cúcuta Deportivo.
Playing career Club
During the 1980s Bernardo Redin was part of Deportivo Cali's Dinamic Duo w ...
(2008)
*
Julio César Toresani (1 January 2009 – 30 May 2009)
*
Sandro Coelho (2009–10)
*
Néstor Craviotto
Néstor Oscar Craviotto (born 3 October 1963 in La Plata) is an Argentina, Argentine Association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He is the current manager of Colombian club A ...
(1 July 2010 – 30 June 2011)
*
Néstor Clausen
Néstor Rolando Clausen (born 29 September 1962) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a defender.
A native of Arrufó, Santa Fe Province, his ancestors were originally from Ernen, Valais in Switzerland and emigra ...
(15 January 2011 – 15 July 2011)
*
Mauricio Soria (21 June 2011 – 19 March 2012)
*
Úber Acosta ''(interim)'' (20 March 2012 – 23 March 2012)
*
Eduardo Villegas
Eduardo Andres Villegas Camarena (born 29 March 1964) is a Bolivian association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender.
Club career
Villegas began his career at hometown club :es:C ...
(23 March 2012–1?)
*
Néstor Craviotto
Néstor Oscar Craviotto (born 3 October 1963 in La Plata) is an Argentina, Argentine Association football, football manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He is the current manager of Colombian club A ...
(5 June 2014–15)
*
Pablo Caballero (2015–16)
*
Mauricio Soria (2016)
*
César FarÃas
César Alejandro FarÃas Acosta (born 7 March 1973) is a Venezuelan football manager, currently in charge of Ecuadorian club Aucas.
FarÃas is known for having coached Deportivo Táchira, Mineros de Guayana, Deportivo Anzoátegui and the Ve ...
(2016–2017)
*
Carlos Ischia
Carlos Ischia (born 28 October 1956 in Buenos Aires) is a former Argentine footballer.
Playing career
Ischia played for Chacarita Juniors and Vélez Sársfield in Argentina as well as representing the Argentina national football team.
In 1 ...
(5 January 2018– 26 March 2018)
*
Cesar Farias (26 March 2018– December 2018)
*
Pablo Escobar (December 2018– August 2019)
*
Mauricio Soria (September 2019 - March 2020)
*
Alberto Illanes (April 2020 - April 2021)
*
Gustavo Florentin (April 2021 - August 2021)
*
Christian DÃaz
Christian Lionel DÃaz (born 12 May 1976) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a left back. He is the current manager of Bolivian club Jorge Wilstermann.
Playing career
Born in Florencio Varela Partido, Buenos Ai ...
(August 2021–)
See also
*
List of accidents involving sports teams
This is a list of accidents where all or part of a major sports team had been killed or seriously injured.
Sports teams fatalities from aviation accidents and incidents
''(Click on date for associated article)''
1. Frölunda chartered three p ...
External links
*
Official site
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strongest
Association football clubs established in 1908
Football clubs in La Paz
Football clubs in Bolivia
1908 establishments in Bolivia