Club Deportivo O'Higgins
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O'Higgins Fútbol Club (), also known as O'Higgins de Rancagua, is a Chilean professional
football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...
based in
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, that currently plays in the Campeonato Nacional. The club's home stadium is
Estadio El Teniente Estadio El Teniente, also known as Estadio Codelco El Teniente for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Rancagua, Chile. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium can fit 14,087 people and was ...
, opened in 1945 and renovated for the
2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
, which was hosted by Chile. Founded in 1955, the club was named in honour of the country's
founding father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...
and supreme director
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...
, after the merger of the clubs
O'Higgins Braden O'Higgins Braden was a Chilean football club based in the city of Rancagua. The club was founded on 1954 and merged between Instituto O'Higgins and Braden F.C.. Later, after won the Segunda División, the club merged in 1955 with América d ...
and
América de Rancagua The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
. O'Higgins has won two
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
titles, and in 2013 they won their first top-flight championship against Universidad Católica, coached by
Eduardo Berizzo Manuel Eduardo Berizzo Magnolo (; born 13 November 1969) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of Liga MX club León. During his 18-year professional career he played for six teams in four countr ...
; they later won the 2014
Supercopa de Chile The Supercopa de Chile (''Supercup of Chile'') is an annual one-match football official competition in Chile organised by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP). This competition serves as the season opener and is played between t ...
on penalty kicks against
Deportes Iquique Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean professional football club based in Iquique, currently playing in the Chilean Primera División. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capac ...
.


History


Establishment

On 7 April 1955, after the merger of
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
's cross–town rival:
O'Higgins Braden O'Higgins Braden was a Chilean football club based in the city of Rancagua. The club was founded on 1954 and merged between Instituto O'Higgins and Braden F.C.. Later, after won the Segunda División, the club merged in 1955 with América d ...
(that was born in 1954 from the merger between
Braden F.C. Braden may refer to: *Braden (given name) *Braden (surname) *Braden, Illinois, an unincorporated community, United States *Braden, Tennessee, a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States *Braden, Union County, Tennessee, an unincorporated com ...
and Instituto O'Higgins) and
América de Rancagua The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
, the club was founded thanks to
Carlos Dittborn Carlos Dittborn Pinto (1924–1962) was a Chilean football administrator. In his lifetime, he served as president of Universidad Católica and of CONMEBOL (the governing body of football in South America) and was the head of the organizing commi ...
, the president of the Asociación Central de Football, who offered to put the name of the O'Higgins, which represents workers of
Codelco The National Copper Corporation of Chile (), abbreviated as Codelco, is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper mining company in the world. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1 ...
in the city, under the name of Braden Copper; the name was also chosen in reference to the country's
founding father The following is a list of national founders of sovereign states who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e., political system ...
and supreme director
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...
, an important character of the
Colonial Chile In Chilean historiography, Colonial Chile () is the period from 1600 to 1810, beginning with the Destruction of the Seven Cities and ending with the onset of the Chilean War of Independence. During this time, the Chilean heartland was ruled by ...
during the 1810s, who also identified with the city of
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
. The colours of the club were originally from the Instituto O'Higgins, which were red, blue, and white. However, the
Football Federation of Chile Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' generally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonl ...
prohibited using the colors of the national team, so the club directors decided that the uniform would be
sky blue Sky blue refers to a collection of shades comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. Typically it is a shade of cyan or light teal, though some iterations are closer to light Azure (color), azure or light blue. The term (as "sky blew") is atte ...
, based on
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
's uniform, earning then the nickname of ''La Celeste''. The stadium was named Estadio
Braden Copper Company Braden Copper Company was an American company that controlled the El Teniente copper mine in Chile until 1967 when its copper holdings were nationalized. History Braden Copper Company was founded on 18 June 1904 by E.W. Nash, Barton Sewell, Willi ...
after the name of the company from its opening until the
1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the 7th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place between ...
, when the name was changed to its current name, Estadio El Teniente, based on the El Teniente mine. On 21 April 1955, the Asociación Central de Football decided that the team will play in the Primera División for the next season, with the first president being Nicolás Abumohor and the first
head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
being
Francisco Hormazábal Francisco Hormazábal Castillo (born 4 July 1920 — 13 January 1990) was a Chilean people, Chilean association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. Career As a youth player, Hormazábal was with club Escuela 57 fro ...
. Their first game in the Campeonato Nacional was a 2–0 loss to
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
on 8 May 1955. Their first win came on 22 May of that same year, a 3–2 home victory against Ferrobádminton. In their first league tournament, the club finished ninth in the table, which put them in the relegation play-offs, where they earned their permanence in the top tier.


First seasons, relegations, and comebacks

The first great season of the club was in the 1959 season, where the club finished in fourth place under the orders of Argentine coach
José Salerno José Antonio Salerno Dullan (4 June 1914 – 19 February 1984) was an Argentine football player and manager. Playing career A left winger, Salerno played for Argentinos de Banfield and retired at a young age due to a leg fracture. Managerial c ...
, only four points behind league champion
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
and behind third-placed team
Santiago Wanderers Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers is a football club based in Valparaíso, a founding member of the Chilean Football Federation. Their home ground, Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander, is in the north-west of the city. Wanderers have played their ...
on goal difference, making this one of its most successful Primera División campaigns, with
José Benito Ríos José Benito Ríos González (born 4 March 1935–30 May 2008) was a Chilean people, Chilean association football, footballer. Honours Club ;Lota Schawager * Primera B (Chile), Segunda División: 1969 Individual * Campeonato Nacional (Chile), ...
as the key player and top scorer of the tournament with 22 goals. A few seasons later, the team was relegated to the
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
after a poor campaign in
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 Cove ...
. The next season, with the signings of the defender Federico Vairo and the attacking midfielder Mario Desiderio, both from the
Argentine Primera División The Primera División (; ), known officially as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Betano for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Argentina and the highest level of the Argentine football league system. Organ ...
, the team returned to Primera División. In special, the performances of Vairo consecrated him as the best footballer in the club's history according to the supporters of
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, who chose the
Rosarian Some Garden rose, rose growers are known for their particular contributions to the field. These include: A *David C.H. Austin (1926–2018), British breeder of English-style roses including the Rosa 'Wife of Bath', 'Wife of Bath' B *Barbier ...
centre back with the honour in 1999. Since the promotion in 1964, the club had average seasons, finishing mid-table, despite suffering the departures of Federico Vairo and Mario Desiderio to the
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n side
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful football t ...
in 1966. In the 1973 season, under the orders of the coaches Luis Vera and Jorge Aretio, O'Higgins and
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
both finished in third place behind of
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
and
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
, its best result since the 1959 season. In the 1975 season, the club was relegated again, but returned for the 1977 season after finishing runner up of the 1976 Primera B. After a notable 1978 tournament, where the team finished third in the league with
Luis Santibáñez Luis Alberto Santibáñez Díaz (7 February 1936 – 5 September 2008) was a Chilean football manager. As a team coach he won the Chilean title four times, once with Unión San Felipe (1971) and three times with Unión Española (1973, 1975, ...
as head coach, it achieved qualification to the following edition of the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
by winning the Liguilla Pre-Libertadores, in which they achieved their biggest win for an international contest against
Deportivo Galicia Deportivo Galicia Fútbol Club (later Galicia de Aragua) was a traditional Football (soccer), football club from Venezuela that competed in Segunda División Venezolana. History Founded in Caracas, the club moved, in 2002, to Maracay, in the st ...
, beating the
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
n side 6–0 at El Teniente, and also achieved its most important away win for an international tournament, winning 1–0 in
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
to the same Galicia. In the following season the club reached the fifth place in the league with Santibáñez as head coach again, qualifying to the
1980 Copa Libertadores The Copa Libertadores 1980 was the 21st edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. Club Nacional de Football, Nacional of Uruguay won the competition defeating Brazilian club Sport Club Internacional, Inter ...
via the Libertadores Liguilla after a notable unbeaten run of five matches, and winning the Liguilla over another strongers clubs,
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
,
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a professional Chilean football league system, Chilean football club based in Calama, Chile, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. They compete in the Primera B de Ch ...
and
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
.


Copa Libertadores appearances, Copa Chile finals

While managing indifferent league form in the early 1980s, the club had its first South American success in the form of the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
. In the 1980 edition, O'Higgins reached the semi-finals, after overcoming the group stage where they faced
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
,
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...
and Sol de América, only by goal difference, since all the teams had obtained 6 points (2 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), they managed to advance to the semifinals of the competition for the first time. Key players such as Miguel Ángel Neira (the team's top scorer with 3 goals in the tournament), Juvenal Vargas, Juan Rogelio Núñez, the
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
ans
Nelson Acosta Nelson Bonifacio Acosta López, nicknamed ''Pelado Acosta'' (''Bald'' Acosta), (born 12 June 1944 in Paso de los Toros, Uruguay) is a former Uruguayan-born Chilean football manager and footballer. He became a naturalized Chilean citizen in 1984 ...
and Washington Olivera, the Argentine goalkeeper
Miguel Leyes Miguel Ángel Leyes (born 5 February 1952 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine naturalised Chilean former footballer and current manager who played for clubs in Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico and Ecuador. Teams As player * Huracán 1971 ...
and the defender with participations in the Chilean national team René Serrano were the backbone of the great participation of the sky-blue team. In the second phase they faced
Club Nacional de Football Club Nacional de Football (, ''National Football Club'') is a Uruguayan professional sports club based in La Blanqueada, La Blanqueada, Montevideo. The club was founded on 14 May 1899 as a result of the merger between ''Uruguay Athletic Club'' an ...
and
Club Olimpia Club Olimpia is a Paraguayan professional sports club based in the city of Asunción. It promotes the practice of various sports, with most importance given to the football, rugby and basketball sides, football being the most successful. Fou ...
, losing in all four games without being able to score goals in the definition phase. This is the best historical participation of the club in the most prestigious continental tournament. During the 1984 edition of 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 ...
, the club finished last in its group, which was made up of fellow Chileans Universidad Católica, and Bolivian clubs Bolivar and
Blooming Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...
. In the
league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...
, the team had poor campaigns from 1981 to 1983, although the club defeated
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
6–1 in the 1983 season, and reached their first Copa Chile final, where it lost to Universidad Catolica in a liguilla group. After financial problems with
Codelco The National Copper Corporation of Chile (), abbreviated as Codelco, is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper mining company in the world. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1 ...
, the company owner of the club, the club was relegated to the
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
in the 1985 season, with the possibility of being relegated to the
Tercera División Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
for another controversy related to
Codelco The National Copper Corporation of Chile (), abbreviated as Codelco, is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper mining company in the world. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1 ...
. The next season, the club won the regular season and qualified to the promotion playoffs, but failed to win the group that consisted of 6 teams. In the 1987 season, with the defenders
Gabriel Mendoza Gabriel Rafael Mendoza Ibarra (born 22 May 1968), commonly known as Coca Mendoza, is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a right-back and central midfielder. Mendoza was member of Colo-Colo's historic squad that achieved 199 ...
and Atilio Marchioni as key players, the club returned to the Primera División, after an exciting final with
Lota Schwager Lota Schwager Sports Club is a Chilean professional team based in Coronel that currently play in Tercera A (fourth-tier). History The Lota Schwafer Sports Club was founded on 10 May 1966 as a merge between the Federico Schwager Club (named a ...
at
Talca Talca () is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the city had a population of 201,142. The city is an important ...
. Years later, the club hired
Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
as coach for the
1992 Copa Conmebol The 1992 Copa CONMEBOL was the first edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Sixteen teams from the ten South American football confederations qualified for t ...
, in which they were eliminated by
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
side Gimnasia de La Plata in the first round, in that occasion with players like Claudio Borghi, who won the
1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...
with Argentina, the talented playmaker
Jaime Riveros Jaime Eduardo Riveros Valenzuela (, born 27 November 1970) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Background He began his career in 1992 at Rancagua side O'Higgins, near Quinta de Til ...
and the striker
Gustavo De Luca Carlos Gustavo De Luca (born 13 February 1962) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a forward for various clubs in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Switzerland. Club career As a youth player, De Luca was with Club San Fernando and River Pl ...
, one of the most prolific goalscorers in Chilean football during the 1990s. In the 1992 season the club finished 6th in the league's aggregate table, giving them an opportunity to qualify for the
1993 Copa Libertadores The Copa Libertadores 1993 was the 34th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. São Paulo won the competition. Qualified teams Draw The champions and runners-up of each football association were dr ...
via the Liguilla, but the club eventually failed to qualify for continental competitions after losing to U Catolica. Midway through the 1993 season, Pellegrini left to manage U de Chile. In the 1994 season, under the orders of Roberto Hernández, O'Higgins reached the
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 ...
finals, after beating Universidad de Chile 2–1 at the Estadio Nacional in the semi-finals. However, in the final against
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
, the club lost on penalties, whilst for the Primera División tournament, the Rancaguan side finished in the third place of the table, therefore missing out on achieving
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
qualification. The next season, O'Higgins failed to qualify to the Libertadores Liguilla, ending only in the sixth position of the Primera División tournament.


The Instability: 1996–2004

In the 1996 season, the club signed great players, such as midfielder Clarence Acuña,
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
playmaker
Gerardo Martino Gerardo Daniel "Tata" Martino (born 20 November 1962) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player who last coached Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. Martino played mostly for Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario. He ...
, and strikers Carlos Poblete and
Ariel Cozzoni Ariel Osvaldo Cozzoni (born 21 January 1964) is a former Argentine football striker. He played club football in Argentina, France, Mexico and Chile. Career Cozzoni started his professional playing career in 1985 with Newell's Old Boys. He was lo ...
. However, the team got relegated to the
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
, after finishing last in the table. In 1997, an Apertura and Clausura format was used, which made it difficult to achieve promotion since it wasn't utilised in the Clausura. Although O'Higgins had great campaigns that season, finishing in the top 4 of both tournaments, it failed to achieve promotion. Two years later, under the orders of René Serrano, the team achieved promotion to the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...
again. In 1999, the Rancagua club finished in tenth place, in which
Mario Núñez Mario Antonio Núñez Villarreal (born 2 March 1976) is a Chilean former footballer well remembered for his spell at O'Higgins. He played as a striker. Club career A product of the O'Higgins youth system, Núñez is one of the historical goa ...
and Jaime González also became the most successful goalscorer pair in Chilean football with 57 goals between both strikers. In the 2001 season, with financial problems and a poor season, it returned to the
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
, having gone through three managers:
Guillermo Páez Guillermo Alejandro Páez Cepeda (born 18 April 1945) is a former Chilean association football, footballer who played for 6 clubs of Chile and in the Chile national football team in the FIFA World Cup Germany 1974. Personal life He is the older ...
,
Rubén Espinoza Rubén Alberto Espinoza Molina (born 1 June 1961) is a retired Chilean international football midfielder. Playing career Espinoza was capped 30 times for the Chile national team between 1983 and 1991. In 1991, he won the Libertadores de Amér ...
, and Luis Droguett. Luis Droguett almost saved the club from being relegated, including a victory against Colo-Colo, but ultimately it was not enough to stay in the top tier. In 2002, under Luis Droguett's orders, the club had a decent season in the second tier but wasn't fighting for the promotion playoffs. For the 2003 season, Droguett was replaced by Eduardo Salas. The economic problems in the club were evident again, and for the most part the club used youth players. These problems resulted in the club's failure to be promoted again, although they were in the promotion spots (top 2 of table) until a 2–0 loss with Everton, which moved the club to a fourth-place finish. The
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
season was very similar to the previous season; although the club had a very promising start, it failed to reach the Primera División again after being defeated 3–0 by
Deportes Melipilla Deportes Melipilla is a Chilean football club, based on Melipilla, a comune in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It was founded on January 24, 1992, as a successor of ''Club Deportivo Soinca Bata''. The club has its classic rival, San Antonio Un ...
, under the orders of the
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
an head coach Sergio Nichiporuk, who had replaced Eduardo Salas in June. Despite the sports failure, the club was also experiencing hard financial problems, mainly because of
Codelco The National Copper Corporation of Chile (), abbreviated as Codelco, is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper mining company in the world. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1 ...
but also because of irregularities in the board. However, in December 2004, it was reported that the ANFP's former president and entrepreneur
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
would buy the team to fix the situation.


Abumohor takeover, Garcés and Sampaoli era

For the 2005 season, ex-goalkeeper Nelson Cossio became the club's new manager. However, the club started to distance itself from the promotion places after a run of six winless matches. After a draw to
Deportes Copiapó Club de Deportes Copiapó — or simply Deportes Copiapó — is a Chilean football club based in Copiapó, Atacama Region. Founded in 1999 after Regional Atacama's folding, it currently plays in the Primera División, the first level ...
in August, Cossio was sacked. Shortly after Cossio was sacked, the club was purchased by ANFP's former president,
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
, who bought the team from
Codelco The National Copper Corporation of Chile (), abbreviated as Codelco, is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper mining company in the world. It was formed in 1976 from foreign-owned copper companies that were nationalised in 1 ...
, having the
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
title as the principal objective for the return to the Primera División. He brought in manager
Gerardo Silva Gerardo Silva may refer to: * Gerardo Silva (Mexican footballer) (born 1965), Mexican football manager and player * Gerardo Silva (Chilean football manager) (born 1962) * Gerardo de los Cobos Silva (born 1962), Mexican politician {{hndis, S ...
as Cossio's replacement, and the club eventually achieved that long awaited objective, defeating
Deportes Melipilla Deportes Melipilla is a Chilean football club, based on Melipilla, a comune in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. It was founded on January 24, 1992, as a successor of ''Club Deportivo Soinca Bata''. The club has its classic rival, San Antonio Un ...
4–3 on aggregate for the promotion with
Hugo Brizuela Hugo Rolando Brizuela Benítez (born 8 February 1969) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. Career Brizuela started his career with Sol de América in his homeland, with whom he won the 1991 Paraguayan Pri ...
and
Mario Núñez Mario Antonio Núñez Villarreal (born 2 March 1976) is a Chilean former footballer well remembered for his spell at O'Higgins. He played as a striker. Club career A product of the O'Higgins youth system, Núñez is one of the historical goa ...
as the key players of the success. The next season, the club signed
Jorge Garcés Jorge Luis Garcés Rojas (born 13 May 1954) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently in charge of Juan Fernández Islands team for the 2024 Copa Chile. Manager Garcés was born in Talca. He s ...
as coach, qualifying for the playoffs of the Torneo Clausura, where they beat
Coquimbo Unido Coquimbo Unido is a Chilean football club based in the city of Coquimbo. The club was founded in 1958 and has played in the Chilean Primera División since being promoted in 2022. Their home games are played at the Estadio Municipal Francisco Sán ...
in the quarter finals and were eliminated by
Audax Italiano Audax Club Sportivo Italiano () is a Chilean football club based in La Florida playing in the Campeonato Nacional, having has spent most of its history in the top tier of Chilean football. History The club was founded by Italian residents in S ...
in the semi-finals with controversial decisions made by referee
Rubén Selman Rubén Marcos Selmán Albornoz (25 July 1963 – 10 February 2020) was an association football referee from Chile. Refereeing career Selman was born in Santiago, and started refereeing in his twenties at games featured in the minor Chilean divi ...
. In the 2007 season, O'Higgins finished twelfth in 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 ...
table and were eliminated by
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
during the playoffs for the
Clausura 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 ...
. The first leg ended in a 5–0 precipitous loss at
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
; this result basically sealed the series for the whites with the second leg at
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
, which finished 1–1, but 6–1 in Colo-Colo's favor on global. In December 2007, after the departure of
Jorge Garcés Jorge Luis Garcés Rojas (born 13 May 1954) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently in charge of Juan Fernández Islands team for the 2024 Copa Chile. Manager Garcés was born in Talca. He s ...
to Deportes Concepción, the club reached an agreement with
Jorge Sampaoli Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (; born 13 March 1960) is an Argentine football coach. Sampaoli started out as a youth player and eventually switched to management after a severe injury. Sampaoli started with an impressive coaching run at Coronel Bol ...
of
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
. Sampaoli had a successful season during the Apertura 2008, with talented players like
Jean Beausejour Jean André Emanuel Beausejour Coliqueo (; born 1 June 1984) is a Chilean former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Wing-back, left-sided wing-back. He played in Chile, Switzerland, Bra ...
and
Carlos Carmona Carlos Emilio Carmona Tello (; born 21 February 1987) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Carmona started his career as a centre midfielder in Coquimbo Unido. Two years later he moved to O'Higgin ...
, finishing third in the league table but being eliminated in the playoff quarter-finals by
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
. In the
Clausura 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 ...
, it had a similar season, and the team was eliminated by
Palestino The term ''Palestino'' is the Spanish word for "Palestinian". The word "''Palestino''" is used in Cuba as a disparaging nickname for illegal migrants within the country. The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants ...
in the quarter-finals. In 2009, Sampaoli was fired after a game with
Universidad de Concepción Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...
, due to failing to qualify for the Clausura play-offs because of a 15th-placed league finish, and having suffered a 6–1 defeat with
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
for 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 ...
play-off quarter-finals at
Estadio Santa Laura Estadio Santa Laura is a football stadium in Independencia, Santiago, Chile. It is the home stadium of Unión Española. The stadium holds 19,887 people and was built in 1922. It is a multi-use stadium, also used for concerts. Deep Purple i ...
. The board signed Roberto Hernández again as coach for the 2010 season. Hernandez brought the team into the top 5 places into the table during the first half of the season, but after the FIFA World Cup break he started to have poor results, so he was fired and Marco Antonio Figueroa arrived as a replacement. The most important achievements of Figueroa's period was beating
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
1–0 at the Estadio Nacional and
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
2–1; however the team finished in a mediocre 10th place and Figueroa left the club for
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
club
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
. The club's board signed up
Ivo Basay Ivo Alexie Basay Hatibović (born 13 April 1966) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Magallanes. Apart from being a regular choice for the Chile national football team in the ...
to face the 2011 season, where the club finished fifth in the Apertura league table and qualified to the play-offs, with Fernando De la Fuente and
Enzo Gutiérrez Enzo Hernán Gutiérrez Lencinas (, born 28 May 1986) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean club Santiago Wanderers. Club career Early career Gutiérrez was born at Charata, Argentina. He began his career at capital clu ...
as key players. In the play-offs stage, O'Higgins beat
Palestino The term ''Palestino'' is the Spanish word for "Palestinian". The word "''Palestino''" is used in Cuba as a disparaging nickname for illegal migrants within the country. The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants ...
, reaching the semi-finals against
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
, in which they were defeated 8–1 on aggregate. Basay was sacked in the 2011 Clausura, with poor results and the 7–1 loss against U de Chile in the Apertura semi-finals being the deciding factors.


Eduardo Berizzo era: First league and supercopa title

In December 2011, the club's board signed manager
Eduardo Berizzo Manuel Eduardo Berizzo Magnolo (; born 13 November 1969) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of Liga MX club León. During his 18-year professional career he played for six teams in four countr ...
for the 2012 season. The year started of abrupt form with Fernando De la Fuente's departure after a strong discussion with new head coach Berizzo and his assistant,
Roberto Bonano Roberto Oscar Bonano (born 24 January 1970) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Already in his 30s, he moved from River Plate to Spain where he spent the remainder of his 17-year professional career in representation ...
. It was then confirmed that the player would be loaned to
Deportes La Serena Club de Deportes La Serena S.A.D.P., is a Chilean football club based in the city of La Serena, Coquimbo Region. The club was founded 9 December 1955 and plays in the second division of the Chilean football league. Their home games are play ...
, which meant that O'Higgins were losing of this form one of the best
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
s in Chilean football to face the Torneo de Apertura, given that De la Fuente had a great 2011 season. However, the club's board surprised the public with the signings of Argentine attacking midfielder
Ramón Fernández Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA tit ...
, who had previously been tempted by the country's powerhouse clubs:
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
and
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
, the Paraguayan footballer Rodrigo Rojas, who played for River Plate, and finally defender Julio Barroso, who played for
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...
and was champion of the 2005 U-20 World Cup with
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
.


Berizzo's first season and first final

On 27 January 2012, Berizzo achieved his first competitive victory with the club in a league match against
Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
with a goal from new signing
Ramón Fernández Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA tit ...
, narrowly losing the next match at the capital Santiago with
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
1–0. On 25 February, the team achieved its most important victory against
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
at home, a 3–0 victory with goals from
Enzo Gutiérrez Enzo Hernán Gutiérrez Lencinas (, born 28 May 1986) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean club Santiago Wanderers. Club career Early career Gutiérrez was born at Charata, Argentina. He began his career at capital clu ...
,
Guillermo Suárez Guillermo Alejandro Suárez (born 9 June 1985 in Lincoln, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Coquimbo Unido as winger. Career Suárez started his youth career with Deportivo Armenio in 2001. In 2002, he joined ...
and Ramon Fernández, in where Luis Marín saved a penalty to keep a clean sheet, earning of this form the first place in the league table, which was lost when Universidad Católica defeated the team 2–1 on 11 March. Despite this loss, the team achieved four consecutive wins, with Julio Barroso and Rodrigo Rojas as the key players, a run that finished when
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
defeated the club 2–1 on 15 April. Despite the defeat at the city of
Talcahuano Talcahuano () (From Mapudungun ''Tralkawenu'', "Thundering Sky") is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile. ...
, the team bounced back and beat
Palestino The term ''Palestino'' is the Spanish word for "Palestinian". The word "''Palestino''" is used in Cuba as a disparaging nickname for illegal migrants within the country. The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants ...
5–0 at home in the next match. The following week, a 1–0 away victory over
Santiago Wanderers Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers is a football club based in Valparaíso, a founding member of the Chilean Football Federation. Their home ground, Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander, is in the north-west of the city. Wanderers have played their ...
in
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
gave the club qualification to the
2012 Copa Sudamericana The 2012 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes (officially the 2012 Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary international club football tournament organized by ...
, where they were eliminated by
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...
in the first stage 7–3 on aggregate. The team qualified for the play-offs after a successful Apertura tournament, where the club finished second in the table, only under U. de Chile. The club had to begin the play-offs by facing
Unión La Calera Unión La Calera is a Chilean football club based in La Calera, Chile. The club competes in the Primera División de Chile. It was founded as Club de Deportes La Calera on 26 January 1954, after the merger of three teams from the city: ''Condor' ...
in the quarter-finals. In the first match at La Calera on 24 May, the team won 1–0 with a
free kick A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play. Association football In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
scored by Ramón Fernández, who did not celebrate the goal as he was planning to leave the club at the conclusion of the season. In
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
for the second match, the club clinched a 3–2 victory, thanks to
Enzo Gutiérrez Enzo Hernán Gutiérrez Lencinas (, born 28 May 1986) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Chilean club Santiago Wanderers. Club career Early career Gutiérrez was born at Charata, Argentina. He began his career at capital clu ...
, who scored an incredible
bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
that defeated keeper Lucas Giovini. In the semi-finals, the club faced
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
at
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
in the first leg, where the club was defeated 1–0 at the
Estadio Santa Laura Estadio Santa Laura is a football stadium in Independencia, Santiago, Chile. It is the home stadium of Unión Española. The stadium holds 19,887 people and was built in 1922. It is a multi-use stadium, also used for concerts. Deep Purple i ...
, but won the second match 2–1 with goals of
Luis Pedro Figueroa Luis Pedro Figueroa Sepúlveda (born May 14, 1983) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career He was born in Concepción, and made his debut for U. de Concepción in 2002 (just 18 years old) and was bought by Univer ...
and Rodrigo Rojas, earning a spot in the finals for the first time in its history on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
, after the 2–2 aggregate score. In the first leg of the finals against Universidad de Chile, O'Higgins beat "La U" at home 2–1 with goals of Rojas and the Argentine full back Alejandro López in a match known as ''La tarde de los paraguas felices'' because the rainy and cloudy day of the match in Rancagua. In the second leg on 2 July, played at the Estadio Nacional, the scoreline was 1–1 which put O'Higgins up 3–2 on aggregate, and was about to win their first league title by becoming Torneo de Apertura champions, until the 92nd minute, because with Guillermo Marino's goal the series was equalized at 3–3 and the match went to penalties. "La U" won the penalty shootout 2–0 thanks to their keeper Jhonny Herrera, who saved three penalties. However, the match was full of controversy, because the referee Enrique Osses conceded a non–existent penalty to Marino, that was scored by Aránguiz, and unfairly red-carded centre back Julio Barroso, after Universidad de Chile defender José Rojas had initially taunted Barroso.


Tomé Tragedy

In the Torneo Transición 2013, Berizzo brought in many reinforcements such as Osmán Huerta, Mariano Uglessich, Braulio Leal,
Gonzalo Barriga Gonzalo Felipe Barriga Ahumada (born 21 June 1984) is a retired Chilean Association football, footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career After ending his career of engineering at Duoc UC, Barriga was discovered playing for Provinci ...
and Pablo Calandria among others. In this tournament the club also played the last official match at
Estadio El Teniente Estadio El Teniente, also known as Estadio Codelco El Teniente for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Rancagua, Chile. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium can fit 14,087 people and was ...
, after it was awarded for renovations ahead of the
2015 Copa America Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ' ...
, rotating between
Estadio Santa Laura Estadio Santa Laura is a football stadium in Independencia, Santiago, Chile. It is the home stadium of Unión Española. The stadium holds 19,887 people and was built in 1922. It is a multi-use stadium, also used for concerts. Deep Purple i ...
,
Estadio La Granja The Estadio La Granja is a sports venue which is located in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. The stadium holds 8,278 people and is part of a large sporting complex which also features tennis courts, swimming pools, a gymnasium, a velodrome and som ...
and
Estadio Monumental David Arellano The Estadio Monumental is a association football, football stadium in Macul, south-east of the centre of the Chilean capital Santiago. It serves as the home ground of Colo-Colo, and on occasions also for other clubs and the national football team ...
during the rest of the tournament. After the away victory against
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
at
Estadio CAP Estadio Huachipato-CAP Acero (''Compañía de Acero del Pacífico''), known until 2015 as Estadio CAP, is a football stadium located in Talcahuano, Chile. Inaugurated in 2009, it is the home field of C.D. Huachipato, Huachipato, replacing Estadio ...
in the third matchday of the league, an unfortunate tragedy happened. On 9 February 2013 at around midnight in
Tomé Tomé () is a port List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is bordered by Coelemu to the north, Ránquil and Florida, Chile, Florida to the east, Penco to the south, and the Pacific Ocean t ...
, a bus carrying O'Higgins fans crashed and 16 fans died. Instead of going back to Rancagua, the fans decided to make a stop in
Dichato Dichato is a coastal town located in the commune of Tomé in the Biobío Region, in central Chile. The town is located 37 kilometers north of the city of Concepción, Chile, Concepción and has 4,486 inhabitants according to the 2017 census. Its ...
for a festival. Out of 37 fans in the bus, 16 died and 21 were injured. As a result of the tragic accident, a three-day mourning was declared in Tomé and Rancagua, and fans made a farewell to the deceased at the Estadio El Teniente. O'Higgins eventually finished fourth after an acceptable campaign, where it was beaten by
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
, Universidad Católica and
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a professional Chilean football league system, Chilean football club based in Calama, Chile, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. They compete in the Primera B de Ch ...
. However, the club had to finish third to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana, and therefore missed out.


Another fight for the title

For the 2013–14 Torneo Apertura, O'Higgins is reinforced with players like Fernando Gutiérrez,
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...
and
Pedro Pablo Hernández Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...
. The club started playing this tournament against Deportes Iquique, and win with a goal that was eventually scored by the tournament's top scorer, Pablo Calandria. In the next match the club defeats
Deportes Antofagasta Deportes Antofagasta is a Chilean football club based in the city of Antofagasta currently playing in the Primera B Of Chile. The club's home stadium is the Estadio Bicentenario Calvo y Bascuñán, which has a capacity of 21,178. History The c ...
2–1 with goals from Pizarro and
Gonzalo Barriga Gonzalo Felipe Barriga Ahumada (born 21 June 1984) is a retired Chilean Association football, footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career After ending his career of engineering at Duoc UC, Barriga was discovered playing for Provinci ...
. On the next match day, the club tied with
Audax Italiano Audax Club Sportivo Italiano () is a Chilean football club based in La Florida playing in the Campeonato Nacional, having has spent most of its history in the top tier of Chilean football. History The club was founded by Italian residents in S ...
but after that they team went on a significant winning streak, which began by beating
Cobresal Club de Deportes Cobresal, or simply Cobresal, is a Chilean football club based in El Salvador, Atacama, a Chilean mining camp, and participates in Campeonato Nacional. The team was founded on 5 May 1979, and the name of the club comes from the ...
in
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
, and then
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a professional Chilean football league system, Chilean football club based in Calama, Chile, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. They compete in the Primera B de Ch ...
,
Universidad de Concepción Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...
, Universidad Católica,
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
and a victory over
Unión La Calera Unión La Calera is a Chilean football club based in La Calera, Chile. The club competes in the Primera División de Chile. It was founded as Club de Deportes La Calera on 26 January 1954, after the merger of three teams from the city: ''Condor' ...
in the final minutes, with the club only losing two games against
Palestino The term ''Palestino'' is the Spanish word for "Palestinian". The word "''Palestino''" is used in Cuba as a disparaging nickname for illegal migrants within the country. The nickname is used as a rhetorical device, that compares illegal migrants ...
and
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
.


The match versus Rangers de Talca

On 7 December 2013, the last match day of the championship, the club has to visit
Rangers de Talca Club Social de Deportes Rangers is a Chilean football (soccer), football club based in the city of Talca. The club was founded November 2, 1902 and plays in the Chilean Primera División B, second level of the Chilean football system. Their home g ...
, where the team starts losing with a
Mauricio Gómez Mauricio Alejandro Gómez Rios (born March 5, 1989) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker. Club career Gómez nickname is "Hormona" because on his youth squads he was usually taller than his teammates. He came through the youth ...
goal, but the team did not give up and turned the game around in their favor with a penalty from Pablo Calandria and a goal from Julio Barroso. In the second half, it seemed like the title was slipping from their hands, because Rodolfo González and Esteban Ciaccheri scored at the
Estadio Fiscal de Talca Estadio Fiscal de Talca is a multi-use public stadium in Talca, Chile. It is currently used mostly for association football matches and is the home stadium of Rangers. The stadium was built in 1930 as "Estadio Municipal de Talca". after seve ...
, to put the score at 3–2 in favor of Rangers. Berizzo makes changes and substitutes
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...
and Osmán Huerta into the match, and Huerta, with his first touch of the game, overcomes goalkeeper Nicolás Peric and ties the game at 3–3 with 10 minutes left, but in the 90' Calandria was brought down in the penalty box and referee Patricio Polic awarded a penalty for O'Higgins, along with red-carding Rangers goalkeeper Peric. Since Rangers had already used up all of their available substitutions, midfielder Hugo Diaz had to be the goalkeeper. At the same time, Universidad Católica was winning against La Calera in
Quillota Quillota is a city located in the valley of the Aconcagua River in Valparaíso Region, Chile. It is the capital and largest city of Quillota Province. It is surrounded by the localities of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro. It is ...
, so if O'Higgins tied or lost then Universidad Catolica would be the champion. In the last minute of the match, Calandria scored his penalty, unleashing the wild celebrations of 4,500 fans, with the club having completed an epic comeback to win the match 4–3, after Universidad Católica overcame La Calera 2–0.


The final

After a hard-fought championship title fight against Universidad Católica, both finish the tournament with the same number of points. This meant there had to be a tiebreaking game, after an amendment to championship rules, since before the modification the champion was whoever had a better goal difference if both teams had the same number of points. This was the case for the 2013 tournament, in which
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional football club based in the Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile currently participating in the Primera División de Chile. History Foundation, Amateur Era and First seasons ...
and Universidad Católica had equal points until the last matchday, but the league championship was given to Union Española because it had a better goal difference. On 10 December 2013, in front of a sold-out
Estadio Nacional de Chile es:Estadio is the spanish language word for Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered s ...
, O'Higgins clinched a victory against the Crusaders, with Pablo Hernández scoring the only goal of the match, who ultimately entered club history and in the hearts of the fans as the person to give the club its first Primera División league title.


Supercopa Champion and back to Copa Libertadores

After winning the final of the 2013 Torneo Apertura, the club returns to the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
after almost three decades, (their last participation was in 1984), participating in Group 3 with
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...
,
Deportivo Cali Asociación Deportivo Cali, best known as Deportivo Cali, is a Colombian sports club based in Cali, most notable for its football team, which currently competes in the Categoría Primera A. Deportivo Cali is one of the most successful football t ...
and
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 conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
. The first game was played against Lanús on 13 February 2014 at Estadio Ciudad de Lanús, where the match ends 0–0. In the second match, O'Higgins faced Deportivo Cali at Estadio Monumental in Santiago, where
Yerson Opazo Yerson Flavio Opazo Riquelme (born 24 December 1984) is a former Chilean footballer who played as right-back or right midfielder. Club career Universidad de Chile Opazo began his career at Chilean club, Universidad de Chile. After of play man ...
put the ball past Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón, becoming the first player to score for the club in a Copa Libertadores match in 30 years, with the match ending 1–0 in favor of the ''celestes''. In the third match the club played at the Estadio Monumental again, this time against Cerro Porteño, where the Rancaguan club began winning 2–0 with one of the goals being scored by
Eduardo Alejandro López Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male name Edward. Another version is Duarte (name), Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Dudu (footballer, born 1992) (Eduardo Pereira Rodrigues), Brazilian footballer * Eduardo (footba ...
from a nice free-kick. However, after midfielder Braulio Leal was sent off, the momentum decreased and the Paraguayan club tied the game 2–2. In the next meeting the club played Cerro Porteño again but this time at
Estadio General Pablo Rojas Estadio General Pablo Rojas, locally known as La Olla or La Nueva Olla and for sponsorship reasons known as Estadio ueno La Nueva Olla, is a association football, football stadium in the neighbourhood of Barrio Obrero (Asunción), Barrio Obrero i ...
, where the club are defeated 2–1. In the fifth match the club traveled to Colombia to face Deportivo Cali at
Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero The Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero is a football stadium, also used for athletics, concerts, and rugby sevens, in Cali, Colombia. The stadium is named to honor the poet Pascual Guerrero. The stadium and the sports complex that surrounds it ar ...
, where Yerson Opazo scored one of the best goals in the tournament from about 30 meters, but Deportivo Cali's
Néstor Camacho Néstor Abrahan Camacho Ledesma (born 15 October 1987) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays for Tacuary. Mainly an attacking midfielder or winger, he can also appear as a central midfielder. Club career Born in Villa Florida, Misi ...
tied the game at 1–1, and it finished with that score. In the last group stage match against Lanus, O'Higgins returned to Estadio El Teniente after its renovation for the
2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
. O'Higgins had the chance to make the next round, but Calandria's penalty was saved by Agustín Marchesín, and the game ended 0–0, which meant the ''celestes'' were eliminated from the cup. O'Higgins finished with 7 points and in third place of its group. In the Clausura 2014, O'Higgins ended in third place with 30 points, and in the Accumulated Table as second with 69 points, (surpassing Colo-Colo, Clausura champions) which qualified it to play the
Supercopa de Chile The Supercopa de Chile (''Supercup of Chile'') is an annual one-match football official competition in Chile organised by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP). This competition serves as the season opener and is played between t ...
to see who would be the Superchampion. The game was played at the
Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo, also referred to as Claro Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium, in Las Condes in the metropolitan region of Santiago de Chile. The stadium, located into the San Carlos de Apoquindo Sports Complex ...
against
2013–14 Copa Chile The 2013–14 Copa Chile, (officially known as ''Copa Chile MTS 2013/14'' because of its sponsorship), was the 34th edition of the Copa Chile, the country's national cup tournament. The competition started on June 23, 2013 with the First Round and ...
champion
Deportes Iquique Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean professional football club based in Iquique, currently playing in the Chilean Primera División. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capac ...
. Iquique started winning the match with a goal from
Rodrigo Ezequiel Díaz Rodrigo Ezequiel Díaz (, born 28 August 1981) is an Argentine former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Díaz nickname was El Rengo, the Spanish word for lame or one-legged. Teams * Lanús 2001–2005 * Toluca 2005–2006 * ...
, and O'Higgins leveled the score five minutes before the end of the first half with a goal from
Luis Pedro Figueroa Luis Pedro Figueroa Sepúlveda (born May 14, 1983) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career He was born in Concepción, and made his debut for U. de Concepción in 2002 (just 18 years old) and was bought by Univer ...
. The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes and went into penalties. O'Higgins won 3–2 after Rodrigo Brito of Deportes Iquique missed his penalty, unleashing the joy of over 6,000 celeste fans who came to the
Santiago Metropolitan Region Santiago Metropolitan Region () is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It is the country's only landlocked administrative region and contains the nation's capital, Santiago. Most commercial and administrative centers are loc ...
, and becoming the second Superchampion of Chilean football.


Sava and Sánchez: After Berizzo era

After becoming Chile's super champion, Eduardo Berizzo leaves the institution and joins Celta de Vigo in Spain, thus ending the most successful seasons in the club's history. For the Apertura 2014 the new light blue coach is
Facundo Sava Facundo Sava (born 7 March 1974) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a centre forward. Sava played 17 years of professional football, mainly representing Gimnasia and Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División ...
, players like Luis Valenzuela arrive after his time at
Deportes Antofagasta Deportes Antofagasta is a Chilean football club based in the city of Antofagasta currently playing in the Primera B Of Chile. The club's home stadium is the Estadio Bicentenario Calvo y Bascuñán, which has a capacity of 21,178. History The c ...
, Hans Martínez who came without regularity from Almería, the Uruguayan
Octavio Rivero Raúl Octavio Rivero Falero (born 24 January 1992), known as Octavio Rivero, is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Ecuadorian Serie A side Barcelona S.C., Barcelona SC. Career Beginnings and Urugu ...
, who came to replace the scorer Pablo Calandria who was not registered in the tournament due to a meniscus injury, and the trans-Andean
Jorge Carranza Jorge Carlos Carranza (born 7 May 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Aldosivi. Career statistics Club . Honours ;Instituto *Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, ( ...
,
Damián Lizio Damián Emmanuel Lizio (born 30 June 1989) is a footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. Born in Argentina, he represented the Bolivia national team. Club career River Plate Born in Florida, Buenos Aires, Lizio came through the youth ...
and Fernando Elizari in that championship began with a 2-1 victory over
Unión La Calera Unión La Calera is a Chilean football club based in La Calera, Chile. The club competes in the Primera División de Chile. It was founded as Club de Deportes La Calera on 26 January 1954, after the merger of three teams from the city: ''Condor' ...
, then on the following date they lost against the University of Chile in Rancagua . From then on the club falls into an irregularity within the tournament, the only highlight is the defeat against
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
at the Estadio Monumental by 3-2 with great participation by Octavio Rivero who scored 2 goals, who at the end of the tournament is the scorer of the team with 10 goals. Due to the great tournament he is bought by the
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...
for 3 million
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
. At the end of the championship the light blue team finished in eighth position, with this
Facundo Sava Facundo Sava (born 7 March 1974) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a centre forward. Sava played 17 years of professional football, mainly representing Gimnasia and Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División ...
was dismissed from the team. In the 2015 Clausura, after the dismissal of Facundo Sava, Vitamina Sánchez took over the team,
Hugo Droguett Hugo Patricio Droguett Diocares (born September 2, 1982) is a Chilean former football midfielder. He has also represented Chile internationally. Club career Born in Santiago, Chile, Droguett started his career playing for Universidad Catól ...
, who came from South Korea, and Sebastián Pinto, who returned to the institution after passing in 2011, joined the squad. In the championship they finished in ninth position, qualifying by exclusion to the 2015 Pre-Sudamericana Liguilla because clubs such as Universidad de Concepción, Universidad de Chile,
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
were already classified for the international tournament. In the league O'Higgins faces the Universidad Católica, in the first leg of the first round they face each other at the El Teniente, equaling 2 goals, which were converted by Pablo Calandria, for the crusaders David Llanos and
José Luis Muñoz José Luis Muñoz Muñoz (born 24 July 1987) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a forward. Career In 2022, Muñoz joined Fernández Vial in the Primera B de Chile. He scored an important goal against Lanús in the 200 ...
. In the second leg, Universidad Católica wins 3-1, the discount went to Sebastián Pinto. Once again Pablo Calandria is the team's top scorer with 8 goals. The second part of the year in the 2015 Apertura, the team is reinforced with; Esteban González from
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
and a historic one like
Yerson Opazo Yerson Flavio Opazo Riquelme (born 24 December 1984) is a former Chilean footballer who played as right-back or right midfielder. Club career Universidad de Chile Opazo began his career at Chilean club, Universidad de Chile. After of play man ...
leaves for the plant institution, Pedro Muñoz from the Universidad de Concepción, Emilio Zelaya from
Arsenal de Sarandí Arsenal Fútbol Club (), usually referred as Arsenal de Sarandí , or simply Arsenal, is an Argentine sports club from the Sarandí district of Avellaneda Partido, Greater Buenos Aires. The football team currently plays in Primera Nacional, t ...
and the returns of
Gonzalo Barriga Gonzalo Felipe Barriga Ahumada (born 21 June 1984) is a retired Chilean Association football, footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career After ending his career of engineering at Duoc UC, Barriga was discovered playing for Provinci ...
who came from a loan at
Santiago Wanderers Club de Deportes Santiago Wanderers is a football club based in Valparaíso, a founding member of the Chilean Football Federation. Their home ground, Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander, is in the north-west of the city. Wanderers have played their ...
, and
Ramón Fernández Ramon Sadaya Fernandez (; born October 3, 1953) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and current commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission. Fernandez won four PBA Most Valuable Player awards and a record of 19 PBA tit ...
, Hans Martínez was fired from the club, Sebastián Pinto goes to
Eskişehirspor Eskişehirspor Kulübü is a Turkish football club located in Eskişehir. Founded in 1965, Eskişehirspor competed in the top division of Turkish football for 16 years until they were relegated. After being out of the Süper Lig for 12 years the ...
,
César Fuentes César Nicolás Fuentes González (, born 12 April 1993) is a Chilean footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera División club Deportes Iquique. Career Youth career Fuentes started his career at Primera División de Chile club O'Hi ...
is bought by Universidad Católica and Alejandro López leaves for
Cobresal Club de Deportes Cobresal, or simply Cobresal, is a Chilean football club based in El Salvador, Atacama, a Chilean mining camp, and participates in Campeonato Nacional. The team was founded on 5 May 1979, and the name of the club comes from the ...
. In the tournament the club does not achieve regularity, losing more games as a visitor, finishing undefeated at the El Teniente, however Pablo Sánchez's team fails to compete in the tournament or qualify for the postseason for a place in an international tournament. finishing in seventh position with a performance of 51%, thus ending the Vitamina era in O'Higgins. Pablo Calandria is the team's top scorer with 9 goals and reaches 51 goals for the club and ranks among the historical scorers. In 2016 the club again carried out a campaign fighting for the title until the last date, after the interim Cristián Arán took over as main coach, losing the chance to become champion after a defeat on the last date of the 2016 Clausura championship against the Universidad de Concepción 1-2 at home at the El Teniente, leaving the title to Universidad Católica, which wins its match against
Deportes Iquique Club de Deportes Iquique S.A.D.P. is a Chilean professional football club based in Iquique, currently playing in the Chilean Primera División. Founded in 1978, the club's home stadium is the Estadio Tierra de Campeones, which has a 13,171 capac ...
. In the
2016 Copa Sudamericana The 2016 Copa Sudamericana () was the 15th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary club association football, football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. The 2016 Copa Sudamericana Finals, finals were originally to be played be ...
, the club lost in the penalty shoot-out (5-4), after a 0-0 agreggated against the Uruguayan side
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 ...
. The 2017 started with a failed participation in the
2017 Copa Sudamericana The 2017 Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana was the 16th edition of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (also referred to as the ''Copa Sudamericana'', or ), South America's secondary club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. Argentinian club Independiente ...
, facing the Ecuadorian Fuerza Amarilla, losing in the agreggated 2-1, playing his away game at the
Estadio George Capwell Estadio Banco del Pacífico Capwell is a multi-purpose stadium in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It is currently used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ba ...
. Due to the bad results, the head coach Cristián Arán resigned his contract with the club.
Gabriel Milito Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current head coach of Liga MX club Guadalajara. Milito began and concluded his professional career at Ind ...
was the head coach assignated for the next tournamente, finishing in 14th position in the 2017 Transición. Despite this, the club was only in 5th annual position in the relegation table, due to its previous campaign. After Milito's resignation, Mauricio Larriera takes over the team, achieving poor results, which costs him his job midway through the season. The team takes a boost in the final stretch of 2018 season led by Marco Antonio Figueroa, finishing eighth, but out of international competitions, also marking the retirement of sky-blue scorer Pablo Calandria, who scored at his last game a penalty against
Audax Italiano Audax Club Sportivo Italiano () is a Chilean football club based in La Florida playing in the Campeonato Nacional, having has spent most of its history in the top tier of Chilean football. History The club was founded by Italian residents in S ...
.


Currently situation: 2020's of Ups and Downs

In 2019 he again had a regular campaign, finishing the year in eighth place, with Maximiliano Salas being his top scorer with 6 goals. The year 2020 marked by the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic forced the Campeonato Nacional to stop for a time. After the resumption of the tournament, the team fought relegation until the arrival of Dalcio Giovagnoli, with whom the team managed to escape reaching 10th position, winning their match on the last day against
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
in the last minute with a penalty goal from
Tomás Alarcón Tomás Jesús Alarcón Vergara (born 19 January 1999) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays for Colo-Colo and the Chile national team. Mainly a defensive midfielder, he can also play as a central defender. Club career O'Higgins Born ...
, who was sell to
Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
at the end of the season, which cost the white team to compete in the promotion league due to relegation. The following seasons have been marked by the team's irregularity and also by the failure to qualify for international tournaments, marking in 2021 the departure of Giovagnoli and the fleeting entry of Miguel Ramírez during the second semester. The year 2022 was directed solely by the Argentine strategist Mariano Soso, and despite the fact that he returns to amend an acceptable campaign, he does not qualify for the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
, which ends up costing him his position as strategist of the sky-blue team. The following years saw irregularity on the part of the Rancagua team, managing to close the year 2023 with Juan Manuel Azconzábal as coach in eleventh place, being replaced the following year under the interim of Víctor Fuentes, reaping one of its worst campaigns in 2024, where it finished in fourteenth position, saving its stay in the Primera División only by goal difference against
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a professional Chilean football league system, Chilean football club based in Calama, Chile, Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. They compete in the Primera B de Ch ...
. The poor campaign meant the departure of Fuentes from the technical command for 2025, but also the departure of Javier Furwasser from the management, and of Pablo Calandria, who was relocated to technical management of the club. To face the year 2025, the club announced the hiring of Argentine coach Francisco Meneghini.


Facilities


Estadio El Teniente

The club's home ground is
Estadio El Teniente Estadio El Teniente, also known as Estadio Codelco El Teniente for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Rancagua, Chile. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium can fit 14,087 people and was ...
, built in September 1945 and located in
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, being named Braden Copper Company Stadium, because that company was the stadium's owner. The first professional game was during the 1955 Primera División tournament, in a match that O'Higgins won 3–2 to Ferrobádminton. In 1960, after the 9.5 earthquake of
Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
that destroyed the original venues of the
1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the 7th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place between ...
, the Chilean delegation designed the city of
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
as a venue, after the refusal of
Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...
and
Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...
. The first international match was between
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, where with a goal of Héctor Facundo, the South Americans defeated the Europeans on 30 May. El Teniente was the home stadium of all
Group D Group D may refer to: * FIA Group D - International Formula racing cars: ** Formula Two ** Formula Three ** Formula 3000 * One of six or eight groups of four teams competing at the FIFA World Cup ** 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D ** 2018 FIFA Worl ...
matches, and one quarter-final game between
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
and
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
. The
Government of Chile Chile's government is a Representative democracy, representative democratic republic, in which the President of Chile serves as both head of state and head of government, within a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...
acquired the 51% of shares to United States'
Braden Copper Company Braden Copper Company was an American company that controlled the El Teniente copper mine in Chile until 1967 when its copper holdings were nationalized. History Braden Copper Company was founded on 18 June 1904 by E.W. Nash, Barton Sewell, Willi ...
in 1967, as part of the copper nationalization, that culminated four years later, becoming property of Codelco Chile, being re–named with the current name of Parque El Teniente, in reference to mine ubicated in locality of
Machalí Machalí is a Chilean commune and city in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Machalí spans an area of and has 28,628 inhabitants (14,297 men and 14,331 women) ...
. A new stadium with capacity for 14,087 persons was confirmed by the club's owner
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
in 2013, and the old stadium was demolished in 2014. The new stadium was inaugurated on 8 April 2014. In the inaugural match, O'Higgins played against
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 conurbation, metropolitan area. The List of cities in Argentina, city has a populati ...
for the week 6 of the
2014 Copa Libertadores The 2014 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2014 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 55th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier international club football tournament organized ...
. The final result was 0–0, marking the elimination of the club from the competition, because it needed a victory to advance to the next round. In 2015, it hosted two group stage matches of the
2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
.


Monasterio Celeste

The training facilities of the club are called the
Monasterio Celeste Monasterio Celeste is the O'Higgins F.C., O'Higgins training facilities located outside Rancagua in Requínoa, Chile. It replaces La Gamboína, which until 2015 will be the training ground of the club. Also, is one of the most modern football co ...
, located on the outskirts of
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, exactly in
Requínoa Requínoa () is a Chilean commune and city in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Requínoa spans an area of and had 22,161 inhabitants (11,378 men and 10,783 wo ...
. It replaces the old complex La Gamboína, which until 2014 was the training ground of the club. The complex consists of seven pitches of natural grass, a mini-stadium of artificial grass, and a hotel with the facilities for the team. The complex was finished in 2014, but O'Higgins trained there for the first time on 4 January 2013. It was a national team host complex for the
Venezuela national football team The Venezuela national football team (), nicknamed ''La Vinotinto'' ("The Red Wine"), represents Venezuela in men's FIFA, international association football, football and is controlled by the Venezuelan Football Federation, Federación Venezola ...
in the
2015 Copa América The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015. The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, ...
.


Players

Since the club's establishment in April 1955, more than one thousand of the players on the team have been Chilean. Juvenal Vargas is the historic top−scorer of the club with 120 goals. Mario Desiderio is considered the best player in the club's history. The last player to enter the club's top 10 scorers was Pablo Calandria, who retired in 2018, scoring his final goal from a penalty against Audax Italiano. :1. Only includes Campeonato Nacional,
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 ...
and international competitions. Bold indicates player is still active. Foreign players like Federico Vairo have also been important players in the history of club. During the mid–1960s, Vairo was a former River Plate player, earning three consecutive Primera División titles, alongside players like the keeper
Amadeo Carrizo Amadeo Raúl Carrizo Larretape (12 June 1926 – 20 March 2020), popularly known by his first name "Amadeo", was an Argentine football goalkeeper and manager. Carrizo is considered a pioneer of the position, helping to innovate techniques and st ...
, the midfielder
Omar Sívori Enrique Omar Sívori (, ; 2 October 1935 – 17 February 2005) was an Argentine-Italian Association football, football player and manager who played as a Forward (association football), forward. At club level, he is known for his successful tim ...
, among others. Another important player of the club is Pablo Hernández, also
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
, who was part of the historic squad led by
Eduardo Berizzo Manuel Eduardo Berizzo Magnolo (; born 13 November 1969) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of Liga MX club León. During his 18-year professional career he played for six teams in four countr ...
that won the 2013–14 Torneo de Apertura. He is also important because he scored the goal in the Super Final match against Universidad Catolica, which gave the league title to the club. He was one of the most important players of the team, alongside the goalkeepers
Paulo Garcés Paulo Andrés Garcés Contreras (born 2 August 1984) is a Chilean footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Unión San Felipe. Career Garcés made his debut in 2003 against Santiago Wanderers in the closing championship at San Carlos de Apoquin ...
and Roberto González, the defenders Julio Barroso, Mariano Uglessich and
Yerson Opazo Yerson Flavio Opazo Riquelme (born 24 December 1984) is a former Chilean footballer who played as right-back or right midfielder. Club career Universidad de Chile Opazo began his career at Chilean club, Universidad de Chile. After of play man ...
, the midfielders
Luis Pedro Figueroa Luis Pedro Figueroa Sepúlveda (born May 14, 1983) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career He was born in Concepción, and made his debut for U. de Concepción in 2002 (just 18 years old) and was bought by Univer ...
,
César Fuentes César Nicolás Fuentes González (, born 12 April 1993) is a Chilean footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera División club Deportes Iquique. Career Youth career Fuentes started his career at Primera División de Chile club O'Hi ...
, Braulio Leal,
Gonzalo Barriga Gonzalo Felipe Barriga Ahumada (born 21 June 1984) is a retired Chilean Association football, footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career After ending his career of engineering at Duoc UC, Barriga was discovered playing for Provinci ...
and the striker and top goalscorer Pablo Calandria, among others. The team has had several
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
footballers in majority, but also players of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, Brazil,
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
and
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
have been in minority. In 2006, under the orders of the manager
Jorge Garcés Jorge Luis Garcés Rojas (born 13 May 1954) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently in charge of Juan Fernández Islands team for the 2024 Copa Chile. Manager Garcés was born in Talca. He s ...
,
Giancarlo Maldonado Giancarlo Gregorio Maldonado Marrero (; born 29 June 1982) is a Venezuelan football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Portuguesa. Club career River Plate Maldonado began his footballing career i ...
, Venezuela national team striker, was signed, becoming the first footballer of that nationality to play in the club, and Aílton da Silva, seasons later, was the first player of Brazilian nationality in 2008 to arrive at the club. Juan Rodrigo Rojas, now playing in
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan Association football, football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero (Asunción), Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Paraguayan Primera División, Primera División titles ...
, and
Octavio Rivero Raúl Octavio Rivero Falero (born 24 January 1992), known as Octavio Rivero, is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Ecuadorian Serie A side Barcelona S.C., Barcelona SC. Career Beginnings and Urugu ...
, who was signed by
Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March 18, ...
of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
for a
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
1.5M fee, were the last players of
Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
an and
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an nationality, respectively. The last
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
n player was Marco Pérez.


First-team squad

Chilean teams are limited by the ANFP to have on their roster a maximum of six foreign players. ANFP rules also say the number of shirts can't exceed the number of registered players. As of the 2023 season, all Chilean teams must have included in the line-up, at least one Chilean players born on or after January 1, 2002, plus that youth players plays at least 1890 minutes.


Players with multiple citizenship

There are players who currently have Chilean nationality on the squad through naturalization or nationalization, who do not occupy places as foreigners in the first team squad. * Leandro Benegas *
Joaquín Montecinos Joaquín Alberto Montecinos Naranjo (born 7 December 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for O'Higgins on loan from Mexican club Tijuana. Born in Colombia, he plays for the Chile national team. Club career In his early ...
*
Omar Carabalí Gabriel Omar Carabalí Quiñonez (born June 12, 1997), known as Omar Carabalí, is an Ecuadorian- Chilean footballer who plays as goalkeeper for O'Higgins in the Chilean Primera División. Born in Ecuador, Carabalí has also represented Chile in ...
* Arnaldo Castillo * José Tomás Movillo


Team of The Century

In 1999, the fans of the club voted to choose the team of the 20th Century. Among the players which are in the starting line-up are the
Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...
defender Federico Vairo, Miguel Ángel Neira,
Mario Núñez Mario Antonio Núñez Villarreal (born 2 March 1976) is a Chilean former footballer well remembered for his spell at O'Higgins. He played as a striker. Club career A product of the O'Higgins youth system, Núñez is one of the historical goa ...
, Mario Desiderio and the second goal-scorer of the history of the club, Aníbal González. The manager chosen was
Luis Santibáñez Luis Alberto Santibáñez Díaz (7 February 1936 – 5 September 2008) was a Chilean football manager. As a team coach he won the Chilean title four times, once with Unión San Felipe (1971) and three times with Unión Española (1973, 1975, ...
, which reached two of the four participations in the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
, and led the club to its furthest position in the competition, the semi-finals, in 1980.


Recent results


Season stats

:


Managers

The first coach of the club was Francisco Hormazábal, who was signed for the 1955 Primera División tournament. In 1957, the board hired European Carlos Snopec as manager, who was the first international coach of the club. From 1958 to 1960 Argentine
José Salerno José Antonio Salerno Dullan (4 June 1914 – 19 February 1984) was an Argentine football player and manager. Playing career A left winger, Salerno played for Argentinos de Banfield and retired at a young age due to a leg fracture. Managerial c ...
was the manager of the club. The club went through three managers in 1961, and four managers in 1972. In 1978–79, the club achieved an historic season with
Luis Santibáñez Luis Alberto Santibáñez Díaz (7 February 1936 – 5 September 2008) was a Chilean football manager. As a team coach he won the Chilean title four times, once with Unión San Felipe (1971) and three times with Unión Española (1973, 1975, ...
as coach, who qualified O'Higgins to the
1980 Copa Libertadores The Copa Libertadores 1980 was the 21st edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's annual international club tournament. Club Nacional de Football, Nacional of Uruguay won the competition defeating Brazilian club Sport Club Internacional, Inter ...
' semi-finals, where the team lost to Club Nacional of Uruguay. In the early 1990s, the club's board signed
Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
to face the
1992 Copa Conmebol The 1992 Copa CONMEBOL was the first edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Sixteen teams from the ten South American football confederations qualified for t ...
, where the club was eliminated early by
Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
Then, with a prior spell of
Nelson Acosta Nelson Bonifacio Acosta López, nicknamed ''Pelado Acosta'' (''Bald'' Acosta), (born 12 June 1944 in Paso de los Toros, Uruguay) is a former Uruguayan-born Chilean football manager and footballer. He became a naturalized Chilean citizen in 1984 ...
, who potentiated players like
Jaime Riveros Jaime Eduardo Riveros Valenzuela (, born 27 November 1970) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Club career Background He began his career in 1992 at Rancagua side O'Higgins, near Quinta de Til ...
, the club achieved the finals of the
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 ...
in
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, being runner–up under Roberto Hernández as coach. In 2005, Nelson Cossio became coach with the objective of reaching the first division again, which he achieved. Oscar Meneses coached the team during the Apertura tournament in their return to the first division, but was sacked due to poor performances. In 2006,
Jorge Garcés Jorge Luis Garcés Rojas (born 13 May 1954) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently in charge of Juan Fernández Islands team for the 2024 Copa Chile. Manager Garcés was born in Talca. He s ...
became coach of the club to play the Torneo Clausura, who abandoned the institution the following season, after a 5–0 loss with
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
. In December 2007,
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
, the club's owner, reported that he hired Argentine manager
Jorge Sampaoli Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (; born 13 March 1960) is an Argentine football coach. Sampaoli started out as a youth player and eventually switched to management after a severe injury. Sampaoli started with an impressive coaching run at Coronel Bol ...
for the new tournament, where he had decent seasons with players like
Jean Beausejour Jean André Emanuel Beausejour Coliqueo (; born 1 June 1984) is a Chilean former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Wing-back, left-sided wing-back. He played in Chile, Switzerland, Bra ...
and
Carlos Carmona Carlos Emilio Carmona Tello (; born 21 February 1987) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Carmona started his career as a centre midfielder in Coquimbo Unido. Two years later he moved to O'Higgin ...
as key players. After a regular tournament in the 2010 season,
Ivo Basay Ivo Alexie Basay Hatibović (born 13 April 1966) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Magallanes. Apart from being a regular choice for the Chile national football team in the ...
was signed for the 2011 Apertura. Basay was replaced by José Cantillana for the 2011 Clausura. In January 2012, the club's board signed Eduardo Berizzo and his assistant coach, former River Plate's goalkeeper in the 1980s, Roberto Bonano. Under Berizzo's administration, the team reached the Apertura final, where the team finished runner-ups after losing 2–0 in penalties to Universidad de Chile. However, this result gave the club qualification to the 2012 Copa Sudamericana, which is important due to the fact that O'Higgins hadn't played a continental competition since 1992. Berizzo also lead the team to their first league title in the 2013–14 Apertura, and to the Supercup win in 2014.


Current technical staff


Chronology of managers

This list includes the managers and the interim managers since the foundation of the club until today. Only 23 managers in the history of the club are or were foreigners. *
Francisco Hormazábal Francisco Hormazábal Castillo (born 4 July 1920 — 13 January 1990) was a Chilean people, Chilean association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. Career As a youth player, Hormazábal was with club Escuela 57 fro ...
(1955–56) * Salvador Calvente (1957) * Carlos Snopec (1957) *
José Salerno José Antonio Salerno Dullan (4 June 1914 – 19 February 1984) was an Argentine football player and manager. Playing career A left winger, Salerno played for Argentinos de Banfield and retired at a young age due to a leg fracture. Managerial c ...
(1958–60) * Carlos Orlandelli (1960) * Roberto Rodríguez (1961) *
George Robledo George Oliver Robledo (14 April 1926 – 1 April 1989) was a Chilean professional footballer. He played as a striker, and is most notable for his time spent with Newcastle United. He was the first non-British-registered foreign player to become ...
(1961) *
Hernán Carrasco Hernán Carrasco Vivanco (29 March 1923 – 10 September 2023) was a Chilean football manager. Career Carrasco created a legacy in El Salvador by winning five Primera División titles with Alianza F.C. in 1966, 1967, 1989 and CONCACAF Champio ...
(1961) * Ladislao Pakozdi (1961–62) * José Pérez (1963–67) * Dante Pesce (1968) * Leonardo Bedoya (1968–69) * Jorge Aretio (1970) * Leonardo Bedoya (1971) *
Hernán Carrasco Hernán Carrasco Vivanco (29 March 1923 – 10 September 2023) was a Chilean football manager. Career Carrasco created a legacy in El Salvador by winning five Primera División titles with Alianza F.C. in 1966, 1967, 1989 and CONCACAF Champio ...
(1972) *
Luis Vidal Vidal (, , , ) is a Catalan, Aragonese, and possibly also Romansh surname, which also appears in French, Italian, Portuguese and English, and as a given name. Vidal may refer to: Surname * Aleix Vidal (born 1989), Spanish footballer *Ale ...
(1972) * Ovidio Casartelli (1972) *
Caupolicán Peña Caupolicán Peña Reyes (born 15 September 1930) is a Chilean people, Chilean former association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. He is considered one of the greatest players in Colo-Colo history. Honours Club ...
(1972) * Luis Vera (1973) * Jorge Aretio (1973) * Jorge Venegas (1974) * Leonardo Bedoya (1974–75) * José Pérez (1975) * Jorge Aretio (1975) *
Armando Tobar Armando Segundo Tobar Vargas (7 June 1938 – 18 November 2016) was a Chilean association football, football Forward (association football), forward who played for Chile national football team, Chile in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, 1962 and 1966 FI ...
(1976–77) * Nelson Oyarzún (1977) *
Luis Santibáñez Luis Alberto Santibáñez Díaz (7 February 1936 – 5 September 2008) was a Chilean football manager. As a team coach he won the Chilean title four times, once with Unión San Felipe (1971) and three times with Unión Española (1973, 1975, ...
(1978–79) *
Orlando Aravena Orlando Enrique Aravena Vergara (21 October 1942 – 21 March 2024) was a Chilean football player and manager. Career As a player, Aravena played for Magallanes, Deportes La Serena, Palestino, Colo-Colo and Ñublense. With Deportes La Serena, ...
(1979) *
Francisco Molina Francisco "Paco" Molina Simón (29 March 1930 – 14 November 2018) was a association football, football player and Manager (association football), manager. Born in Spain, he played for the Chile national football team, Chile national team at in ...
(1980) *
Orlando Aravena Orlando Enrique Aravena Vergara (21 October 1942 – 21 March 2024) was a Chilean football player and manager. Career As a player, Aravena played for Magallanes, Deportes La Serena, Palestino, Colo-Colo and Ñublense. With Deportes La Serena, ...
(1981) * Germán Cornejo (1982–83) * Leonardo Bedoya (1984) * Gastón Guevara (1985) * Jorge Luco (1985) * Manuel Cáceres (1985) *
Luis Santibáñez Luis Alberto Santibáñez Díaz (7 February 1936 – 5 September 2008) was a Chilean football manager. As a team coach he won the Chilean title four times, once with Unión San Felipe (1971) and three times with Unión Española (1973, 1975, ...
(1986) * Jaime Campos (1986) * Eugenio Jara (1987) *
Ricardo Horta Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta (; born 15 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Braga and the Portugal national team. He spent most of his career with Braga after coming through ...
(1988) * Juan Carlos Gangas (1988) *
Nelson Acosta Nelson Bonifacio Acosta López, nicknamed ''Pelado Acosta'' (''Bald'' Acosta), (born 12 June 1944 in Paso de los Toros, Uruguay) is a former Uruguayan-born Chilean football manager and footballer. He became a naturalized Chilean citizen in 1984 ...
(1988–91) * Germán Cornejo (1992) *
Manuel Pellegrini Manuel Luis Pellegrini Ripamonti (; ; born 16 September 1953) is a Chilean professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Real Betis. As a coach, he has managed clubs in S ...
(1992–93) * Roberto Hernández (1994–95) *
Roque Alfaro Roque Raúl Alfaro (born 15 August 1956 in Nogoyá, Entre Ríos) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a striker. Playing career Alfaro started his professional career with Newell's Old Boys in the mid-1970s. In 19 ...
(1996) *
Jorge Socías Jorge Luis Socías Tuset (born 26 October 1951)Jorge Socías
FBref is a José Sulantay (1997) * Gerardo Pelusso (1997) * René Serrano (1998–99) * Eduardo Salas ''(interim)'' (2000) *
Guillermo Páez Guillermo Alejandro Páez Cepeda (born 18 April 1945) is a former Chilean association football, footballer who played for 6 clubs of Chile and in the Chile national football team in the FIFA World Cup Germany 1974. Personal life He is the older ...
(2000–01) * Joel Retamal (2001) *
Rubén Espinoza Rubén Alberto Espinoza Molina (born 1 June 1961) is a retired Chilean international football midfielder. Playing career Espinoza was capped 30 times for the Chile national team between 1983 and 1991. In 1991, he won the Libertadores de Amér ...
(2001) * Luis Droguett ''(interim)'' (2002) * Eduardo Salas (2003–04) * Sergio Nichiporuk (2004) * Nelson Cossio (2005) *
Gerardo Silva Gerardo Silva may refer to: * Gerardo Silva (Mexican footballer) (born 1965), Mexican football manager and player * Gerardo Silva (Chilean football manager) (born 1962) * Gerardo de los Cobos Silva (born 1962), Mexican politician {{hndis, S ...
(2005) *
Óscar Meneses Óscar Alberto Meneses Roa (born 7 March 1960)Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación, Circunscripción: Portales, Inscripción N°1.863, Registro: E, Año: 1960 is a Chilean football manager and former player. References External links ...
(2006) * Ronald Yávar ''(interim)'' (2006) *
Jorge Garcés Jorge Luis Garcés Rojas (born 13 May 1954) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently in charge of Juan Fernández Islands team for the 2024 Copa Chile. Manager Garcés was born in Talca. He s ...
(2006–07) *
Jorge Sampaoli Jorge Luis Sampaoli Moya (; born 13 March 1960) is an Argentine football coach. Sampaoli started out as a youth player and eventually switched to management after a severe injury. Sampaoli started with an impressive coaching run at Coronel Bol ...
(2008–09) *
Gerardo Silva Gerardo Silva may refer to: * Gerardo Silva (Mexican footballer) (born 1965), Mexican football manager and player * Gerardo Silva (Chilean football manager) (born 1962) * Gerardo de los Cobos Silva (born 1962), Mexican politician {{hndis, S ...
(2009) * Roberto Hernández (2010) * Marco Antonio Figueroa (2010) *
Ivo Basay Ivo Alexie Basay Hatibović (born 13 April 1966) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current manager of Magallanes. Apart from being a regular choice for the Chile national football team in the ...
(2011) * Cristián Arán ''(interim)'' (2011) * José Cantillana (2011) *
Eduardo Berizzo Manuel Eduardo Berizzo Magnolo (; born 13 November 1969) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of Liga MX club León. During his 18-year professional career he played for six teams in four countr ...
(2012–14) *
Facundo Sava Facundo Sava (born 7 March 1974) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a centre forward. Sava played 17 years of professional football, mainly representing Gimnasia and Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División ...
(2014–15) * Pablo Sánchez (2015) * Cristián Arán (2015–17) *
Gabriel Milito Gabriel Alejandro Milito (born 7 September 1980) is an Argentine football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current head coach of Liga MX club Guadalajara. Milito began and concluded his professional career at Ind ...
(2017–2018) * Mauricio Larriera (2018) * Marco Antonio Figueroa (2018–2019) *
Patricio Graff Patricio Andrés Graff (; born 18 November 1975) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a left back who is the assistant coach of Alavés. Playing career Graff was born in Rosario, Santa Fe. He represented Rosario Central, Feyenoord, F ...
(2020) * Dalcio Giovagnoli (2020–2021) *
Miguel Ramírez Miguel Mauricio Ramírez Pérez (born 11 June 1970) is a Chilean football manager and former player who played as a defender. He is currently in charge of Unión Española. Ramírez was capped 62 times and scored 1 goal for the Chile national ...
(2021) * Mariano Soso (2022) * Pablo de Muner (2023) * Juan Manuel Azconzábal (2023–2024) * Víctor Fuentes ''(interim)'' (2024) * Francisco Meneghini (2024–)


Management

The club has had 17 presidents throughout history. The first president of the institution was Francisco Rajcevich, who held the post between January and December 1955, while Patricio Mekis had the longest time period in charge of the institution (between January 1958 and January 1965) and is currently honorary president of the club. Formerly in the corporation presidents elected the same 12 directors-leaders who take the time to divide the charges. In turn, the elected president must be accepted by a majority of members. This president was in principle intended to be the leader for two years, but after a year, when half-directory is renewed, 8 leaders who continue plus 8 new or re-elected decide whether the current president remains in charge or another is chosen. In 2005, the club had three different presidents due to internal problems and economic problems facing the club. After this,
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
purchases the club and takes the role of president. Since July 2021, Pablo Hoffmann Yáñez was elected as the new president of the club, after leaving his position at the club vacant, despite remaining the club's largest shareholder. In recent years, the Abumohor family has publicly expressed their desire to sell their shares in the club in order to attract new investors to take the club to the next level. Major sports business groups such as
City Football Group City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a British-based holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations, of which 81% is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, 18% by the American firm Silve ...
,
Grupo Caliente Grupo Caliente is one of the largest sports betting companies in Mexico. In 2021, Grupo Caliente owned around 200 "off-track betting and bookmaking outlets" in Mexico, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and the C ...
, or the Brazilian businessman Regis Marques, and the Chilean business woman Daniella Chávez have been in contact with the club regarding a sale, but nothing has materialized.


Current management staff


Chronology of presidents

* 1955–56: Francisco Rajcevich * 1957–58: Dionisio Valenzuela * 1958–65: Patricio Mekis * 1966–72: Alberto Musse * 1973–75: Carlos Latife * 1976–82: Alfonso Orueta * 1983–88: Héctor Cortéz * 1989–90: Óscar Albornoz * 1991–92: Juan Romero * 1992–93: Rodolfo Cueto * 1994–96: Alex Acosta * 1997: José Donoso * 1997–00: Omar Pozo * 2001–04: Francisco Arce * 2005:
Waldo Quiroz Waldo Quiroz (born 10 September 1949) is a Chilean footballer. He played in five matches for the Chile national football team from 1977 to 1979. He was also part of Chile's squad for the 1979 Copa América The 1979 edition of the Copa Améric ...
''(interim)'' * 2005: Daniel Sánchez * 2005: Juan Carlos Latife * 2006–2021:
Ricardo Abumohor Ricardo Abumohor (; born 9 June 1942) is a Chilean businessman of Palestinian origin, current owner of Primera División club O'Higgins since 2006. He also was the president of the ANFP for five years, when the Chilean national team during ...
* 2022–: Pablo Hoffmann


Club badge and colours

The current badge of the club is a phoenix over a pentagon with the colours white, yellow, and green. The colors remember the club colors of Instituto O'Higgins, América de Rancagua and O'Higgins Braden respectively. Several Rancaguan people affirm that the phoenix represents the
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an historic city, in where the founding father and hero of the country,
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...
, led his army to win the
Battle of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins. This ...
against
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, highlighting that the club's name is in honour of him. The club's current home kit colours are
sky blue Sky blue refers to a collection of shades comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. Typically it is a shade of cyan or light teal, though some iterations are closer to light Azure (color), azure or light blue. The term (as "sky blew") is atte ...
and white in honor to the
1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...
Uruguay national team title-winner, whilst the traditional
away colours Away colours or road colours (also commonly known as away kits in British English, or away uniforms or road uniforms in American English) are a choice of coloured clothing used in team sports. They are required to be worn by one team during a ...
are yellow in honour of América, but in recent years the away kits have been white and black. In the 2010 Campeonato Petrobras, O'Higgins wore the former kit of
O'Higgins Braden O'Higgins Braden was a Chilean football club based in the city of Rancagua. The club was founded on 1954 and merged between Instituto O'Higgins and Braden F.C.. Later, after won the Segunda División, the club merged in 1955 with América d ...
as away colours. An unusual fact was that in the 2012 Torneo de Apertura first leg final at home against Universidad de Chile, the team played with the away kit colours in
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
, the city where the team is based. The current home kit of the club consists of a sky blue shirt, black shorts and socks. The kit is manufactured by
Joma Joma Sport, S.A. is a Spanish sports clothing and shoes brand. History Joma was founded in 1965 by Fructuoso López to produce shoes for general use. The brand name comes from the given name of Fructuoso's first born son (José Manuel). In 196 ...
, and the main sponsor is LatamWin.


Current sponsors

*
Joma Joma Sport, S.A. is a Spanish sports clothing and shoes brand. History Joma was founded in 1965 by Fructuoso López to produce shoes for general use. The brand name comes from the given name of Fructuoso's first born son (José Manuel). In 196 ...
* Latamwin * Mall Patio Rancagua * Homecenter Sodimac * Universidad de O'Higgins *
Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...
* Clínica MEDS *
JAC Motors JAC Group (; officially Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp., Ltd.) is a Chinese automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer.
*
Arajet Arajet S.A., is the flag carrier and largest airline of the Dominican Republic., with headquarters in Santo Domingo. The airline provides Low-cost carrier, low-cost flights to destinations in North, Central, and South America. Operations began on ...
* Grupo TX


Current kits

The official team kit is currently produced by
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
sports apparel company
Joma Joma Sport, S.A. is a Spanish sports clothing and shoes brand. History Joma was founded in 1965 by Fructuoso López to produce shoes for general use. The brand name comes from the given name of Fructuoso's first born son (José Manuel). In 196 ...
.


All-time kits


Kit manufacturers and sponsors


Club culture


Supporter groups

* Trinchera Celeste ''(
barra brava () is the name of organized supporters' groups of association football, football teams in Hispanic America that provides fanatical support to their clubs in stadiums and provoke violence against rival fans as well as against the police. Actio ...
)'' * Arca de Noé


Tomé Tragedy

On February 9, 2013, after the match between the club and
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
, a group of fans traveled in a bus to
Tomé Tomé () is a port List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is bordered by Coelemu to the north, Ránquil and Florida, Chile, Florida to the east, Penco to the south, and the Pacific Ocean t ...
, where in the ''Cuesta Caracol'' fell into a ravine, causing the death of 16 fans. As a sign of solidarity, a minute of silence was carried out in the different leagues of the ANFP for matches played in the following days, and in
Rancagua Rancagua () is a city and commune in central Chile and part of the Rancagua conurbation. It is the capital of the Cachapoal Province and of the O'Higgins Region, located south of the national capital of Santiago. It was originally named Sa ...
and Tomé a day of mourning was planned.


Rivalries

O'Higgins doesn't have a defined classic rival, but it has strong football rivalries with its neighbours in Santiago, Talca and Curicó.
Colo-Colo Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
,
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
and Universidad Católica are the teams with which it shares a good rivalry due to the proximity between Rancagua and Santiago, in addition to the popularity of the Santiago teams, which extends to the city of Rancagua as well. In recent years, it has also maintained a strong rivalry with its nearby
Curicó Unido Curicó Unido is a football club based in Curicó, Maule Region, Chile. They currently play in the Primera B de Chile, the second level of the Chilean football system. They are currently managed by Héctor Almandoz. History Curicó Unido was f ...
, due to some extra-football conflicts between its supporters (linked to the
Tomé Tragedy Tomé () is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is bordered by Coelemu to the north, Ránquil and Florida to the east, Penco to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The local economy is based mainly on textile ma ...
), becoming notorious for the clashes in the national tournament and the proximity between the cities of Rancagua and Curicó. The club also has a strong rivalry with
Rangers de Talca Club Social de Deportes Rangers is a Chilean football (soccer), football club based in the city of Talca. The club was founded November 2, 1902 and plays in the Chilean Primera División B, second level of the Chilean football system. Their home g ...
, being the closest professional team in the southern direction of Chile.


Friendships


Huachipato

The relationship between
Huachipato Huachipato FC is a Chilean football club based in Talcahuano that currently plays in the Chilean Primera División. Huachipato was founded on 7 June 1947 by workers of the homonymous steel mill in Talcahuano, and it currently plays its home g ...
and O'Higgins de Rancagua is a touching example of how football can bring people together in difficult times. This friendship was strengthened after the tragic loss of sixteen O'Higgins' fans in an accident in Tomé, after a Campeonato Nacional match in 2013. Both clubs, united by grief, have organized various tributes and displays of solidarity. From shirt exchanges to minutes of silence in stadiums, Huachipato and O'Higgins have shown that sporting rivalry can give way to a deep human connection.


Sligo Rovers

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
, an Irish football club and O'Higgins de Rancagua, two football teams seemingly geographically distant, share a special bond forged by history. This connection is due to the figure of
Ambrosio O'Higgins Ambrosio Bernardo O'Higgins y O'Higgins, 1st Marquess of Osorno (c. 1720 – 19 March 1801) born Ambrose Bernard O'Higgins (''Ambrós Bearnárd Ó hUiginn'', in Irish), was an Irish-Spanish colonial administrator and a member of the O'Higgins f ...
, who was born in
Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, and whose son,
Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; 20 August 1778 – 24 October 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque people, Basque-Spanish people, Spani ...
, was a prominent leader in the
independence of Chile The Chilean War of Independence ( Spanish: ''Guerra de la Independencia de Chile'', 'War of Independence of Chile') was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Monarchy, ending the colonial period ...
. This historical legacy has served as a bridge between both clubs, establishing a relationship of friendship and mutual admiration. Visits from ambassadors, exchanges of shirts and public recognition have marked this connection, which transcends borders and different leagues.


Anthem

The anthem was created at the end of 1955. The club's identity in the city of Rancagua was such that the board of directors at the time considered it necessary to complete these symbols with the composition of an institutional anthem. The negotiations led to the band and choir of the ''Regimiento Militar Membrillar'', a group accustomed to performing in the city and other communes of the province. At that time, a song was created that is part of the melody alluding to the sky blue team. The author was a young man from Rancagua named Miguel Ángel León Morales, who, in addition to being a fan of the team, left his mark by writing the lyrics. The board of directors, which at that time was composed of Francisco Rajcevich and Patricio Mekis, were the ones who called Miguel Ángel León. He arrived with the band to ''Calle Brasil'' in the city. After long days and the approval of the board of directors, it is now the club's current anthem. Among its lyrics was created the mythical ''O'Hi-O'Hi, Ra-Ra!'', a
battle cry A battle cry or war cry is a yell or chant taken up in battle, usually by members of the same combatant group. Battle cries are not necessarily articulate (e.g. "Eulaliaaaa!", "Alala"..), although they often aim to invoke patriotic or religio ...
that since then has been heard by its fans in the stands of all the stadiums in Chile and in international competitions where the team participates.


Club details


All-time statistics

This table includes only results pertaining to the Campeonato Nacional and the
Primera B Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Ely Rafael Primera Ros ...
, separated by year of the realization of the tournament, as well as the different rounds that had tournaments.


Results


Overview

''Last updated: Campeonato Nacional 2024 and Copa Chile 2024'' :1. 1955–63, 1965–75, 1977–85, 1988–96, 1999–01, 2006– :2. 1964, 1976, 1986–87, 1997–98, 2002–05 :3. Did not participate in the years 1986, 1987, 1998


International record

In his history, the club has qualified for eight international tournaments, including four times in
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
, thrice in
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
and once in the
Copa Conmebol The Copa CONMEBOL () 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 contest, similar to the ...
.


Overview

''Last updated: 31 December 2018.''


Matches

:1. Matches played in the
Estadio Nacional de Chile es:Estadio is the spanish language word for Stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered s ...
due to attendance CONMEBOL requirements. :2. Match played in the
Estadio Santa Laura Estadio Santa Laura is a football stadium in Independencia, Santiago, Chile. It is the home stadium of Unión Española. The stadium holds 19,887 people and was built in 1922. It is a multi-use stadium, also used for concerts. Deep Purple i ...
, home of Universidad Católica between 1984 and 1987. :3. Matches played in the
Estadio Monumental David Arellano The Estadio Monumental is a association football, football stadium in Macul, south-east of the centre of the Chilean capital Santiago. It serves as the home ground of Colo-Colo, and on occasions also for other clubs and the national football team ...
due to
Estadio El Teniente Estadio El Teniente, also known as Estadio Codelco El Teniente for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Rancagua, Chile. It is currently used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium can fit 14,087 people and was ...
's remodelation. :4. Match played in the
Estadio George Capwell Estadio Banco del Pacífico Capwell is a multi-purpose stadium in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It is currently used mostly for football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ba ...
due to attendance CONMEBOL requirements.


Affiliated clubs

* Chelsea *
OGC Nice Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional association football, football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of Footb ...


Honours


References


External links


Official websites

* *
O'Higgins
at the ANFP official website * * *


News sites

*
La Celeste
a Fan site *
Capo de Provincia
a Fan site *
Soy Celeste
a Fan site {{Navboxes, titlestyle=background:#6f9bd2;color:white; border: 1px solid #E5E4E2;, list={{Liga Chilena de Fútbol {{Football in Chile Football clubs in Chile Association football clubs established in 1955 1955 establishments in Chile Rancagua