Club Sporting Cristal

The Club Sporting Cristal S.A., known as Sporting Cristal or simply Cristal, is a Peruvian sports institution, located in the city of Lima and whose main activity is soccer. It was founded on December 13, 1955 in the Rímac district by engineer Ricardo Bentín Mujica and his wife Esther Grande de Bentín, owners of the Peruvian brewery Backus y Johnston. The club and the brewery have been closely linked since their inception. beginnings, it is for this reason that it is popularly known as “the brewing team” or “the brewers”.

Although for a long time it was home to the National Stadium, from 1995 to the present it plays its home games at the Alberto Gallardo Stadium, formerly known as San Martín de Porres Stadium and renamed by the club with the name of its greatest idol in 2012. The stadium is owned by the Peruvian Sports Institute, but the club has the usufruct right until 2022.

Sporting Cristal has participated in the First Division of Peru since 1956, where it obtained the title that year, being its first participation. The team from Rimá has won 20 First Division titles and one national cup, being the most winning team in the professional era of Peruvian soccer, the most winning since the Decentralized Tournament began (1966) when all the country's teams could participate in the highest category, it is also the first three-time national champion team, for the titles won in 1994, 1995 and 1996. The club has always played in the highest category of its country, making up the list of teams in South America that has never descended.

In the international arena, with 38 participations, it is the Peruvian team and the sixth with the most appearances in the Copa Libertadores de América. Sporting Cristal was runner-up in the 1997 Copa Libertadores, this being its best international participation and becoming the last Peruvian club to reach a cup final. In addition, since 1969 it has held the absolute unbeaten record in the continental competition, with 17 games played undefeated.

It is often referred to as "the club that was born champion", since it won the 1956 Peruvian Soccer Championship in its first intervention and in its first year of life. In addition, for its various sporting achievements, it is considered one of the three greats of Peruvian soccer. Its traditional sports rivals are Alianza Lima and Universitario de Deportes with whom it plays classic matches. It also has rivalries with the clubs FBC Melgar, Deportivo Municipal and Sport Boys. Cristal is one of the teams with the largest number of followers in the country, according to several surveys carried out in recent years.

History

Foundation (1955)

The traditional district of Rimac was the cradle of the Club Sporting Cristal.

The beginnings of the sports institution go back to 1954, the year in which the beer company Backus & Johnston Brewery in London is acquired by a group of Peruvian businessmen led by Ricardo Bentín Mujica. During his lifetime, Don Ricardo was a great fan of sports and a promoter of its intrinsic values. National as well as a great bocce player.

In those years there was a club called Sporting Tabaco, which represented the District of Rímac and participated in the First Division. The Tabaco had among its greatest achievements being the Peruvian runner-up in the years 1931 and 1954, it was a modest team, considered one of the traditional ones of the time and that was in a critical economic situation. October 1955, negotiations began between the partners of Sporting Tabaco and directors of Backus & Johnston with the purpose of saving the tobacco club from bankruptcy, until finally, on December 13 of that year, the merger was approved by a majority. This is how Sporting Cristal Backus arose, so called because Crystal was the name of the brewery's most popular product.

"On the basis of good principles and noble values, give joy and happiness to Peruvian fans."

Ricardo Bentín Mujica (1955)

Since even before its foundation, the Sporting Cristal Backus project had more than one opponent: articles from the time point out how certain sports journalists and football clubs disliked the fact that a team was financed by a private company. Even the Peruvian Football Federation itself placed legal obstacles to the team before and after its merger; Until March 1956, the FPF did not authorize Cristal's participation in that year's championship, arguing from a ban on advertising in clubs to the fact that they should have the names of national heroes, places or institutions in the country. Various legal outlets were used for the impositions of the Federation, however, the controversy did not end until the 1960s, when the word "Backus" of the name of the club.

Lima and Callao Championship (1956-1965)

"The date of yesterday, December 20, will mark for the future the disappearance of the Club Sporting Tabaco and will point the advent to the national football of the Club Sporting Cristal Backus (...) the Sporting Cristal Backus is an entity called to become, as well as a University and Alliance, a football power of our environment".

Diario La Crónica (1955)

First titles (1956 and 1961)

The team cervecero put together a powerful squad for its first season, keeping most of the Sporting Tabaco players, which included goalkeeper Rafael Asca, captain Alfredo Cavero and goalscorer Faustino Delgado. In addition, striker Máximo Mosquera, scorer in the 1955 Peruvian Championship, and a trio of Uruguayan players were hired: Dardo Acuña, Carlos Zunino and Antonio Sacco. These signings marked an era as they were the first major transfers that were made in Peruvian professional soccer. During the 1956 Peruvian Championship, Sporting Cristal was overwhelming, for which they obtained the Champion Title, managing to have the most productive forward and the less beaten fence. His first win would come on the second date, on August 18, the day he beat Ciclista Lima 3-0. Halfway through the second round, Sporting Cristal has just taken the lead in the championship, after a 15-game unbeaten streak. On the last date, Sporting Cristal obtained the title the year of its debut, by beating Carlos Concha 4-0, with scores from Faustino Delgado (2), Luis Navarrete and Carlos Zunino. In honor of this first championship in its first year of life, Sporting Cristal is known as "the club that was born champion".

During the following seasons, the club was characterized by hiring top-level figures for its teams. The signings of players such as Raúl Pini, Sabino Bártoli, Alberto Terry or Jorge Lamas are remembered, since they shook the football market in their time. With the arrival of the Argentine Carlos Peucelle as technical director, in 1960, a revolution began in the club, where the team's quarries began to be exploited. That same year, Cristal had a good performance, finishing the team in third place. place.

The following year, Peruvian coach Juan Honores took over and led a light blue squad full of young players. This well-remembered team had homegrown players Eloy Campos, Orlando de La Torre and Roberto Elías as defenders, three references in Peruvian football in the 1960s, and striker Alberto Gallardo who would become the biggest idol in the club's history. Cristal it was the comfortable leader of the 1961 Peruvian Soccer Championship, but in the final dates it was overtaken by Alianza Lima, so both clubs had to define the champion in an extra game in which the celestes won by 2 -0 with scores from Alberto Ramírez and Alberto Gallardo. In that same season, Sporting Cristal also obtained the titles of its reserve, youth and children's teams (who played their tournaments parallel to the senior ones), thus consolidating their well-earned prestige.

As the Peruvian soccer champion, Cristal was invited to tour various parts of the world, this being the first tour by a Peruvian champion team. The series of matches began in the United States, continued through various Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Tehran, and culminated in Spain. There were a total of 30 games played over two months, of which 20 were won, 7 were drawn and there were only 3 defeats. The figure of this tour was Alberto Gallardo, who scored 37 goals. The club shook the market again when it signed the legendary Brazilian player Didí in 1962, a world-famous footballer who had just won the 1962 World Cup title with his team. Didí arrived to be the team's coach and implanted the offensive style of play and possession of the ball characteristic of Brazilian soccer. The Brazilian formed a showy team that used to provide a show, however, he had to settle for only the runners-up in 1962 and 1963.

Decentralized Championship and League 1 (1966-present)

Didi formed great teams in the 1960s.

Since 1966, the Peruvian Football Federation has expanded the scope of tournaments in Lima and Callao and also opens them for teams that play in the provinces of Peru. In this way, the national championships are definitively established in the country. The first "Descentralized Tournament" concluded with Cristal in fourth place.

Three titles in five years (1968 and 1972)

After retiring from soccer, Didí returned to take over the technical direction of the club for 1967, obtaining again the runner-up that year. The revenge came the following season, in which Sporting Cristal obtained the highest score along with Because of this, the 1968 Descentralizado champion had to be defined in an extra match in which the brewers were victorious 2-1 thanks to two goals by Alberto Gallardo. In addition to their titles local venues, the young institution was gaining prestige for its international performances. For the Copa Libertadores, the club remained undefeated for 17 consecutive matches for their participation in the 1962, 1968 and 1969 editions, establishing a continental record that is still in force.

The next few years would bring new titles, the first of them in 1970, under the technical direction of the Argentine Vito Andrés Bártoli, in a tournament that was hard fought with Universitario de Deportes and that was defined in the Final Liguilla of the tournament. In this last stage, Cristal had the best performance and the highest accumulated score, thus winning a new title. His last game was played against Juan Aurich, defeating him 4-2. Of the 32 games played that year, the team won 18, drew 9 and lost 5.

Cristal obtained a new, very hard-fought championship in 1972, after beating the other teams in the Liguilla. Its last match was played against Defensor Lima and ended in a 1-1 draw. i>, which was managed by Marcos Calderón, played 49 games, of which they won 22, drew 12 and lost 11.

The first two-time championship (1979-1980)

Julio César Uribe won four titles with the club and is considered one of the best Peruvian players ever.

At the end of the 1970s, Sporting Cristal put together a powerful team with several of the best Peruvian soccer players who had been playing abroad. Among these signings were the defenders Héctor Chumpitaz, Rubén Díaz, Eleazar Soria, Carlos Carbonell and the forwards Percy Rojas, Oswaldo Ramírez and Juan Carlos Oblitas. The celeste team of this time also included Fernando Mellán, Ramón Mifflin and Alfredo Quesada, three idols of the club; and with the youth players Roberto Mosquera and Julio César Uribe. This team was led by Marcos Calderón, who had won the club's last title.

Cristal won the 1979 Championship with an early date, after defeating Deportivo Junín 6-1 at the National Stadium on the penultimate date. At the end of the 44 dates, the club had 19 wins, 19 draws and 6 losses. The team's top scorer was Julio César Uribe with 18 goals.

The following year, the club was crowned champion again and obtained the first two-time championship in its history, again with an early date after beating Atlético Torino 1-0 on the penultimate matchday with a goal from Eleazar Soria. In this contest, Cristal remained undefeated in 20 games, which is the longest period in which it remained without defeat in Peruvian football. The club played 36 games during the tournament, of which they won 19, drew 11 and lost 6 In addition, Oswaldo Ramírez had the tournament's top scorer with 19 goals.

The club's next title came in 1983 under the coaching of Paraguayan César Cubilla. That year, the club was crowned champion on the last date of the Liguilla after defeating FBC Melgar 4-1. Cristal played 37 games that year, of which they won 19, drew 13 and lost 5.

Regional tournaments (1984-1991)

Since the mid-1980s, the traditional Decentralized tournaments were replaced by Regional Tournaments, which were characterized by increasing the number of participants in the soccer tournament and dividing them into different zones according to their origin. The bases of these championships were modified year by year.

In 1988, Sporting Cristal was the winner of the Descentralized Tournament (second regional of the year), thus gaining the right to define the title of the contest against Universitario de Deportes winner of the Metropolitan Region (first regional of the year). In this final of the tournament, the brewers beat 2-1 with goals from Óscar Calvo and Luis Redher in extra time. This team was led by Alberto Gallardo, who won his fifth championship with Cristal, this time as coach. During the tournament, the team played 39 games, of which they won 17, drew 13 and lost 9.

For the 1991 Decentralized Championship, two regional tournaments were also played, each of them granting a place for the national final. During the first regional of the year, both Sporting Cristal and Sport Boys obtained the highest score of the tournament, so they had to decide the winner of the contest in an extra match in which the celestes won 1-0 with a goal by Julio César Antón. In the second regional of the year, the winner also had to be defined in an extra match, since at the end of all the dates Cristal and Universitario de Deportes were equal in points. The definition of this regional ended with a 1-1 tie, so everything had to be decided in a penalty shootout in which the brewers won 7-6. As the winner of the two regionals, Cristal was proclaimed Peruvian champion, in the same year of foundation of its popular bar "Extremo Celeste".

By 1992, the traditional format of Decentralized championships was reverted to, as the regional tournament format became untenable over time.

The three-time championship and the final of the Copa Libertadores (1994-1997)

Julinho was a Crystal figure in the tri-campo and the Copa Libertadores finale in the 1990s.

In the 1994 Descentralized Championship, Sporting Cristal was consecrated champion comfortably, in the match that drew 1-1 against Unión Minas with a goal by Roberto Palacios. Such was the superiority of this team over their guards that they were established champion with five dates in advance, it also had the tournament's top scorer, the most goals scored and the least defeated goal. During this year, the club played 38 games, of which it won 30, drew 3 and lost 5; In addition, he scored 113 goals, with an average of almost three annotations (2.9) per game and conceded only 25. One of his victories was against Defensor Lima 11-1 in what is the biggest win achieved in the history of Sporting Cristal. That year it established records at the national level, still valid as the one with the highest possible points effectiveness (85.13%), the highest average goals per game (2.97) and the best average goals against (0.63). Due to the showiness of the game of this team, it was known by the nickname of "The celestial machine".

The following year, Cristal once again won a two-time championship. The title was achieved again comfortably, three dates from the end of the tournament in the match that was tied 2-2 against Alianza Lima with goals from Julinho and captain Pedro Garay. In September of that year, Sporting Cristal reopened the Stadium San Martín de Porres (today called Alberto Gallardo Stadium), where it exercises its local status to date. During the season, they played 11 games at this venue and won them all. In total, in 1995 the celestes played 44 games, winning 29, drawing 9 and losing 6, scoring 98 goals and conceding 36.

By obtaining the 1996 Descentralized Championship, Sporting Cristal became the first three-time champion team in Peruvian professional soccer. The title was obtained on the penultimate round, after a 1-1 draw against Universitario de Deportes with a goal converted by Jorge Soto. In this controversial match, Universitario players and coaching staff invaded the field of play when Cristal was preparing to execute a penalty kick taken in the last minutes, for which the match was concluded prematurely. In any case, the tie was enough for the club to obtain the title, which was achieved under the technical direction of Sergio Markarián. Throughout the tournament, the brewers played 30 games, won 22, tied 3 and lost 5, scored 71 goals and conceded 26.

The good cycle of this team had its highest point in international competitions with the runner-up in the 1997 Copa Libertadores. During this tournament, they advanced in the group stage made up of Brazilians and Peruvians. In the round of 16, the first leg was tied with Vélez Sarsfield and they were defeated 0-1 in the second leg played in Liniers. In the quarterfinals, they advanced after beating Club Bolívar by an aggregate score of 4-2. In the semifinal round, they beat Racing Club with an aggregate score of 6-4, thus qualifying for the final against Cruzeiro from Brazil. The first leg of the final was played in Lima and ended goalless, in the match played back in Belo Horizonte, the Brazilians won 1-0.

New championships and 50 years of the club (2002 and 2005)

There was a long streak without titles after the three-time championship, although the club always remained one of the animators of the tournaments: it was runner-up in 1997, 1998 and 2000, and third place in 1999 and 2001.

Paulo Autuori, champion coach in 2002.

In 2002, the Brazilian Paulo Autuori took over the technical direction of the team. After an irregular start in the Decentralized Championship, there was a purge of leading players decided by the coach. For this reason, as on other occasions in its history, the club made use of its youth squads, promoting players like Erick Delgado, Alberto Rodríguez, José Moisela, Diego Martínez and Renzo Sheput. With this team full of young people, Cristal finished the Apertura Tournament in third place. In the Closing Tournament, the club became national champion after winning this tournament and that Universitario de Deportes (winner of the Apertura) did not obtain enough points to play for the national title. enough to win. The captain and scorer of this team with 23 goals Luis Alberto Bonnet.

In January 2005, the club became a public limited company with the aim of continuing to work with financial responsibility. In that same year, Cristal celebrated its 50th anniversary with a new national title. As the winner of the Clausura Tournament, the club had to define the national champion against Cienciano (winner of the Apertura). > 1-0 with a goal scored by Carlos Zegarra, another player from his youth academies. At the end of the campaign, Cristal had Jorge Soto and Luis Alberto Bonnet as his scorers with 12 goals each and Sergio Leal, the figure of the championship being recognized as the best striker in Peruvian soccer and the best foreigner.

Sporting Cristal participated in the 2007 Copa Libertadores for the thirteenth consecutive time, having attended the continental competition without interruption since 1995. The club thus established another national record and closed a long cycle in which it always occupied the first places in Peruvian soccer Precisely in 2007 the team completed the worst campaign in its history, even fighting relegation that was saved in the last days, and thanks to the great contribution of Roberto Palacios, an idol of the club who returned to the team to avoid relegation.

In 2008, the club regained prominence, although no title was achieved as it was second in the Apertura and Clausura behind Universitario de Deportes and Universidad San Martín respectively. The years 2009 and 2010 were also of irregular campaigns in which the club finished in seventh and tenth place respectively.

In 2011, he assumed the presidency of the Sporting Cristal Felipe Cantuarias board of directors, thus beginning a period of institutional change in the club. Deserved tributes were paid to idols of the club such as Julio César Balerio, Jorge Soto, Julio César de Andrade Moura "Julinho", Orlando de la Torre, Fernando Mellán, Julio César Uribe and Horacio Baldessari. In the same way, the club made great internal changes at the level of play, as a first measure, a strategic plan was drawn up by homogenizing and implementing the same game pattern in all the lower divisions, and as a second measure, Sporting Cristal increased its presence international in youth soccer, by participating in different tournaments, which led to an increase in the youth soccer budget. On the other hand, the self-sustainability of the club was projected depending less and less on Backus, with a structured plan, supported by sponsors, television rights and fans.

Profound changes, work and great successes (2012-2018)

Sporting Crystal Champion 2012.

Sporting Cristal continued with the drastic restructuring of the squad in 2012, this included soccer players and technical command. The person in charge of taking the reins of the team was a historical celestial reference: Roberto Mosquera, a coach with an offensive style and possession of the ball. The choice of Mosquera sought to vindicate Sporting Cristal's historical style of play.

During the 2012 Descentralized Championship, the club was the winner of the first stage of the tournament, thus ensuring its participation in the 2013 Copa Libertadores. The club was also the winner of the second stage, thus qualifying for the final national competition. The definition of the title was played against the Real Garcilaso club in round-trip matches. Cristal was the winner of both matches, thus becoming Peruvian champion for the sixteenth time, in both matches Sporting Cristal managed to win 1-0 with goals from Junior Ross. In total, the club played 46 matches, of which they won 27, tied 11 and lost 8.

The performances of several soccer players throughout this campaign were outstanding: Junior Ross, the best player in the finals and the team's scorer with 17 goals, Yoshimar Yotún, who was chosen as part of the Ideal Team of America, and the Uruguayan Jorge Cazulo, chosen as the best player of the tournament, also highlighted players such as Luis Advíncula, Irven Ávila and the goalkeeper Erick Delgado who won his third title with the celeste team.

In the Night of the Celeste Race 2013, they prevailed 6-1 against Danubio. On the international level, Sporting Cristal participated for the twenty-ninth time in the Copa Libertadores de América, the most important club tournament at the continental level. Cristal is the Peruvian club with the most presences in the history of the competition. The team failed to overcome the group stage, in which it was matched with Palmeiras, Club Libertad and Atlético Tigre. Cristal was one of the sixteen teams that played in the forty-eighth edition of the Descentralized Championship, the most important competition in Peruvian soccer. The club faced the tournament as the 2012 national champion. Throughout the Descentralized, Cristal played 44 matches, of which they won 22, tied 9 and lost 13; He also scored 76 goals and received 45. Cristal finished the tournament in third place, thus qualifying for the 2014 Copa Libertadores. However, the match against Real Garcilaso was very painful due to the death of Yair Clavijo, which occurred on September 21. July at the Urcos Municipal Stadium after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest; There was no defibrillator in the stadium, which made the player's recovery attempt more difficult.

National Champions Team 2014.

In 2014 he won the title of the season, after beating Juan Aurich 3-2 in the national final thanks to scores from Irven Ávila, Horacio Calcaterra and Edinson Chávez. to a third final, since the two previous matches ended tied (2-2 and 0-0 respectively). Cristal obtained the right to play in the final for being the winner of the Clausura Tournament, which he achieved after beating Alianza Lima in an extra match in the city of Arequipa, once again winning him a defining match.

The season represented the continuation of the long-term process under Argentine coach Daniel Ahmed, which began in the 2014 season. The sporting year began on January 24 with the traditional “Noche de la Raza Celeste” in which honored Orlando "Chito" de La Torre, a former champion soccer player with the club on 4 occasions. In the presentation match they tied 2-2 with the Liga de Quito. Sporting Cristal played this year the 2015 Decentralized Championship, which was divided into three short tournaments: the Inca Tournament, the Opening and the Closing. Cristal obtained the national runner-up after losing in the finals against F. B. C. Melgar, 2-2 in Lima and 3-2 in Arequipa. At the international level, the club participated for the thirty-first (31st) time in the Copa Libertadores de América, remaining the Peruvian club with the most appearances in the history of the competition.

In the 2016 edition, after the departure of Daniel Ahmed, who was the team's coach for 2 years, and the arrival of Mariano Soso, in the Apertura Tournament he came in second place and in the Closing Tournament he managed to be champion, remaining thus, first in the accumulated table at the end of the entire season. They qualified for the semifinals where they would face Deportivo Municipal losing 1-0 on the road and winning 1-0 at home, it had to be decided by kicks from the penalty spot that finally would win (3-2). On Sunday, December 18, 2016, Sporting Cristal was measured against FBC Melgar where Diego Ifrán's goal in the 1-1 visit would end up consecrating him champion of the edition after being tied 0-0 at home in the second leg, getting his eighteenth championship.

On the international level, the club played for the thirty-third (33rd) time the Copa Libertadores de América, remaining the Peruvian club with the most appearances in the history of the competition. In this season the celestial team obtained a shameful participation where they were eliminated in the group stage. After the departure of coach Mariano Soso, the former coach of Sporting Cristal José Del Solar arrived, who was champion in the 2005 campaign. The sports year began on January 19 with a friendly behind closed doors against Universidad Católica where the sky-blue team tied 2-2. 2. After a terrible campaign in the Summer and Opening Tournament, on June 25, the Rímense club announced the retirement of José del Solar as the club's technical director due to poor results, two days later Pablo Zegarra was announced as the new coach from the Rimense team that comes from directing the reserve of the celestial team. Without much success in the last part of the year, Cristal finished in eighth place in the Descentralizado, managing to qualify for the 2018 Copa Sudamericana as Peru 4. And thus consolidating the club's worst campaign in recent years.

Jorge Cazulo celebrating the first goal of the match back in the end of 2018 against Alianza Lima.

In 2018 Sporting Cristal announces the hiring of Chilean coach Mario Salas, as well as new figures, highlighting the signing of Emanuel Herrera, who would become the all-time top scorer in a season in the First Division with 40 goals, thus surpassing the record held by Eduardo Esidio in the year 2000. During the season, the club won the Summer Tournament and the Apertura Tournament, which led it to qualify directly for the final of the Decentralized Tournament. The team was first in the accumulated table, therefore, they waited for the rival that would come out between Alianza Lima and FBC Melgar. On Wednesday, December 12, Sporting Cristal was measured against Alianza Lima, for the first leg, winning 1-4 on the road and on Sunday, 16 of the same month, they thrashed again this time at home 3-0, with a resounding 7-1 in the overall result, crowning himself as the new monarch of Peruvian soccer by getting his nineteenth crown. In turn, the club commanded by the Chilean achieved great sporting achievements, one of which was having been the team with the most goals scored in the tournament, with 113 goals, likewise, it was the club with the fewest losses with only 7 games lost in 44 played, reaching a total of 91 points.

League 1 and was Innova Sports (2019 - Present)

After a successful 2018, the club announces the hiring of Claudio Vivas, who was also coach of the brewers in 2013. During the season, they obtained second place in the Apertura Tournament. In the Bicentennial Cup, they obtained first place in their group, beating Alianza Atlético and Atlético Grau, they only drew against César Vallejo, in the Round of 16, they defeated Sport Boys on penalties, but in the quarterfinals He also lost against Atlético Grau via penalties, and as a consequence, Claudio Vivas was fired from the club. Regarding international tournaments, they played the 2019 Copa Libertadores, the club obtained third place in group C, where they won 2 games, drew one and lost the remaining three, and thus qualified for the 2019 Copa Sudamericana, where they met Zulia in the round of 16, where they lose 1-0 in the first leg and win 3-2 in the second leg, but are eliminated by the away goal rule. On September 19, 2019, Backus sold the club to Innova Sports, and also hired Manuel Barreto, which generated much controversy and disgust among the club's fans. They finished in third place in the Clausura Tournament, obtained first place in the Accumulated Table, which led them to play the Play-Offs of the respective season, where on December 1 they lost to Alianza Lima 1-0 in the semifinals, and on December 4 he tied at one, where he runs out of chances to defend the 2018 title.

Emanuel Herrera, head of the First Division in 2018 and 2020.

In the 2020 season, after a bad start in Liga 1, the club announced the departure of coach Manuel Barreto, days later Roberto Mosquera returned as technical director after 7 years. Sporting Cristal could not play Phase 3 of the 2020 Copa Libertadores, since they lost 4-0 against Barcelona de Guayaquil, but they won 2-1 in Lima, with an aggregate result of 5-2 against them. On 12 March the Opening Tournament was stopped due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, when the competition returned, the team finished in third place. In the Clausura Tournament, they won group A and qualified for the definition against Ayacucho Fútbol Club, they would be defeated by the foxes in kicks from the penalty mark. Cristal, for being first in the accumulated table, would also play the semifinal with Ayacucho, in the first game they would win 2-1 and in the second they would win again with a resounding 4-1 qualifying for the national final. Sporting Cristal would achieve their twentieth title by beating Universitario de Deportes in a 3-2 aggregate in the definition of the season.

Sporting Cristal thus closes a successful decade, achieving 5 titles in 9 years, being the most successful in the professional era of Peruvian soccer.

A year later, they had the goal of being two-time national champions, however, the scorer Emanuel Herrera left, and Marcos Riquelme arrived, signing on February 19, 2021. Internationally, he played in the 2021 Copa Libertadores, in Group E, they lost to Racing Club and São Paulo, but drew 0-0 against Rentistas, and on May 19, 2021, they confirmed their participation in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana, beating Rentistas 2-0. On May 30, Sporting Cristal is crowned the winner of Phase 1, beating San Martín 2-0, on July 27, 2021, he wins the final of the Bicentennial Cup against Carlos A. Mannucci, this being his last title in the history of the club In the Copa Sudamericana, they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the first leg, and in the second leg, both teams drew 1-1, but in the Quarterfinals, they lost to Peñarol, 3-1 in the first leg, and 1-0. in the turn. Sporting Cristal is second in Phase 2 of that year, it was also first in the accumulated table, which allows it to play the National Final against Alianza Lima, the winner of Phase 2. On November 21, Alianza Lima wins 1-0, but Marcos Riquelme canceled a legitimate goal. Finally, on November 28, Sporting Cristal draws without goals, therefore, they are crowned runners-up in Liga 1 2021.

At the beginning of 2022, the club hired John Jairo Mosquera, after the departure of Marcos Riquelme, but he had a very bad season, which led to his departure in April. In the Copa Libertadores, they played in Group H, scored 2 points and could not access the 2022 Copa Sudamericana, losing to Flamengo 2-0 in Lima, and in Rio they lost 2-1, then the Catholic University of Chile beat them 2 to 1, then Talleres de Córdoba beat them 1 to 0, then they tied 1-1 against Universidad Católica de Chile, then they drew 0-0 against Talleres. He was third in the 2022 Opening Tournament, second in the 2022 Closing Tournament, and first in the accumulated table, which allowed him to play the semifinal against Melgar, both games he has lost 2-0, which led to the dismissal of Roberto Mosquera, and the end of the streak of champions in even years.

In the year 2023, Sporting Cristal hires Tiago Nunes as DT, in addition, Ignácio da Silva and Brenner Marlos arrive, two soccer players from the Brazilian League, however, they make an alliance with 1190 Sports, which means that their matches are broadcast on DirecTV, in the Copa Libertadores, they passed Phase 2, defeating Nacional de Paraguay on aggregate, losing 2-0 in the first leg, and winning by a landslide 5-1 in the second leg; Then in Phase 3, they faced Huracán, where they drew goalless in the first leg, and won 1-0, at the last minute in the second leg, and thus qualified for the Group Phase of the Copa Libertadores 2023. In the debut, they lose 3 to 1 at home against Fluminense.

Symbols

Shield

History and evolution of the shield

The club's first crest was created when it was still called "Sporting Cristal Backus". It had a light blue background and the initial letters of the club (SCB) written from bottom to top in a white stripe, which ran from the lower left diagonal to the upper right corner. At the top, it had the colors of the Peruvian flag. This shield was used on the club's shirts for very few games during Cristal's first participation in 1956.

Next, a small change was made to the shield, this time the letters "SCB" they were placed from top to bottom in the white stripe that now ran from the upper left to the lower right. This shield was used until the term "Backus" of the club's name at the end of 1965.

Current shield

When the term Backus was removed from the club's name, the shield also underwent changes, removing the letter "B" of "Backus". The light blue background and the colors of the Peruvian flag were maintained, while the border of the shield underwent variations over the years. The first of these shields had an oval edge at the bottom and a straight line at the top. Years later, a peak was increased at the bottom.

The current shield presents a minimal change: the border that encloses the shield is a pentagon with yellow lines, but with the detail that the vertical lines are longer than the horizontal one. In addition, the strip with the letters is maintained "SC", the light blue background and the colors, at the top, of the Peruvian flag. Since 1997, in honor of the three-time championship obtained a year earlier, the shield has 3 stars at the top.

In the second half of 2018, as a tribute to its previous shields, the club stylized its shield by reducing its width and changing its typography, although respecting the original standard. However, the change in the jerseys could only be visible in the alternate jersey released in August 2019, while in the starting jersey it could only be shown in 2020.

Anthem

Throughout the history of the club, Sporting Cristal has had different anthems, however, the most recent is considered the official anthem of the club and is entitled "La Fuerza Ganadora".

This anthem became a hugely popular hit in the 1990s due to the club's winning streak at the time.

Clothing

Current uniform

1956 First equipment

(See evolution)

Current balance

• Supplier: Adidas
• Sponsor: Crystal Beer

The representative colors of the uniform for the 2023 season are the following:

• Uniform holder: celestial t-shirt, white pants and celestial stockings.
• Uniform visitor: t-shirt, pants and green stockings.
• Third uniform: t-shirt, trousers and black stockings.

Owner

Visitor

Third

Suppliers and sponsors

Until the early 1980s, the shirts used by the players were made in textile factories designated by the club, as was the custom of the time in Peruvian soccer. Only in 1986 did they begin to dress under a clothing brand, the Italian Diadora officially dressed the club.

Since 2013, the jersey has been made by the German company Adidas, which supplies everything from the sports uniform to extra-sports clothing for the first team, the reserves and the minor divisions. The brand has a contract with the club until 2021. They currently still have a valid contract.

Period	Supplier	Sponsor
1956-1985	None	None
1986
1987		None
1988-1989
1990-1991		None
1992-1995
1995-1997
1998-2004
2005-2006
2007-2009
2010-2012
2013-Act.

Facilities

Stadium

Alberto Gallardo Stadium.

Sporting Cristal plays its home matches at the Alberto Gallardo Stadium, owned by the Peruvian Sports Institute and with the right of use by the club until 2022. The sports venue is located in the district of San Martin de Porres; In addition, it is located on the banks of the Rímac River, one of the longest rivers in Peru.

The stadium was officially inaugurated on June 9, 1961, under the name "Fray Martín de Porres Stadium". with Didí again DT, they defeated Atlante de México 2-0, with two goals from Carlos Gonzales Pajuelo, a game played at 20:30, it should be noted that the Mexican team was on a tour in Ecuador and took advantage of coming to Lima. In the preliminary, Defensor Lima and Defensor Arica played, drawing 1-1, with 7,580 spectators attending the night double.

In the 1979 season, the stadium was for the first time the scene of some of Cristal's home games officially; On April 15, 1979, the team played in this stadium and beat Alfonso Ugarte from Puno 7-0, achieving the biggest win for national championships playing in this stadium. The goals on that historic day were scored by Percy Rojas (3), Julio César Uribe (2), Roberto Mosquera and Juan Carlos Oblitas. That year culminated with the celestes as national champions; However, in the following years, the light blue team did without this court.

On June 26, 1983, Sporting Cristal made its home debut again at the San Martín de Porres Stadium against Melgar from Arequipa. That match ended in a 1-1 draw and drew 8,540 spectators. Luis 'Cucaracha' Mora opened the account for the rimenses and tied Genaro Neyra with a shot that deflected off Rubén Díaz. Over time, the facilities of the sports venue fell into disuse, the field was completely abandoned, the stands were unstable and security was insufficient. Despite that, Cristal played some games on that stage again until 1986.

Sporting Cristal signed a contract with the Peruvian Sports Institute in July 1995, through which it obtained the usufruct right of the stadium, and in exchange it promised to introduce the necessary improvements to turn it into a first-class stage. With an investment of more than $280,000, the remodeled stadium was reopened on September 24, 1995 with Sporting Cristal's 6-0 victory over Cienciano. Since its reopening, the club has managed to maintain long positive streaks in this setting, remaining undefeated in it between 1995 and 1998, in addition, conceding very few draws and scoring goals in most of their matches. Additionally, between 2001 and 2003 he obtained a streak of 24 consecutive victories playing in "San Martín".

On May 19, 2012, the old “San Martín de Porres Stadium” was officially renamed “Alberto Gallardo Stadium”, in honor of former soccer player Alberto Gallardo who was champion with Sporting Cristal as a soccer player and as coach. In the reopening match, Cristal defeated José Gálvez FBC by the score of 4-0.

In 2012 he remained undefeated playing in this venue, playing 17 games, winning 15, drawing 2 and scoring goals in several matches. The following year he returned to play in this stadium for the Copa Libertadores after 4 years, he won that match 2-1 against Tigre from Argentina. Between 2012 and 2013 he remained undefeated for 31 games, the figure would increase to 32 plus a game in 2011, remaining undefeated for a year and a half on this court. Between 2017 and 2018 he spent almost a year undefeated playing in this venue.

Between 2018 and 2020 they played again in this stadium for Columbus Day Celeste, which is the team's presentation and traditionally a friendly is played with an international team and sometimes with a national one.

Cristal has played a total of 14 matches at this stadium in international tournaments, with a favorable balance of 9 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses.

The Florida High Performance Center

Training courts at the club facilities in La Florida.

Sporting Cristal has its institutional headquarters on calle 18, urb. La Florida in the Rimac district. The sports areas occupy 44,832.99 m², where we find soccer fields, a concentration hotel, an events room, a specially equipped gym and a medical department staffed by renowned professionals. Finally, we find a cafeteria, a chapel behind the training field of the professional team and a two-story building with 1,156 m² for the administrative area.

Total area: 85,784.76 m².

Concentration Hotel

The club has an area that has all the comforts to guarantee the good rest and tranquility of its guests. These facilities are used mainly by the professional team in their concentration prior to the matches for the local tournament. The hotel has twelve rooms, as well as a work and recreation room, which also serves as a chat and/or meeting area.

Soccer fields

Sporting Cristal has five courts of a very good level. The first with natural grass and for the exclusive use of the professional team. The other four are available to youth football categories, as well as the club's academy. Two of them are made of natural grass and the other two are made of artificial grass. One of the artificial fields is of the latest generation and has a high-tech lighting system.

Event hall

With a capacity to accommodate 200 people, the facilities have an area suitable for holding events. In 2013 it was used for meetings with staff, training talks, loyalty and end-of-year parties.[1]

Club details

• Foundation: 13 December 1955
• Historical position in Peru: 1.o
• Seasons in First Division: 65 (1956-Act.)
• Seasons in Second Division: 0
• Greatest goal:
  • In national tournaments: Defender Lima 1-11 Sporting Cristal (31/07/1994).
  • In international tournaments: Sporting Crystal 7-0 Jorge Wilstermann (17/03/1995) Absolute national framework.
• Major welcome:
  • In national tournaments: FBC Melgar 6-0 Sporting Cristal (18/10/1992) and León de Huánuco 6-0 Sporting Cristal (13/06/2010).
  • In international tournaments: Club Cobreloa 6-1 Sporting Cristal (14/04/1981).
• Best place in the league: Champion (20 times).
• Worse in the league: 10.o (Decentralized School 2007).
• Best international participation: Subcampion (Copa Libertadores 1997).
• Major undefeated in national tournaments: 32 meetings (from 18/11/1979 to 14/09/1980).
• Major undefeated in international tournaments: 17 meetings (from 20/02/1962 to 11/03/1969) Absolute national framework.
• Consequent participations in international tournaments: 13 consecutive participations in Copa Libertadores (1995-2007) Absolute national framework.
• Maximum scorer: Jorge Soto, with 175 goals.
• More contested meetings: Jorge Soto, with 566 matches.
• Player with more seasons: Alfredo Quesada, 17 seasons.
• Player with more titles: Alfredo Quesada, with 6 titles.
• Porter with more undefeated minutes: Gustavo Gonzales, with 1024 minutes in 1989 Absolute national framework.
• Coach with more titles: Marcos Calderón, Juan Carlos Oblitas and Roberto Mosquera with 3 titles.
• Coach with more targeted matches: Juan Carlos Oblitas, with 379 matches.

International participations:

Note: In bold active competitions.

Classifications

Historical classification in Peru

The historical classification table of the First Division of Peru, includes the scores obtained by all the Peruvian clubs that at some point played in the First Division. In this table, the celestial square is located in the first position.

Qualifying in the Copa Libertadores

Thanks to the large number of participations and victories obtained in the Copa Libertadores de América organized by the South American Football Confederation, Sporting Cristal is the best Peruvian team with 1810.2 points according to the historical list issued by the soccer governing body South American.

World club rankings

Since 1991, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has produced an annual classification of the best football clubs in the world according to their results and their own qualification statistics.

In the classification, the rimense team has been chosen in 2015 and 2016 as the best Peruvian team by the IFFHS.

Players

Jorge Soto, player with more games and goals in the history of the club.

Club Sporting Cristal has had great soccer players throughout its history. Since its foundation, the club has been one of the teams that has contributed the most players to the Peruvian soccer team. During its first years, the figures of former Club Sporting Tabaco players stood out in the team, among which the goalkeeper Rafael Asca, the defender Alberto del Solar and the goalscorer Faustino Delgado stand out, who are considered the first celestialidols. i>. Asca was a renowned goalkeeper, often considered among the best Peruvian goalkeepers in history. He was part of the club's first two titles in 1956 and 1961 with outstanding performances, his fame became continental especially after his participation in the 1959 South American Championship held in Argentina in which he had an outstanding performance. Del Solar was captain of the first brewers teams many times, he also won the 1956 and 1961 titles, after which he retired to join the club's board of directors. Faustino Delgado was the first goalscorer to Cristal had in its history, his great scoring nose kept him in force for many years in which he was the absolute owner of the left wing of the bajopontina forward. He was also crowned champion in the first two club titles.

Roberto Palacios, winner of 4 titles with Crystal and historic club idol.

In 1960 striker Alberto Gallardo made his debut in the team, who is considered the greatest idol of the club throughout its history. Gallardo quickly became one of the most recognized soccer players in Peru after being the top scorer in the national tournament in 1961 and 1962; he also won four championships with the club: 1961, 1968, 1970 and 1972. The Jet scored 138 goals in total at Sporting Cristal. With the Peruvian team he qualified for the Soccer World Cup of 1970, where he had an outstanding performance. The goals scored against the representatives of Bulgaria and Brazil with which Peru advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament are remembered, being until now the second highest Peruvian scorer in the World Cups. In that same decade, they were important in the team the figures of other great Peruvian players such as Eloy Campos, Orlando de La Torre, Fernando Mellán, Roberto Elías, Ramón Mifflin, José del Castillo and Carlos Gonzales Pajuelo.

Midfielder Alfredo Quesada is another of the historic celestial players. Quesada was a mixed midfielder noted for his physical resistance and his imbalance based on his speed. The skinny, as he was known, remained in the team for seventeen seasons, being the only club in which he played during his entire career, where he won six national titles: (1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980 and 1983), to date nobody has won as many championships as him with the Cristal shirt. attacker with exquisite technique, mischievous and cheerful play, he popularized the play known as "la elastica" in the 80s. He achieved the two-time championship with Cristal 1979-1980, years in which he was the exclusive figure of a team full of stars. After emigrating abroad, he returned to the club in 1988 and 1991, winning the national title in each of those years.

Jorge Cazulo, a prominent footballer and excapitán in Sporting Cristal, was for 9 seasons, achieved five titles.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the figure of Jorge Soto stands out, who was the team's captain for many years, in addition to holding the record for the most games played with 566, the highest number of goals scored with the light blue shirt with 175, the top light-blue scorer in the First Division with 153 goals, the club's top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with 15 goals together with Julinho and in international tournaments with 22 conquests. He is also the Peruvian player and the club with the most appearances in the Copa Libertadores, playing 81 games.Soto was a three-time national champion in 1994, 1995 and 1996; He was also runner-up in the 1997 Copa Libertadores and won two more Peruvian championships in 2002 and 2005. In this period, what was done by Roberto Palacios, a great creative midfielder famous for his long-distance goals called chorrigolazos, also stands out.. Palacios achieved five titles with Cristal (1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2002) and is the player with the most historical presences playing for the Peruvian soccer team and also its seventh historical scorer.

In recent years, the participation of the cerebral midfielder Carlos Lobatón, champion in 2005, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018; Uruguayan defense midfielder and defender Jorge Cazulo, champion in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020; and others like Horacio Calcaterra and Irven Ávila.

Carlos Lobatón, excapitán of the club where he was for 15 seasons, won five championships.

Numerous foreign players have also stood out in the history of the club, in its first championship the Uruguayan players Carlos Zunino and Antonio Sacco stood out, who formed a remembered forward in the 1950s. The Brazilian forward Vinha de Souza stood out in the decade of 1970, being a scorer for the 1972 champion team. In 1991, the Argentine striker Horacio Baldessari arrived at the club, who was a figure and scorer for the championship achieved that year, in addition to being one of the first idols of the recently formed popular bar & #34;Extremo Celeste". Shortly after, an important foreign legion arrived that was important at the time that the three-time championship was achieved from 1994-1996 and the final of the Libertadores in 1997, as the Uruguayan goalkeeper Julio César Balerio, who was also part of the Peruvian team, the Paraguayan captain Pedro Garay, and the skilled Brazilian striker Julinho, who also played for the Peruvian team, he won 4 titles with the club, was scorer of the 1995 Descentralized Championship, he is the club's fourth all-time scorer with 137 goals, the second top foreign scorer in the club's history, the club's top scorer in the Copa Libertadores together with Jorge Soto and the second top scorer in international tournaments with 16 targets.

The historic Argentine scorer Luis Alberto Bonnet also stands out; who is the third top scorer in the club's history with 140 goals, the top foreign scorer, top scorer in the 2003 Descentralized Championship, and was Cristal's top scorer in the 1997 Copa Libertadores, all of them are considered idols of the club for their important contribution football to the team during this period.

In recent years, foreign soccer players Emanuel Herrera have stood out, who was national champion in 2018 and 2020, goalscorer in the Peruvian championship in those years and who in 2018 broke the record for goals in a season in the Peruvian First Division with 40 goals That same year he became the club's top scorer in a league season with 40 goals, and also adding all competitions by scoring 43 goals. Gabriel Costa also stands out, who was national champion in 2016 and 2018, and who in that last year was key to the Cristal title and was chosen the best player in the 2018 Peruvian championship.

Squad and coaching staff

Club Sporting Crystal Template of the Season 2023

Players			Technical equipment
N.o Nac. Pos. Name Age Ult team. End contract Eq. training International Porteros 1 Peru! 0BY Matías Córdova 20 years Reservation 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 12 Peru! 0BY Renato Solís 25 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Regatas Lima Absolute 13 Peru! 0BY Alejandro Duarte 29 years Sportivo Luqueño 31/12/2025 EGB Absolute 26 Peru! 0BY Emile Franco 22 years Coopsol 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 Defense 2 Peru! 1DEF Johan Madrid 26 years Sport Rosario 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Absolute 3 PER! 1DEF Benjamin Villalta 22 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal - 4 Peru! 1DEF Gianfranco Chávez 24 years Coopsol 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Absolute 5 Peru! 1DEF Rafael Lutiger 21 years Carlos A. Mannucci 31/12/2025 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 14 BRA! 1DEF Ignácio da Silva 26 years EC Bahia 31/12/2023 VOCEM - 15 Peru! 1DEF Jhilmar Lora 22 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Absolute 24 PER! 1DEF Junior Huerto 23 years Cantolao 31/12/2023 USMP - 29 Peru! 1DEF Nilson Loyola 28 years Goiás 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal Absolute 31 Peru! 1DEF Flavio Alcedo 20 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 32 Peru! 1DEF Leonardo Díaz 19 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 33 Peru! 1DEF Gilmar Paredes 20 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 36 PER! 1DEF Gabriel Alfaro 19 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal - Campers 6 Peru! 2MED Jesus Pretell 24 years Melgar 31/12/2023 Atletico Grau Absolute 8 Uruguay! 2MED Leandro Sosa 28 years Ayacucho FC 31/12/2023 CA Athens - 16 Peru! 2MED Jesus Castle 21 years Reservation 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal Absolute 19 Peru! 2MED Yoshimar Yotún 33 years Blue Cross 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal Absolute 21 Peru! 2MED Adrian Ascues 20 years Municipal Sports 31/12/2025 Sporting Crystal - 22 Ecuador! 2MED Juan Sánchez 20 years IDV 31/12/2025 IDV Sub-20 25 Peru! 2MED Martín Távara 24 years Sport Rosario 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Absolute 34 Peru! 2MED Aldair Vásquez 20 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 Delanteros 7 ECU! 3OF THE Washington Corozo 24 years Austin FC 31/12/2023 IDV Absolute 9 BRA! 3OF THE Brenner Marlos 29 years Ituano 31/12/2023 Youth - 10 Peru! 3OF THE Alejandro Hohberg 31 years University 31/12/2024 CA Peñarol Absolute 11 Peru! 3OF THE Irven Ávila 32 years FBC Melgar 31/12/2023 Tito D Academy. Absolute 17 Peru! 3OF THE Adrián Ugarriza 26 years Science 31/12/2024 USMP Sub-20 20 Peru! 3OF THE Joao Grimaldo 20 years Reservation 31/12/2023 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 28 Peru! 3OF THE Marlon Perea 20 years Reservation 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal Sub-20 30 Peru! 3OF THE Jostin Alarcón 20 years Sport Boys 31/12/2025 Municipal Sports Sub-23 35 Peru! 3OF THE Juan Carlos González 19 years Reservation 31/12/2024 Sporting Crystal -			Coach(s) Tiago Nunes Technical assistants Evandro Fornari Physical preparation Edy Carlos Toporowicz Coach of Archers Luciano Júnior Performance Analyst Jussãn Anjolin Utility Miguel Linares Team Leader Legend Pos.: Position Nac.: Nationality of sport Captain Mission BY / ARQ: Guardameta DEF: Defense MED / VOL: Camper OF THE: Delantero Updated on March 1, 2023 Official web template

• Peruvian teams can have up to five foreign players. If a foreign player is nationalized in the middle of the championship, he will continue to count as such.

Ups and downs 2023

Altas
Player	Position	Proceedings	Type	Contract
Adrian Ascues	Camper center	Municipal Sports	Free	3 Years
Jostin Alarcón	Delantero	Sport Boys	Free	3 Years
Adrián Ugarriza	Delantero	Science	Transfer	2 Years
Emile Franco	Porter	Coopsol	End of assignment	1 Year
Brenner Marlos	Delantero	Ituano	Free	1 Year
Washington Corozo	Delantero	Austin FC	End of assignment	1 Year
Ignácio da Silva	Defence	EC Bahia	Free	1 Year
Benjamin Villalta	Defence	Carlos A. Mannucci	End of assignment	1 Year
Junior Huerto	Defence	Cantolao	End of assignment	1 Year

Low
Player	Position	Destination	Type
Omar Merlo	Defence	Curicó Unida	End of contract
Horacio Calcaterra	Camper center	University	End of contract
Christopher Olivares	Delantero	Municipal Sports	End of contract
Joffre Escobar	Delantero	Deportivo Pasto	End of contract
José Inga	Camper center	-	End of contract
Aryan Roma	Delantero	Athletic Alliance	End of contract
Jhon Marchán	Camper center	Metropolitan	End of contract
Carlos Cabello	Defence	César Vallejo	Termination
Diego Buonanotte	Camper center	Union La Calera	Termination

Cessions
Player	Position	Destination	End of assignment
Diego Enríquez	Porter	Binational Sports	31/12/2023
Diego Soto	Camper center	Municipal Sports	31/12/2023
Fernando Pacheco	Delantero	Municipal Sports	30/06/2023
Christian Carbajal	Defence	Sport Boys	31/12/2023
Christofer Gonzales	Camper center	Al-Adalah Club	30/06/2023
Percy Liza	Delantero	C.S. Maritime	30/06/2023

Foreign players

Nationality	N.o	Players
Argentina	41	Roberto 'Tachero' Martínez, Oscar Rossi, Carlos Poretti, Vito Andrés Bártoli, José Vicente Grecco, Federico Sacchi, Juan Carlos Kopriva, Gastón Córdoba, Carlos Argüeso, Marcelo Asteggiano, Fabián Suescun, Víctor Civarelli, Pedro Galván, Maximiliano Cincunegui, Mario Humberto Lobo, Horacio Baldessari
Uruguay Uruguay	26	Raúl Pini, Antonio Sacco, Dardo Acuña, Carlos Zunino, Óscar Míguez, Óscar Ferro, Sergio William Navarro, Robert Lima, Gustavo Roverano, Sergio Leal, Gabriel García, Miguel Ximénez, Junior Aliberti, Alejandro González, Jorge Cazulo, Jonathan Ramírez, Santiago García, Sergio Blanco, Santiago Silva, Diego Ifrán, Cristian Palacios, Leandro Sosa
BrazilBrazil	24	Julio Terra, Didí, Écio Capovilla, Vantuil da Trindade, Vinha de Souza, Marcos Roberto, Pingo, Leonardo Valença, Julinho, Bica, Marquinho, Gerson Lente, Rosinaldo Lopes, Nílson Esidio, Palhinha, Dênis, Sérgio Júnior, Donizete Oliveira, Donizete Amorim, Cristiano, Wésley Franco
ColombiaColombia	10	Sergio Guzmán, Herly Alcázar, Andrés Mosquera, Edison Chará, Héctor Hurtado, Elkin Murillo, Óscar Villarreal, Breyner Bonilla, Yulián Mejía, John Jairo Mosquera
Paraguay Paraguay	9	Alejandro Cano, Pedro Garay, Estanislao Struway, Javier Ferreira, Ricardo Martínez, Carlos Espínola, Luis Espinola
EcuadorEcuador	6	Raúl Avilés, Carlos Alberto Juárez, Gustavo Figueroa, Washington Corozo, Juan Sánchez, Joffre Escobar
ChileChile	3	Juan Carlos Letelier, Reinaldo Navia, Mauricio Viana
Venezuela Venezuela	2	Daniel Noriega, Jhon Marchán
GhanaGhana	2	Joseph Annor Aziz, Prince Amoako
JapanJapan	2	Edwin Uehara, Masakatsu Sawa
Panama Panama	1	Rolando Blackburn
United States	1	Luchi González
HondurasHonduras	1	Álex Pineda Chacón
Mexico Mexico	1	Rodolfo Espinoza
GermanyGermany	1	Mark Hinze

Coaches

Marcos Calderón was a champion in 1972, 1979 and 1980.

Since its foundation in 1955, the club has had, with its current manager, a total of 57 coaches throughout its history. The first coach the club had was Luis Tirado from Chile, who led the team between 1956 and 1958. Tirado is also the first champion coach of Sporting Cristal for the title won in 1956.

Of the nationalities of the coaches, almost half have been Peruvian (27). The foreign coaches (30), the majority have been South American, highlighting the Argentine (14) and Brazilian (6) coaches; the only coach who came from another continent was the German Rudi Gutendorf, who led Cristal in 1971.

Several of the coaches were former Sporting Cristal soccer players, but only three of them managed to be champions as players and as coaches: Alberto Gallardo (4 as player, 1 as coach), Juan Carlos Oblitas (2 as player, 3 as coach) and Roberto Mosquera (2 as a player, 3 as a coach). On the other hand, the coaches with the most national championships in the club's history are Marcos Calderón, Juan Carlos Oblitas and Roberto Mosquera with 3 titles won each. In addition, Oblitas is the light blue coach with the most games he has directed, being 379 games of which he won 204, drew 87 and lost 88.

Featured Trainers

Among the most outstanding coaches for their sporting achievements and playing style we have Marcos Calderón, Juan Carlos Oblitas, Sergio Markarián, Paulo Autuori, Roberto Mosquera and Mario Salas.

Directive

Presidents

When the club was an association, it was closely linked to the Backus and Johnston brewing company.

Among the main presidents of the club are Blas Loredo Báscones (founding president), Francisco Lombardi Oyarzún, Felipe Canturias Salaverry, Jaime Noriega Bentín and Federico Cúneo de la Piedra.

Owners

The club became a Public Limited Company and formed part of the Backus and Johnston holding company conglomerate.

Since 2019, Innova Sports has owned the club.

Honours of Prizes

National tournaments

National competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
First Division of Peru (20/14)	1956, 1961, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2014, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020.	1962, 1963, 1967, 1973, 1977, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2021.
Bicentennial Cup (1/0)	2021.

International tournaments

International competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
Copa Libertadores de América (0/1)		1997.

Friendly tournaments

International competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
Marlboro Cup	1988.

Lower Divisions

The club has different minor divisions, whose teams have won the most children's and reserve championships.

Sports and training culture

The sports culture of Club Sporting Cristal has always been summed up in professionalism, which implies maintaining highly professional conduct and behavior on and off the pitches and vertical play, which it results in a showy and offensive game.

The pillars of the club's sports culture are the basis for the formation of the minor divisions and it pays special attention to the formation and development of the human being - individual, which is why it is very The phrase within the club that reads: first the person is trained, then the player is well known.

Other sports sections

During the 1990s, he supported Unión Huaral in 1994, the Republican Guard in 1995 and Alcides Vigo in 1996 when they were in the Second Division so that players from the Cristal quarry could gain experience. The aforementioned teams were led by Alberto Gallardo and won the category title, as well as promotion to the First Division.

Club Sporting Cristal "B"

In 1999 the Sport Agustino category was bought and became Sporting Cristal "B" which was a subsidiary team that remained active in 2005 participating in the Second Division. Before starting the 2006 season, a rule came out that prevented affiliate clubs from ascending in category, so the quota was sold to Deportivo Curibamba de Andahuaylas. The team hosted the tournament in the years it participated, being runner-up twice in 1999 and 2003.

Women's Soccer

With the beginning of the Women's First Division in 1996, the team was formed and it remained active until the year 2000. In this period, like the men's team, the girls were three-time national champions between 1997 and 1999. Likewise, in 2000 they won the South American Championship held in Lima by beating Sport Coopsol 2-0 at the National Stadium. In 2018, Sporting Cristal returned to the official women's soccer tournaments organized by the Peruvian Soccer Federation, in the First Division and youth football categories.

The club has a total of 3 Women's First Division titles in its various formats.

Honours of Prizes

Competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
Feminine Metropolitan Championship	1998, 1999.	1997.

Volleyball

Until 2018, the club had a representative team that participated in the Women's National Superior Volleyball League of Peru since 2008, Cristal remained in the category and used to be one of the tournament entertainers. The club was recognized as an important trainer of young volleyball players, thanks to its work together with the Red Alta Academy; over time it has consolidated several players of the Peruvian women's volleyball team like Raffaella Camet, Shiamara Almeida, Pamela Barrera and Karla Ortiz.

Social Area

Bloated

Affection "celeste" at the National Stadium.

Throughout the country and abroad there are countless bars and organized fan groups that support Sporting Cristal. In Peru there are two emblematic bars.

Popular Extreme Light Blue Bar

It was founded by members who did not agree with the passivity with which the first generation of the Oriente bar acted nor with its location, considering that the Oriente tribune was a more expensive area or difficult to pay for many fans youngsters from Cristal. This was reflected on the first day the popular platform was stepped on, when the group of young celestial sympathizers who were located in the East became a considerable number.

It was on Wednesday, April 3, 1991, where the official and reinforced light blue bar stepped on the popular stands, in a match against Sport Boys where the rimenses won by 4- 2 with three goals from Horacio Baldessari and one from Julio César Antón. As happened with the foundation of the club, the year of birth of its brave bar would mark the first championship alongside the team in the stands.

The name "Far Celestial" It was used by a group of fans from the Southern Cone of Lima. The first flag of that faction was released on February 10, 1992 in a friendly match against Universitario de Deportes. A year and a half later, in 1993, after a second vote, the name "Extremo Celeste" becomes the official name of the team's popular bar.

East Force

Founded on December 17, 1975 by a group of fans coming mainly from Rímac and Cercado de Lima who had cheered from the north stand. Initially they bore the name of "Barra Sporting Cristal", later it was baptized as "Fuerza Oriente", a name derived from the combination of the most characteristic sports cheer of brewers (Crystal Force!) and from the tribune where the bar was located.

Nicknames

The fans of Sporting Cristal, and the soccer team in general, are known as the rimenses for coming from the historic district of Rímac, the bajopontinos because that is how they It was a colloquial name in colonial times for everything related to the Rímac district because the district was linked to the center of Lima through a stone bridge, the celestial machine and the winning force due to the overwhelming stage in national soccer in the 1990s, the brewers due to its close historical link with the once Peruvian brewery Backus.

Rivalries

Alianza Lima and Universitario de Deportes are the usual rivals of Sporting Cristal, as these teams are considered the three greats of Peruvian soccer. The matches played between them are called classics and are usually the most attractive of the tournament.

Rivalry with Alianza Lima

Sporting Crystal and Alianza Lima at a meeting held at the National Stadium in 2008.

Sporting Cristal is characterized by the practice of colorful play, even stipulating it as a condition in the employment contracts of its coaches. Alianza Lima, in the same way, tends to play an offensive-style game, which is why the games played between these teams they are among the most attractive in the tournament, the matches are usually very even. Both teams have defined championships on various occasions, the first of which was in 1961, when Sporting Cristal defeated the aliancistas 2-0 and was crowned champion, and the last championship played between both squads dates back to 2018, where Cristal won 1-4 on the road and 3-0 at home, obtaining a resounding overall result of 7-1 in favor of the brewers, being the biggest final in the history of Peruvian soccer.

In short tournament definitions Cristal has an advantage over Alianza by defeating it in the finals of the 1998 Clausura Tournament and the 2014 Clausura Tournament, the celestes won two definitions and the blue and whites i> one.

Sporting Cristal achieved its biggest result against Alianza Lima in 1960, when it beat it 5-0. On the other hand, its biggest defeat occurred in 2004, when it fell 5-0; although the celeste team played on that occasion with an alternate team. In 1987, Sporting Cristal achieved its largest victory against Alianza playing on the road, defeating it 4-0 at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium. That Alianza team was known as the potrillos. For the Copa Libertadores, the most bulky results were two: In 1995 there was a 3-0 victory in favor of the Rimense team, while in 1978 they fell by the score of 4-1.

The best streak against Alianza Lima occurred between 1994 and 1997, when the celestes remained undefeated for 8 consecutive games. The streak increases to 12 games if the 4 games played in the Copa Libertadores are considered; Therefore, out of 12 matches, Sporting Cristal won 6 and tied 6.

Rivalry with Universitario de Deportes

The match played between Sporting Cristal and Universitario de Deportes is one of the most important classics in Peru, both clubs are the ones that have won the greatest number of titles since the Decentralized Tournament (current League 1) began from 1966, giving 18 titles to Sporting Cristal and 16 to Universitario, this succession of championships led to a great rivalry between both squads, being called sporadically as the Modern Classic of Peruvian Soccer, although the denomination did not become widespread (before it was associated with the matches between Universitario and Deportivo Municipal).

The clashes between the two teams generate great expectations among the fans, because in each of the matches that were played, the quality and good football of each of their players always predominated. The first official match was played on September 30, 1956 which ended in a 2-2 draw, Roberto Martínez and Enrique Vargas scored for Cristal and Daniel Ruiz on two occasions for the creams, all the goals were they got in the first half.

In 1988, 2003 and 2013, Cristal won the classic 4-0, this being his best result against Universitario, instead his worst result was in 1989 in the Copa Libertadores by the same score of 4- 0. In 2015, Sporting Cristal won the Apertura Tournament at the Monumental Stadium against Universitario, being the only classic rival of the cream team to win a title on that stage.

In 2020, Sporting Cristal defeated Universitario de Deportes in the national final, winning a definition for the third time and extending its superiority in finals against the creams.