 | ||||
| Full name | Club Universidad Nacional, A.C.[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Pumas Universitarios (Collegiates) Universidad (University) Auriazules (Gold-and-Blues)[2] El equipo del Pedregal (The Pedregal Team)[3] | |||
| Short name | UNAM, PUM | |||
| Founded | August 2, 1954; 70 years ago (August 2, 1954),as Club Deportivo Universidad[4][5] | |||
| Ground | Estadio Olímpico Universitario | |||
| Capacity | 58,445[6] | |||
| Owner | UNAM | |||
| Chairman | Luis Raúl González Pérez | |||
| Head coach | Efraín Juárez | |||
| League | Liga MX | |||
| Apertura 2024 | Regular phase: 4th Final phase: Quarter-finals | |||
| Website | pumas.mx | |||
 Current season | ||||
Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., nicknamed"Pumas", simply known asPumas UNAM, is a professionalfootball club based inMexico City, Mexico. The club competes inLiga MX, the top division ofMexican football. Founded in 1954 asClub Deportivo Universidad, and they play their home games atEstadio Olímpico Universitario, which seats over 72,000 spectators.
The club was founded as an amateur club of UNAM college students and later developed into a professional team. The Pumas are one of the most popular clubs in Mexico and considered to be one of theCuatro Grandes of Mexican football, alongsideCruz Azul,Guadalajara, andClub América.[7][8]
Domestically, Pumas UNAM has won 11 trophies: 7Liga MX, 1Copa MX, theCampeón de Campeones twice, as well as 1Segunda División de México. In international club football, the club has won 3 CONCACAF Champions Cups[9] and 1Copa Interamericana.[10] The club has a long-standing rivalry withClub América in thederbi capitalino.[11]
Their chant is, “Goya! Goya! Cachun, Cachun, Rah! Rah” The team is also known for its youth development system, which has produced international players such asHugo Sánchez,Manuel Negrete,Luis Flores,Miguel España,Claudio Suárez,Luis García,Alberto García Aspe,David Patiño,Jorge Campos,Braulio Luna,Gerardo Torrado,Francisco Fonseca,Efraín Juárez,Héctor Moreno,Pablo Barrera,Israel Castro,Eduardo Herrera andJesús Gallardo.
The dean of the university,Luis Chico Goerne, made the first attempt to affiliate a representative ofUNAM with the top football Mexican championship of the day, filing a petition to join the Liga Mayor de Fútbol Professional del Distrito Federal. The petition was rejected in favor ofClub Marte [es] de Morelos. Therefore, Pumas played 13 years in Mexicos Liga De Ascenso.
By the 1940s, the deanGustavo Baz Prada assigned the task to prepare the UNAM team toRodolfo "Butch" Muñoz, then player ofClub España. The new manager formed its new team with members of the student body of the many schools and faculties of the university. The UNAM team joined many university tournaments, with successful results, and "Butch" Muñoz went on to manage the team for 13 years. This prepared the team to complete its later transition to professional status.
In August 1954, the Club Universidad was accepted as a member of the Segunda División, in those days the second tier division of professional football in Mexico. This achievement was accomplished with the support of the deanNabor Carrillo andGuillermo Aguilar Alvarez Sr., a benefactor of the club.Aguilar Alvarez was appointed by the dean as the chairman of the club.
On September 12, 1954UNAM played its first professional game, an away match againstMonterrey. After competing for three years, Club Universidad requested a one-year moratorium in its competing in Segunda División play to undergo a programme rebuilding process. Within that year,Hector Ortiz was appointed as the new manager of the club, and a Board of Patrons was formed.
Pumas UNAM realized its objective of promotion from Segunda División to Primera División when Club Universidad won the home-played promotion match on January 9, 1962, by defeatingClub Cataluña de Torreón, 9–1. The match ended, the students rushed the pitch, and honored its team by carrying them off the field on their shoulders—this was the first step towards the consolidation of the club.
The following day, deanIgnacio Chávez Sánchez congratulated the team when he met with them: Octavio Vial (manager), and players:Homero Villar,Raúl Chanes,José Antonio "La Espátula" Rodríguez, Roberto Cuevas,Rafael Ramirez Jimenez,Alfredo Echávarri, José Ruiz, Carlos Gutierrez,Alfredo "Tito" Zenteno,José Luis "El Chango" Ledezma,Antonio Sámano, Jorge Gaitán,Guillermo Vázquez Sr.,José Luis González "La Calaca",Lorenzo Garcia,Carlos Calderón de la Barca,Manuel "Manolo" Rodríguez,Edmundo "El Poli" Pérez, andGustavo "El Gato" Cuenca.
The team established itself in the Primera División, the Board of Patrons prepared for the continuation of the team's success by establishing youth system to develop new players.
After two years under the management ofAlfonso "El Pescado" Portugal, the SpaniardÁngel Zubieta took the reins of the team. This enabled the program to identify "foreign" reinforcements, but rely on promoting from the youth system.
The first half of the decade was marked by the arrival of three of the most important foreign players in the existence of the club; the PeruvianJuan José Muñante, the SerbianVelibor "Bora" Milutinović, and the BrazilianCabinho. They arrived to join a solid base of native-players such asMiguel Mejía Barón,Héctor Sanabria, Arturo Vázquez Ayala,José Luis "Pareja" López, andLeonardo Cuellar. In the second half of the decade those same players would give the club its first titles in the top division.
In 1975 the club adopted a new administration consisting of an independent civil association that helped the university to support the club. In the 1974–75 season, Universidad won theCopa México and theCampeón de Campeones. In the 1976–77 season, Club Universidad became league champion for the first time in its history. That championship was followed by two sub championships. The culmination of a successful decade for Club Universidad came with the debut ofHugo Sánchez. In 1978, Club Universidad would signedRicardo "Tuca" Ferretti, a player that will prove to be vital for the team in the coming decade.
In the 1980–81 season, Universidad won its second league championship. That season was also the last seasonHugo Sánchez played for the club. In the following season, the Pumas won theCONCACAF Championship and theInteramerican Cup.
This decade also marked the national recognition of the work performed by the club, and the revolutionary and dynamic style of play that helped Mexican football overall. For the 1986FIFA World Cup, the Mexican Football Federation appointed the manager of Universidad,Velibor "Bora" Milutinović as the manager of theMexico national football team. Milutinović called numerous Pumas and former Pumas to the nation team, includingHugo Sánchez, Félix Cruz Barbosa, Rafael Amador,Raúl Servín,Miguel España,Manuel Negrete andLuis Flores. This generation of players gave great satisfactions not only to the followers of Pumas, but also to the Mexican football fans.
The decade began with one of the most celebrated championships in club history, the 1990–91 League Championship against arch-rivalsClub América - the memorable winning goal via free kick fromRicardo "Tuca" Ferretti. This will be the last game of Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti due to retirement as a professional player. A new generation of players arrived, includingLuis García,Jorge Campos,Claudio Suárez,Antonio Sancho,Israel López,Braulio Luna,Rafael García,Jaime Lozano, andGerardo Torrado. This decade is, however, considered one of the least successful in terms of championships and development of players. Towards the end of the decade, Hugo Sánchez became manager of the club for the first time.
In 2004, Sánchez led the Pumas to their first championship in thirteen years. The Pumas were able to retain the championship later that year, becoming the first team since the Mexican league was split into two seasons to win back-to-back championships. As of summer 2012, they remain the only team to achieve this feat. Along with two domestic titles, the Pumas were also able to win both the Campeon de Campeones.
In 2005, the Pumas reached theCopa Sudamericana final, where they lost toBoca Juniors in a penalty shoot out whenRoberto Abbondanzieri controversially stopped a penalty after having been forgiven a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty box denying a Pumas player a clear chance on goal. Domestically, the Pumas struggled after their 2004 success and, by 2006, were facing the threat of relegation.Ricardo Ferretti was appointed as manager that year in an effort to lead Pumas away from the relegation zone. The stability and discipline that Ferretti brought to the team paid off as the Pumas climbed out of the relegation zone and reached a final in 2007 againstAtlante, which they lost 2–1 on aggregate. In 2009, Ferretti once again led the Pumas to a final, this time being victorious againstPachuca in extra time to claim the team's sixth championship.
In 2011, Pumas became champions of Clausura 2011 tournament, winning their seventh championship againstMonarcas Morelia.
After hard times at the club after the sacking ofGuillermo Vasquez as head coach in 2012, he was re-hired as head coach in 2014. In Apertura 2015, Pumas made it to the tournament final againstTigres U.A.N.L. Tigres won the first leg of the Final with a home win of 3–0. Then in the second leg of the final Pumas managed to tie the game on the global scoreboard at home 4–1. A penalty-shootout had to be done and Tigres won the championship 4–2 at a penalty-shootout. Thus, making Pumas unable to gain its 8th title. After the club's inability to make it to the play-offs in Clausura 2016 and failing to reach the semifinal for Copa Libertadores 2016 Guillermo Vasquez was once again sacked as head coach in May 2016.
At the end of May 2016, Pumas hiredFrancisco Palencia as head coach making Palencia debut as his first team to manage. Once again, in Apertura 2016 Pumas made it to the play-offs against Tigres for quarter finals. In the first leg with Pumas hosting the home game both teams tied 2-2. In the second leg Tigres hosting the home game, Tigres won 5–0. Thus, in the global scoreboard Pumas lost 7–2, and was not able to go further throughout the play-off stage.
In the Clausura 2017, Pumas had signed the Chilean forwardNicolas Castillo to give more firepower to the team's attack. He scored 8 goals the first 2 months of the season before he was injured and was out for the rest of the season. Pumas then had a great streak of games the first half of the season. Starting gaming Game 14 they lost 4 straight games and were not able to score a goal. With these results they finished in 17th place and were the worst defensive team having 30 goals against and Nicolas Castillo missing out on the top scorer award by 1 goal toRaul Ruidiaz, of Monarcas Morelia who scored 9 goals.
In the Apertura 2017, many key players were sold or loaned out the loan, such asAlejandro Palacios, and long time captainDario Veron, all with the purpose to make room for new, young players.
In the 2020 Apertura, Pumas reached the final, losing toClub Leon on a 3-1 Aggregate with coachAndres Lillini after sackingMichel the season prior. In 2022, Pumas reached theChampions League Final, losing toMajor League Soccer sideSeattle Sounders FC on aggregate. After a poor 2023 Apertura, Lillini was sacked and was replaced withRafael Puente Jr. After a poor start to the 2023 Clasura, Puente Jr. was sacked on March 20, 2023, with Pumas hiringAntonio "Turco" Mohamed to replace Puente shortly after. Mohamed's time on the bench did not last long as he resigned shortly after Pumas' elimination in the semifinals of the2023 Apertura toTigres.[12]Gustavo Alberto Lema, Mohamed's former assistant has since succeeded him.[13]
Their home ground is theEstadio Olímpico Universitario, the main venue of the1968 Summer Olympics. It has a seating capacity of over 72,000. The stadium is situated within the campus which enables easy access by the students. The Pumas have training facilities within the campus but their main complex is theCantera, located nearby.
Universidad has strong rivalries withClub América andCruz Azul. These games are passionate and followed by the whole city. There is also a small but historical rivalry UNAM has withLeones Negros
The rivalry withClub América began during the 1960s, when Universidad won its promotion to the top flight. Both clubs are located inMexico City, creating a natural geographic rivalry. A few years later Club América bought Pumas UNAM idolEnrique Borja, even though the player had made a public statement that he did not want to be sold to Club América. In the 1980s the rivalry grew when Club América defeated Universidad twice in the league finals, both times with controversial refereeing decisions.[citation needed] The 1990s began with a "victory" of the Pumas over their rivals in the league finals, although it was actually a tie; the first leg was lost 3–2, and only the second leg was a 1–0 win. The aggregate score was 3–3, but Pumas UNAM scored two goals as the visiting team, giving them the edge. A new generation of players from the youth system grew up hating their adversaries; this decade is also marked by the birth of Las Barras Bravas, who supported both sides but had a much longer background story of rivalry. This rivalry is often referred to as the most violent of Mexico, with security measures exceeding those of any other game.
The rivalry withCruz Azul comes out of the fact that both clubs are located inMexico City, and they have played many important matches, including two league finals, recently the name of this game is the "Clásico Metropolitano” or “Derby central" because both teams were born in states that are in the central part of Mexico
Pumas UNAM andLeones Negros are old rivals. Both clubs are historical rivals due to both clubs being founded by rival universities. One major encounter these two clubs have had with each other was in the1976-77 Primera División final, when Pumas UNAM beatLeones Negros to achieve their first title. But over the years the rivalry has died down due to the Leones Negros going through a state of decline and relegated to theSegunda División.
The most recent survey from 2021 placed the club as the 4th largest fan base inMexico, with 9,7% or 12 million supporters.[14]Historically, it was the third most popular club in Mexico, only behindClub América andCD Guadalajara, according to surveys conducted by Grupo Reforma and Consulta Mitofsky, from 2013 to 2015. However, considering the same polling sources, it fell to fourth in 2015, behindCruz Azul.[15][16]
Pumas has 2 supporters' group (barra bravas),La Rebel andLa Plus.[17]
The team's blue and gold colors were selected as a tribute to theUniversity of Notre Dame, whose football coaches helped to develop an American-style football team at the university. The nickname was inspired by Roberto 'Tapatio' Mendez, who coached the team from 1946 to 1964 and whose motivational speeches often compared his players topumas. The nickname stayed with the public, and all the athletic teams representing the university have been called Pumas.
      1941 |  1943 |  1950 |  1953 |  1953 |  1960 |    1960 |  1975 |  1975-1976 | 1975-1976 |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning editions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Top division | Primera División/Liga MX | 7 | 1976–77,1980–81,1990–91,Clausura 2004,Apertura 2004,Clausura 2009,Clausura 2011 | 1966–68,1977–78,1978–79,1984–85,1987–88,Apertura 2007,Apertura 2015,Guardianes 2020 |
| Copa México | 1 | 1974–75 | – | |
| Campeón de Campeones | 2 | 1975,2004 | 2005 | |
| Promotion division | Segunda División | 1 | 1961–62 | – |
| Copa de la Segunda División | 0 | – | 1960–61 |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning editions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ContinentalCONCACAF | CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League | 3 | 1980,1982,1989 | 2005,2022 |
| ContinentalCONMEBOL | CONMEBOL Sudamericana | 0 | – | 2005 |
| IntercontinentalCONCACAF CONMEBOL | Copa Interamericana | 1 | 1981 | 1990 |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Efraín Juárez |
| Assistant coach | Luis Ernesto Pérez |
| Fitness coach | Guillermo Hamdan |
| Goalkeeping coach | Iván Gaytán |
| Physiotherapist | José Pang |
| Club doctors | Luis Sánchez Eduardo Acosta |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President | Luis Raúl González Pérez |
| Vice President of Sporting | Miguel Mejía Barón |
| Executive Vice President | Enrique Sánchez González |
| Director of Academy | Raúl Alpizar |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The following players have represented their country at theWorld Cup whilst playing for Pumas UNAM:
Aarón Padilla (1966,1970)Luis Regueiro (1966)Elías Muñoz (1966)Enrique Borja (1966,1970)José Luis González (1970)Mario Velarde (1970)Francisco Castrejón (1970)Arturo Vázquez Ayala (1978)Enrique López Zarza (1978)Hugo Sánchez (1978)Leonardo Cuéllar (1978)
Juan José Muñante (1978)Miguel España (1986)Félix Cruz (1986)Luis Flores (1986)Raúl Servín (1986)Rafael Amador (1986)Manuel Negrete (1986)Jorge Campos (1994,1998,2002)Claudio Suárez (1994,1998,2006)Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales (1994)Braulio Luna (1998,2002)Pablo Barrera (2010)Israel Castro (2010)Efraín Juárez (2010)
Darío Verón (2010)Jesús Gallardo (2018)
Dani Alves (2022)
Rodolfo "Butch" Muñoz (Sep. 1954–Mar. 1955)
Donato Alonso (Apr. 1955–1956)Héctor Ortiz Benítez (1958-1960)Octavio Vial (Sep. 1960–Aug. 62)
Luis Carlos "Carlito" Peters (Aug. 1962) (interim)
Renato Cesarini (Aug. 1962–Dec. 1965)Ángel Papadópulos Ruiz (Jan. 1965–1966)Diego Mercado Marín (1966–67)Walter Ormeño (1967–68)
Árpád Fekete (1968–69)
Ángel Zubieta (1970–74)
Luiz Carlos "Carlito" Peters (Jul.–Dec.1974)Carlos Iturralde Rivero (Jan.–Apr. 1975)Árpád Fekete (Apr. 1975–76)Jorge Marik (1976–77)
Velibor "Bora" Milutinović (1977–Dec. 1982)Mario Velarde (Jan. 1983–Jun. 1987)Héctor Sanabria (Jun. 1987–Jun. 1988)Miguel Mejía Barón (Jul. 1988–91)Ricardo Ferretti (1991–96)Pablo Luna (Jun.–Sep. 1996)Luis Flores (Sep. 1996–97)Enrique López Zarza (1997–98)Roberto Saporiti (1998–99)Rafael Amador (1999–00)Hugo Sánchez (2000)Miguel Mejía Barón (2001)Hugo Sánchez (2001–05)Miguel España (2005–06)Guillermo Vázquez (2006)Ricardo Ferretti (2006–10)Guillermo Vázquez (2010–12)Joaquín del Olmo (2012)Juan Antonio Torres (2012)Mario Carrillo (2012)Juan Antonio Torres (2012–13)José Luis Trejo (2013–14)Guillermo Vázquez (2014–16)Francisco Palencia (2016–17)Sergio Egea (2017)David Patiño (2017–19)Bruno Marioni (2019)
Míchel (2019–20)Andrés Lillini (2020–2022)Rafael Puente Jr. (2022–2023)Antonio Mohamed (2023)Gustavo Lema (2024–2025)Efraín Juárez (2025–Present)
Media related toClub Universidad Nacional at Wikimedia Commons
(in Spanish)
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