 | ||||
| Full name | Club Sporting Cristal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Los Cerveceros Los Rimenses Los Celestes La Fuerza Vencedora | |||
| Founded | December 13, 1955 | |||
| Stadium | Estadio Alberto Gallardo | |||
| Owner | Innova Sports | |||
| President | Joel Raffo | |||
| Manager | Paulo Autuori | |||
| League | Liga 1 | |||
| 2025 | Liga 1, 3rd of 19 | |||
| Website | www | |||
ClubSporting Cristal is a Peruviansports club located in the city ofLima, best known for itsfootball team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in theRímac district by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica and his wife Esther Grande de Bentín, stockholders of the Peruvian breweryBackus and Johnston.[1][2] The club and the brewery have been closely linked since its inception, and it is for this reason that it is popularly known aslos Cerveceros ("the brewers").
The team has played in thePeruvian Primera División since1956, where it obtained the title that year. Due to this achievement, the Cristal is often referred to as "El club que nació campeón".[3] Since their first participation, they have won the league title 19 times and are one of the few teams in Peru to have never been relegated from the top division. Sporting Cristal is also the first Peruvian team to have been crownedtricampeóns, successively winning the1994,1995, and1996 seasons.[4][5] In 1997, they were runners-up of theCopa Libertadores, losingthe final to Brazilian sideCruzeiro. The Cristal holds the longest undefeated streak in the tournament; 17 games without suffering a loss.[6]
The Cristal has a heated rivalry withUniversitario de Deportes. One of the main reasons for the enmity between the two sides is the series of transfers of Universitario's star players tolos Celestes. The club also has rivalries withClub Alianza Lima,Deportivo Municipal, and theSport Boys.[citation needed]
Sporting Cristal plays its home games at theEstadio Alberto Gallardo. They play at theEstadio Nacional for international competitions such as theLibertadores orSudamericana. The Estadio Nacional is also the venue for matches against Universitario and Alianza Lima.[citation needed]
In addition to football, the club has teams specializing inEsports,futsal,women's football, andvolleyball.[7][8]
Ricardo Bentín Mujica, with the support of his wife, co-owners ofBackus and Johnston brewery, was the man who is credited with achieving the company's goal. A club from Rímac ward, known asSporting Tabaco founded in 1926 and originally belonging to the tobacco growers' union, was already playing in the professionalPeruvian First Division. Never having won a national championship, the club was in dire economic straits. Bentín decided to buy the club and search for a playing ground, so that the club could develop and be able to play better at the professional level. The club found a lot in the neighborhood ofLa Florida of 137,000 m2.[citation needed]
On 13 December 1955 the club was founded asSporting Cristal, after Backus' best-known beer brand,Cristal. The new club from the Rímac ward debuted in 1956 in the professional Primera Division and won their first national title that same year. Journalists thus called them the club born a champion (nació campeon). The team managed to win more titles over the years and was known as one of the best football clubs inPeru afterUniversitario andAlianza Lima.[citation needed]
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 viewed with displeasure that a team was financed by a private company. Even thePeruvian Football Federation itself put legal obstacles in the way of the team before and after its merger; until March 1956 the FPF did not authorize the team's participation in that year's championship, arguing from the prohibition of advertising in the clubs to the fact that they should have names of national heroes, places or institutions of the country. Various legal outlets were used for the impositions of the Federation, however, the controversy did not end until 1968,when the word "Backus" was finally removed from the club's name.[citation needed]
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As a champion of Peru in 1956 and 1961, the Cristal was invited to tour various parts of the world in 1962, this being the first tour made by a champion team of Peru. The series of matches began in theUnited States, continued through several Asian cities such asKuala Lumpur,Malacca City andTehran, and culminated inSpain. There were a total of 30 matches played over two months, of which 20 were won, 7 were drawn and there were only 3 defeats. The star of this tour wasAlberto Gallardo, who scored 37 goals. The club shook up the market again when they signed the legendary Brazilian player, Didí in 1962, a world-famous footballer who had just won the 1962 World Cup title with his national team. Didí arrived to be the team's coach and implemented the attacking and possession style of play characteristic of Brazil's football. The Brazilian formed an eye-catching team that used to provide a show, however, he had to settle only for the runners-up in 1962 and 1963.[citation needed]
After retiring from football, Didí returned to take over the technical direction of the club for 1967, again obtaining the runner-up position that year. The revenge came the following season, in which Sporting Cristal obtained the highest score along with the Juan Aurich club, due to this the champion of the Descentralizado 1968 had to be defined in an extra match in which thebrewers were victorious 2-1 thanks to two goals by Alberto Gallardo. In addition to its local titles, the young institution gained prestige for its international performances. During the 1962 edition until the 1969 edition of theCopa Libertadores, Sporting Cristal went on a 17-game undefeated streak,[9] the longest unbeaten streak in the Copa Libertadores history, winning 8 games, and drawing 9.[citation needed]
The following 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, the Cristal had the best performance and the highest accumulated score, thus winning a new title. Their last match was against Juan Aurich, defeating them 4-2.Of the 32 games played that year, the team won 18, drew 9 and lost 5.[citation needed]
Sporting Cristal changed its shirt color from blue to light blue. They are known as "Los Celestes". During a brief period between 1978 and 1981, they again used blue shirts. In 1982 they returned to light blue as the color of the club.[citation needed]
The 1990s were the most successful decade as they claimed 4 national titles (including 3 in a row) with coachJuan Carlos Oblitas. Under Oblitas, the Cristal won the 1991, 1994 and 1995 domestic league. Then, guided bySergio Markariánhead coach they won 1996 league. By 1997, the team, led byUruguayan coachSergio Markarián, reached the finals of theCopa Libertadores, where they faced the Brazilian clubCruzeiro. The first leg was a home game, in which they ended in a scoreless draw; in the second leg, they lost 1–0. This is the closest Team Peru has come to the Copa Libertadores Final since 1972, whenUniversitario had a similar fate playing againstIndependiente.[citation needed]
The club stayed on the top spots of the national tournament during most of the 2000s and gained qualification to theCopa Libertadores eight years in a row from 2000 to 2007. It would only win two titles during the decade which were obtain in 2002 and 2005 with many notable players asSergio Leal,Jorge Soto andLuis Alberto Bonnet. However, during the2007, Cristal would come four points away from relegation. It would make a comeback during the2008 season and qualify to the Copa Libertadores once again.[citation needed]
In 2009, the Primera División Peruana would change the tournament structured which caused Sporting Cristal to have mediocre results for the next few years into the new decade. After a seven-year dry spell it would become the national champion once more during the2012 season when it defeatedReal Garcilaso in the finals. They qualified to the2013 Copa Libertadores where they did not pass the tournament's group stage. In the 2013 season, they played on the same liguilla as Real Garcilaso and fought for a place in the final up to the last match of the season in which they finished third and qualified for the2014 Copa Libertadores once more.[citation needed]
In the 2018 season, they conquered another historical feat, they became the best Team Peru in the Historic Table during the Professional Era (1966 - 2018). As of 2018, they surpassed Universitario for the first spot, 3264 points to Universitario's 3236 points.[10]
In the 2020 season, after a bad start in Liga 1 and Copa Libertadores, the club announced the departure of coachManuel Barreto, days later Roberto Mosquera returned as technical director after 7 years.[11][12] Sporting Cristal was unable to play in Phase 3 of the2020 Copa Libertadores, as they lost 4-0 toBarcelona S.C., but won 2-1 in Lima, as an aggregate result of 5-2 against them. On 12 March, the Torneo Apertura was stopped due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Peru. When the competition returned, the team finished in third place. In the Clausura Tournament they won group A and qualified for the definition againstAyacucho FC, they would be defeated by thefoxes in the penalty kicks. The Cristal, for being first in the accumulated table, would also play the semifinal with Ayacucho, in the first match 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 its twentieth title by beatingUniversitario in an aggregate of 3-2 in the final.[citation needed]
Sporting Cristal plays its matches at home atEstadio Alberto Gallardo, owned by the Peruvian Sports Institute and with the right to use it by the club until 2022.The sports venue is located in the district ofSan Martín de Porres inLima; in addition, it is located on the banks of the Rimac River, one of the longest rivers in Peru. The stadium was officially inaugurated on 9 June 1961, with the name of "Estadio Fray Martín de Porres". On 19 May 2012, the former "Estadio San Martín de Porres" was officially renamed"Estadio Alberto Gallardo", in honor of former footballerAlberto Gallardo who was a champion with Sporting Cristal as a footballer and as a coach. On certain occasions, the club plays at theEstadio Nacional del Perú.
Sporting Cristal has threeultra orbarra bravas known asExtremo Celeste,Fverza OrienteGvardia Xtrema. Fverza Oriente was the firstultra of the Cristal, founded in 1975. They are located on eastern grandstand of the stadiums. Extremo Celeste was formed in 1991 when a group of young fans from Fuerza Oriente decided to form a new group for young energetic supporters.Extremo Celeste has become one of the biggestbarras bravas in Peru. And in 2007 a smaller thirdultra was created in the western grandstand to support the team. Sporting Cristal had supporters on every grandstand onEstadio Alberto Gallardo.[citation needed]
Sporting Cristal has had longstanding rivalries withUniversitario, andAlianza Lima, as these teams are considered the big three of Peruvian football. The matches played between them are calledclassics and are usually the most attractive of tournaments. Cristal also has rivalries withDeportivo Municipal andSport Boys, both located inCallao
Sporting Cristal is characterized by the practice of the colorful game, even stipulating it as a condition in the employment contracts of its coaches.Alianza Lima, in the same way, usually plays an offensive style game, so the matches played between these teams are among the most attractive in the tournament, the matches are usually very even. Both teams have defined championships on several occasions, the first of them was in 1961, when Sporting Cristal beat theAlliance 2-0 and was crowned champion. Highlighting the final of the2018 Torneo Descentralizado, where the Cristal won 1-4 away and 3-0 at home, obtaining a resounding aggregate result of 7-1 in favor of thebrewers,being the largest final in the history of Peruvian football. The last national championship played between the two teams was in 2021.
Sporting Cristal got its biggest result against Alianza Lima in 1960, when it beat them 5-0. On the other hand, their biggest defeat occurred in 2004, when they lost 5-0; although thesky-blue team played on that occasion with an alternate team. In 1987, Sporting Cristal got its biggest win ever against Alianza on the road, defeating them 4-0 at theEstadio Alejandro Villanueva.That Alianza Lima squad was known as thefoals. In the Copa Libertadores the biggest results were two: In 1995 there was a 3-0 win in favor of theRimense team,while in 1978 they lost by the score of 4-1.
The match played between Sporting Cristal andUniversitario de Deportes is one of the most important rivalries in Peru, both clubs are the ones that won the largest number of titles since thePeruvian Primera División began to be played from 1966, giving 18 titles for Sporting Cristal and 16 for Universitario, this succession of championships made there be a great rivalry between both teams,being sporadically called as theModern Classic of Peruvian Football, although the name was not widespread (before it was associated with the matches between Universitario andDeportivo Municipal).
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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| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) | Primera División | 20 | 15 | 1956,1961,1968,1970,1972,1979,1980,1983,1988,1991,1994,1995,1996,2002,2005,2012,2014,2016,2018,2020 | 1962,1963,1967,1973,1977,1989,1992,1997,1998,2000,2003,2004,2015,2021,2024 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Apertura | 4 | 8 | 1997,2001,2006,2008,2016,2019,2023,2024 | |
| Torneo Clausura | 6 | 5 | 2000,2008,2020,2021,2022 | ||
| Torneo de Verano | 1 | — | — | ||
| Liguilla Pre-Libertadores | 2 | 1 | |||
| Torneo Apertura | 1 | — | — | ||
| Torneo Regional | 3 | — | — | ||
| Torneo Descentralizado | 1 | — | — | ||
| Torneo Zona Metropolitana | 1 | 2 | 1989–I,1989–II | ||
| Torneo Interzonal | 1 | — | — | ||
| Campeonato de Apertura (ANA) | 1 | 2 | |||
| National (Cups) | Copa Bicentenario | 1 | — | — | |
| International (Cups) | Copa Libertadores | — | 1 | — |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (Cup) | Cuadrangular de Verano | — | 1 | — | |
| Torneo Relámpago | 1 | — | 1956 | — | |
| International (Cup) | Copa El Gráfico-Perú | 2 | 1 | 1999,2003 | 2002–II |
| Marlboro Cup | 1 | — | 1988 | — | |
| Copa Independencia | — | 1 | — |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) | Torneo de Promoción y Reservas | 4 | 1 | 2016,2018,2019,2023 | 2017 |
| Torneo Juvenil Sub-18 | 1 | — | 2025 | — | |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Copa Modelo Centenario | 1 | — | 2016 | — |
| Copa Generación Sub-18 | 1 | — | 2021 | — | |
| Torneo Apertura (Juvenil Sub-18) | 1 | — | 2025 | — | |
| Torneo Clausura (Juvenil Sub-18) | — | 1 | — | 2025 | |
| Torneo del Inca (Reservas) | — | 1 | — | 2014 | |
| Torneo Apertura (Reservas) | 3 | — | 2016,2017,2018 | — | |
| Torneo Clausura (Reservas) | 2 | 1 | 2016,2018 | 2015 | |
| Torneo de Verano (Reservas) | 2 | — | 2017,2018 | — |
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This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Sporting Cristal. For the full season-by-season history, see:List of Sporting Cristal seasons.
| Season | League | Position | National Cups | Continental / Other | Tournament Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Play-offs[a] | Name(s) | Goals | |||||
| 2016 | Torneo Descentralizado | 44 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 70 | 48 | 77[b] | 1st | 1st | — | — | Copa Libertadores | GS | — | — |
| 2017 | Torneo de Verano | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 16 | 22 | 3rd | DNQ | — | — | Copa Libertadores | GS |  Irven Ávila | 22 |
| Torneo Apertura | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 7th | ||||||||
| Torneo Clausura | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 24 | 19[c] | 9th | ||||||||
| 2018 | Torneo de Verano | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 15 | 33 | 1st | 1st[d] | DNQ | — | Copa Sudamericana | R1 |  Emanuel Herrera | 40 |
| Torneo Apertura | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 7 | 32 | 1st | 1st | |||||||
| Torneo Clausura | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 14 | 24 | 5th | ||||||||
| 2019 | Torneo Apertura | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 13 | 32 | 2nd | 3rd | Copa Bicentenario | QF | Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana | GS Ro16 |  Cristian Palacios | 13 |
| Torneo Clausura | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 20 | 31 | 3rd | ||||||||
| 2020 | Torneo Apertura | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 23 | 33 | 3rd | 1st[e] | Copa Bicentenario | —[f] | Copa Libertadores | R2 | Emanuel Herrera | 20 |
| Torneo Clausura | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 23 | 2nd[g] | ||||||||
List of Sporting Cristal managers through club history.[15]
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) | Liga Femenina | 2 | 1 | 1998, 1999 | 1997 |
| Half-year / Short Tournament (League) | Torneo Apertura | 1 | 1 | 1999 | 1997–I |
| Torneo Clausura | — | 1 | — | 1997–II | |
| International (Cup) | Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol Femenino | 1 | — | 2000 | — |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional (League) | Torneo Extraordinario Femenino Sub-20 | 2 | — | 2024, 2025 | — |
| Type | Competition | Titles | Runner-up | Winning years | Runner-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National (League) | Liga Nacional Superior de Voleibol | — | 1 | — | 2013–14 |
