History of Sporting Cristal in Timeline

Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian sports club based in Lima, primarily known for its football team. Founded on December 13, 1955, in the Rímac district by Richard Bentín Mujica and Esther Grande de Bentín, shareholders of the Backus and Johnston brewery, the club has maintained a strong connection with the brewery since its establishment, earning them the nickname "los Cerveceros" (the Brewers).

1926: Sporting Tabaco Founded

In 1926, a club from Rímac ward, known as Sporting Tabaco and originally belonging to the tobacco growers' union, was founded and was already playing in the professional Peruvian First Division.

December 1955: Club Sporting Cristal Founded

In December 1955, Club Sporting Cristal was founded in the Rímac district by engineer Richard Bentín Mujica and his wife Esther Grande de Bentín, who were stockholders of the Peruvian brewery Backus and Johnston.

December 1955: Club Foundation

In December 1955, Sporting Cristal was founded and named after Backus' best-known beer brand, Cristal.

March 1956: FPF Initially Disallows Cristal's Participation

In March 1956, the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) initially did not authorize Cristal's participation in that year's championship, citing advertising prohibitions and name requirements.

1956: Debut and National Title

In 1956, Sporting Cristal debuted in the professional Primera Division and won their first national title that same year, earning them the nickname "club born a champion".

1956: First Title in Primera División

In 1956, Sporting Cristal played in the Peruvian Primera División for the first time and won the title that year. Due to this achievement, Cristal is often referred to as "El club que nació campeón".

1956: Champion of Peru

In 1956, Sporting Cristal won the title and was crowned champion of Peru.

1960: Biggest Result Against Alianza Lima

In 1960, Sporting Cristal achieved its biggest victory against Alianza Lima, defeating them 5-0.

June 1961: Inauguration of Estadio Fray Martín de Porres

On June 9, 1961, the stadium, now known as Estadio Alberto Gallardo, was officially inaugurated with the name "Estadio Fray Martín de Porres".

1961: Championship Defined Against Alianza Lima

In 1961, Sporting Cristal beat Alianza Lima 2-0 to be crowned champion for the first time.

1961: Champion of Peru

In 1961, Sporting Cristal won the title and was crowned champion of Peru, leading to an invitation to tour various parts of the world in 1962.

1962: World Tour and Didí's Arrival

In 1962, Sporting Cristal embarked on a world tour and signed the Brazilian player Didí, who had just won the 1962 World Cup title. Didí became the team's coach and implemented an attacking style of play.

1962: Copa Libertadores Undefeated Streak Begins

Starting in the 1962 edition, Sporting Cristal began a 17-game undefeated streak in the Copa Libertadores, which lasted until 1969.

1963: Runners-Up Position

In 1963, under the coaching of Didí, Sporting Cristal finished as runners-up.

1966: Start of Professional Era

As of 2018, Sporting Cristal became the best Team Peru in the Historic Table during the Professional Era that started in 1966.

1966: Start of Peruvian Primera División

Since the Peruvian Primera División began to be played from 1966, Sporting Cristal and Universitario de Deportes have won the largest number of titles, leading to a significant rivalry.

1967: Runner-up Position with Didí

In 1967, after retiring from football, Didí returned as coach and Sporting Cristal again obtained the runner-up position that year.

1968: Descentralizado Title Win

In 1968, Sporting Cristal tied for the highest score with Juan Aurich, winning the Descentralizado title in an extra match with a 2-1 victory.

1968: "Backus" Removed From Club's Name

In 1968, the word "Backus" was finally removed from the club's name after a long period of controversy and legal obstacles.

1969: Copa Libertadores Undefeated Streak Ends

The 17-game undefeated streak in the Copa Libertadores that started in 1962 ended in the 1969 edition. During that time the team won 8 games, and drawing 9.

1970: Title Win with Vito Andrés Bártoli

In 1970, Sporting Cristal won another title under the technical direction of Argentine Vito Andrés Bártoli, after a hard-fought tournament defined in the Final Liguilla.

1972: Universitario in Copa Libertadores Final

Since 1972, when Universitario had a similar fate playing against Independiente, Sporting Cristal is the Team Peru closest to the Copa Libertadores Final.

1975: Fverza Oriente Founded

In 1975, Fverza Oriente, the first ultra group of Sporting Cristal, was founded.

1978: Brief Change to Blue Shirts

In 1978, Sporting Cristal changed its shirt color from light blue to blue for a brief period.

1978: Copa Libertadores Loss

In 1978, Sporting Cristal lost to Alianza Lima by the score of 4-1 in Copa Libertadores.

1981: Brief Change to Blue Shirts

In 1981, Sporting Cristal continued using blue shirts during the brief period between 1978 and 1981.

1982: Return to Light Blue Shirts

In 1982, Sporting Cristal returned to using light blue as the color of their shirts.

1987: Biggest Win Against Alianza on the Road

In 1987, Sporting Cristal achieved its biggest win ever against Alianza on the road, defeating them 4-0 at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva.

1991: Extremo Celeste Formed

In 1991, Extremo Celeste was formed by young fans from Fuerza Oriente, becoming one of the biggest barras bravas in Peru.

1991: National Title Win

In 1991, Sporting Cristal won a national title under coach Juan Carlos Oblitas.

1994: National Title Win

In 1994, Sporting Cristal won a national title under coach Juan Carlos Oblitas.

1995: Copa Libertadores Win

In 1995, Sporting Cristal had a 3-0 win in the Copa Libertadores.

1995: League Title Win

In 1995, Sporting Cristal secured another league title, continuing their streak of championship victories.

1996: League Title Win

In 1996, Sporting Cristal achieved its third consecutive league title, solidifying their dominance in Peruvian football.

1996: League Title Win with Sergio Markarián

In 1996, Sporting Cristal won the league title under head coach Sergio Markarián.

1997: Copa Libertadores Runners-Up

In 1997, Sporting Cristal reached the final of the Copa Libertadores but lost to the Brazilian side Cruzeiro, finishing as runners-up.

2000: Start of Copa Libertadores Qualification Streak

In 2000, Sporting Cristal began a streak of eight consecutive years of qualification for the Copa Libertadores, which lasted until 2007.

2002: Title Win

In 2002, Sporting Cristal won one of two titles during the 2000s with many notable players as Sergio Leal, Jorge Soto and Luis Alberto Bonnet.

2004: Biggest Defeat Against Alianza Lima

In 2004, Sporting Cristal suffered its biggest defeat against Alianza Lima, losing 5-0, although they played with an alternate team.

2005: Title Win

In 2005, Sporting Cristal won one of two titles during the 2000s with many notable players as Sergio Leal, Jorge Soto and Luis Alberto Bonnet.

2007: Close to Relegation

During the 2007 season, Sporting Cristal came within four points of relegation.

2007: Third Ultra Group Created

In 2007, a smaller third ultra group was created in the western grandstand to support Sporting Cristal, ensuring supporters in every grandstand of Estadio Alberto Gallardo.

2008: Copa Libertadores Qualification

During the 2008 season, Sporting Cristal made a comeback and qualified for the Copa Libertadores once again.

2009: Tournament Structure Change

In 2009, the Primera División Peruana changed the tournament structure, leading to mediocre results for Sporting Cristal in the following years.

May 2012: Stadium Renamed Estadio Alberto Gallardo

On May 19, 2012, the "Estadio San Martín de Porres" was officially renamed "Estadio Alberto Gallardo" in honor of former footballer Alberto Gallardo.

2012: National Champion

In 2012, after a seven-year dry spell, Sporting Cristal became the national champion once more by defeating Real Garcilaso in the finals.

2013: Copa Libertadores and Liguilla Performance

In 2013, Sporting Cristal participated in the Copa Libertadores but did not pass the group stage. In the local league, they finished third and qualified for the 2014 Copa Libertadores.

2014: Copa Libertadores Qualification

In 2014, Sporting Cristal qualified once more for the Copa Libertadores.

2018: Torneo Descentralizado Final Win

In 2018, Sporting Cristal won the final of the Torneo Descentralizado against Alianza Lima with a resounding aggregate result of 7-1, marking the largest final victory in the history of Peruvian football.

2018: Best Team Peru in Historic Table

In the 2018 season, Sporting Cristal became the best Team Peru in the Historic Table during the Professional Era (1966 - 2018), surpassing Universitario with 3264 points to Universitario's 3236 points.

2020: Turbulent Season and Championship Win

In the 2020 season, after a bad start in Liga 1 and Copa Libertadores, coach Manuel Barreto departed, and Roberto Mosquera returned. Despite losing to Barcelona S.C. in the Copa Libertadores, the team finished strong in the local league, winning their twentieth title by beating Universitario in the final.