Wikipedia - Peñarol
Club Atlético Peñarol (Spanish pronunciation: [kluβ aˈtletiko peɲaˈɾol] ), more commonly referred to as Peñarol, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club currently competes in the Uruguayan Primera División, the highest tier in Uruguayan football.
The club takes its name from the Peñarol neighborhood, located in the northwest of the city. Currently, it plays in the Uruguayan Primera División.
Its origin dates back to September 28, 1891, with the creation of the Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (known by its acronym CURCC). There was a first attempt to change the name to CURCC Peñarol, but the CURCC board rejected the proposal by 25 votes to 12. On December 13, 1913, it became known as Peñarol, adopting the definitive name Club Atlético Peñarol on March 12, 1914. Some researchers, however, argue that although Peñarol inherited CURCC’s tradition and there is a sociological continuity between the two, legally they are different institutions, since CURCC continued to exist until 1915 (although only as a recreational branch for railway company employees). CURCC then sold its assets and donated the money obtained to the British Hospital of Montevideo, and therefore the founding date of the club would be December 13, 1913. This is the origin of the debate over the Decanato (who is the oldest club in Uruguay).
Although CURCC’s colors were originally black and orange, Peñarol throughout its history has always identified with yellow and black, taken from the Stephenson's Rocket locomotive and representative of the railway guild in general. Throughout its history it has engaged in various sports, standing out in basketball and cycling. Nevertheless, its dedication has been almost exclusively to football, the sport through which it has gained wide recognition.
The club plays its home matches at the Estadio Campeón del Siglo, inaugurated at the end of March 2016 with a capacity for 40,005 spectators. It is located on Route 102 between Camino Mangangá and Camino de los Siete Cerros, in the department of Montevideo. Previously, Peñarol played for several decades at the Estadio Centenario, which is municipally owned. The club also has a basketball arena (Palacio Contador Gastón Guelfi) and a training ground (Complejo Deportivo Washington Cataldi).
At the local level, in the professional era Peñarol has won 42 league titles, and considering the amateur era and the tournaments won by CURCC, it has won 51 titles. Additionally, Peñarol was champion of the Uruguayan Football Federation (FUF) in 1924 and of the Provisional Council Tournament in 1926. Internationally, it is the third club with the most Copa Libertadores titles, five times, and the first to win the Intercontinental Cup three times, a distinction it shares with four other clubs. It has also won the Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales once.
Its classic rival in Uruguayan football is Club Nacional de Football. This is one of the oldest and most celebrated rivalries in football (8 Libertadores and 6 Intercontinental Cups between them), with Peñarol holding the historical advantage.
In September 2009, it was declared the South American Club of the 20th Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) with 531.00 points, surpassing Independiente of Argentina (426.50) and Nacional (414.00).
History
Origins
Amateurism (1891–1931)
The Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (CURCC) was founded on September 28, 1891, driven by employees and workers of the Central Uruguay Railway Company of Montevideo, Limited (CUR), an English-owned company that had been operating in Uruguay since 1878. Of the 118 founding members of the club, 72 were of English nationality, 45 were Uruguayan, and one was German. Because the institution’s name, Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club, was too complicated for the time, the club was commonly known as CURCC or Peñarol, the latter in reference to the Peñarol (neighborhood), located 10 kilometers from Montevideo. The neighborhood name itself derives from Pinerolo, a locality in the Piedmont region of Italy, where CURCC’s facilities were located in those years. The first president of the new institution was Frank Henderson, who remained in the position until 1899.
In 1892, CURCC incorporated football into its sporting practices, relegating rugby and cricket, which had been the main sports at the club until then. The first football match played by the club was against a team of students from English High School of Montevideo, ending in a 2-0 victory for CURCC. In 1895, the club elected Julio Negrón as captain, making him the first Uruguayan footballer at the club to hold that distinction, as until then only English players had led the team.
In 1900, CURCC was one of the four founding entities of the Uruguay Association Football League, making its official debut on June 10 against Albion Football Club, with a 2-1 victory. That season CURCC won the Uruguayan Championship for the first time, a title it repeated in 1901, 1905, and 1907. However, in 1906 Charles W. Bayne assumed administration of the CUR and refused to preside over the company’s football section due to ongoing economic and labor problems. This became the starting point of a series of conflicts between the company and CURCC that culminated in the split of 1913.
On September 19, 1908, the club withdrew from the Uruguayan League, angered by the decision not to replay a match against F.C. Dublín, which CURCC had lost 3-2 away. According to the club, the defeat was caused by refereeing errors influenced by local crowd pressure. After returning to the competition in 1909, tensions between CUR and the club intensified when a group of Peñarol supporters burned one of the wagons used to transport rival players. They would win another title in 1911, and then in 1913 formally change its name to Club Atlético Peñarol. In its first years as Peñarol, the club did not achieve major results, the most important event of the period being the inauguration of Estadio Las Acacias on April 19, 1916. The club’s first championships under its current name came in 1918 and 1920. In 1921, Peñarol, having won the previous Uruguayan Championship, sought to play the Copa Aldao against Racing Club (champion of the Asociación Amateurs de Football) instead of Huracán (champion of the Argentine Football Association), but article 7 of the AFA statutes forbade its members from playing against clubs from the breakaway Amateur Association.
In September 1922, shortly before traveling to Brazil for the Copa América, Peñarol demanded that the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) not face Argentina, whose team was composed of AFA players affiliated with FIFA. Peñarol threatened to withhold its players if the AUF maintained its stance. The AUF stood firm and played the Copa América without Peñarol players. In October that year, with the political divide deepening, Peñarol and Central requested permission to play friendlies against Racing and Independiente. The AUF denied the request, and when the clubs ignored the decision and played the matches anyway, they were expelled, giving rise to the Uruguayan football schism.
This lead to Peñarol and Central founding the Uruguayan Football Federation (FUF), which organized its own championships in parallel to the AUF, and of which Peñarol was champion in 1924. The FUF included several new clubs, some created in honour of Peñarol, such as “Peñarol del Plata,” “Roland Moor,” and “Roberto Chery Montevideo.”
After three years of division and failed reunification attempts, Montevideo’s press requested the mediation of President José Serrato. His ruling, in October 1925, established a Provisional Council of Uruguayan Football, which organized the Copa del Consejo Provisorio in 1926 to reunify Uruguayan football, won by Peñarol.
In 1927, Peñarol toured Europe for the first time. The club went on to win the Uruguayan Championship in 1928 and 1929. In the latter year, Julio María Sosa was declared the club’s first honorary president. The following year, Peñarol played its first official match at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, defeating Olimpia 1-0.
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2020) |
First European Tour
In 1927, Peñarol made its first tour to Europe, playing a total of 19 matches against teams from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Czechoslovakia and France. The tour extended from April to June. The first match of the tour was vs. the Vienna combined, which Peñarol lost by 3–1. The Uruguayan team then played Bayern Munich (1–2), SpVgg (1–2), Hertha BSC (Berlin) (0–1). The first win was v. Eintracht Frankfurt (3–1). The lineup for that match was Luis Biscardi, Demis D’Agosto, José Benincasa, Pascual Ruotta, Gildeón Silva, Antonio Aguerre, Ladislao Pérez, Antonio Sacco, Pablo Terevinto, Peregrín Anselmo, Antonio Campolo. Goals were scored by Suffiotti (2) and Ruotta. The tour continued in Switzerland, v. Young Fellows (1–0), Rapid Vienna (0–5), then facing Sparta Prague (losing by 1–0).
On 5 June, Peñarol played its first game in Spain v. FC Barcelona, losing by 1–5. The second test was played one day later, finishing in a tie (1–1). Other notable games of the tour were the two tests v. Atlético Madrid (5–2 and 4–3).
Peñarol played a total of 19 matches in 80 days (6 in Spain, 5 in Germany, 4 in Switzerland and 1 in Czechoslovakia and France), totalizing 7 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses. The team scored 32 goals and received 33, with Antonio Sacco being the topscorer with 9 goals.
After its first European tour in 1927, Peñarol won the Uruguayan championship in 1928 and 1929; the following year, the club defeated Olimpia 1–0 in its first game at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
Professional Era: 1932 to 1959 1932-1950
In 1932, the Uruguayan Football League officially established professionalism, with Peñarol debuting against River Plate. That same year it won its first professional championship after accumulating 40 points, five more than its closest pursuer, Rampla Juniors. After finishing second in the 1933 and 1934 seasons, Peñarol won the first of four consecutive championships between 1935 and 1938, as well as the Torneo Competencia in 1936.
The 1940s began with Peñarol once again finishing second, a position it held until 1943. The following year in 1944, it won the Uruguayan Championship again after defeating Nacional in a two-leg final, 0-0 and 3-2 . In 1945 the club repeated the title, this time with Nicolás Falero and Raúl Schiaffino as the tournament’s top scorers with 21 goals , and it would win the title again in 1949, finishing four points ahead of Nacional, with Óscar Míguez as top scorer .
After finishing second in 1950, Peñarol was once again champion of Uruguay in 1951 , the same year it tendered the works for the construction of the Palacio Peñarol, which was finally inaugurated in 1955 . The 1950s continued with national championships in 1953 , 1954 , 1958 , and 1959 , with figures such as Juan Hohberg, Juan Romay, and Julio César Abbadie.
Peñarol, champion of the Copa Libertadores de América in 1966.
In 1960, Peñarol qualified for the newly created Copa Libertadores, then known as the Copa de Campeones de América. In this competition, they were crowned champion in its first two editions after defeating Olimpia of Paraguay in 1960 and Palmeiras of Brazil in 1961 . Later that year, Peñarol won the Intercontinental Cup for the first time in its history, in the tournament’s second edition, by defeating Benfica of Portugal 2-1 in the decisive match to claim their first club world title. During this period, the club also won the Uruguayan Championship in 1960, 1961, and 1962, completing the first five-in-a-row in its history, known in Uruguay as the Quinquenio de Oro (1958–1962).
After a season without titles, Peñarol won the Uruguayan Championship in 1964 and 1965, as well as a third Copa Libertadores in 1966, defeating River Plate 4–2 . That year it also won its second Intercontinental Cup by beating Real Madrid 2-0, both in Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario and at the Santiago Bernabéu. In the following years, the club continued adding national and international titles, including national championships in 1967 and 1968, and the Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales in 1969. Additionally, in this interval, los Manyas achieved the longest unbeaten run in the history of the Uruguayan Championship, stretching to 56 matches between September 3, 1966 and September 14, 1968 . Among the players of the time stood out Ecuadorian Alberto Spencer (Peñarol’s top scorer in international matches), Peruvian Juan Joya Cordero, and Pedro Rocha.
1970s: The Arrival of Fernando Morena
In 1970, Peñarol again reached the Copa Libertadores final, losing to Estudiantes de La Plata. In that tournament, the club achieved the biggest win in the competition’s history, defeating Valencia of Venezuela 11-2. Later, with Fernando Morena as the main star, the club won the Uruguayan Championship in 1973, a feat it repeated in the next two years. After finishing second in 1976 and 1977, Peñarol won its 35th Uruguayan Championship in 1978, a season in which Morena set two records: most goals in a season (36) and most goals in a single match, when he scored 7 against Huracán Buceo on July 16, 1978 . The decade ended well with another national championship. During this period, Morena was also the top scorer of the Uruguayan Championship in six consecutive seasons, as well as top scorer in the Copa Libertadores in 1974 and 1975.
1980s: First three-time Club World Champions
In 1980, Peñarol placed third, but in 1981 they became Uruguayan champion again, finishing three points ahead of Nacional. Key players included Morena and Rubén Paz, the latter being the tournament’s top scorer with 17 goals. The following season in 1982, Peñarol won the Copa Libertadores again, defeating Cobreloa of Chile away 1-0 with a late goal by Morena , who was the tournament’s top scorer with 7 goals. In the second half of the year, Peñarol repeated the Uruguayan Championship and won its third Intercontinental Cup by defeating Aston Villa of England 2-0 to become football's first three-time club world champions.
Despite the financial problems the institution began suffering from the mid-1980s, the club won national titles in 1985 and 1986, and the Copa Libertadores in 1987, beating América de Cali 1-0 with a last-minute extra-time goal by Diego Aguirre, when a draw would have crowned the Colombians champions. Curiously, this was the third Copa Libertadores title the club won at the Estadio Nacional de Chile, after those in 1966 and 1982.
1990s: The Second Quinquenio de Oro
In the midst of a severe sporting and institutional crisis, Peñarol commemorated its 100th anniversary on 28 September 1991, despite the controversy that had arisen a year earlier when Club Nacional de Football openly rejected the centenary celebration, thus reigniting the debate over Peñarol’s founding date and its connection with the CURCC.
With the addition of Pablo Bengoechea and under the management of Gregorio Pérez, Peñarol managed to resolve its football problems, winning five consecutive Uruguayan Championships between 1993 and 1997, marking the club’s second (five-year title run).
On the international stage, the club reached the finals of the Copa CONMEBOL in 1993 and 1994. In 1999, Peñarol once again won the Uruguayan championship, this time with Julio Ribas as coach, after defeating Nacional 2-1 on 13 November.
2000s: A Transition Period for the Club
The first decade of the 21st century began with Peñarol finishing as runner-up in the Uruguayan Championship, after losing in the tournament final to Nacional, while players from both clubs remained in prison following a fight in the Uruguayan Clásico during the Clausura. In the following two seasons, despite good performances, Peñarol failed to reach the final of the championship, finishing second in the 2001 Apertura, 2002 Apertura, and 2002 Clausura tournaments.
At the administrative level, this period saw the official inauguration of the Peñarol Museum on 28 September 2001. In 2003, under the coaching of Diego Aguirre and with a squad featuring striker Carlos Bueno and Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, Peñarol once again won the Uruguayan Championship after defeating Nacional 1-0 on 4 December 2003 at the Estadio Centenario.
Friendly against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on August 24, 2010.
In 2010, Peñarol faced Real Madrid in a commemorative friendly celebrating the recognition by the IFFHS that both clubs had been chosen as the “Club of the Century” for their respective continents, Peñarol in South America and Real Madrid in Europe. The match served as a symbolic encounter between two institutions honoured as continental giants of the 20th century.
2010s: Returning to the Continent's Elite
After inconsistent campaigns, the club was crowned champion of the Primera División in the 2009-10 season, winning the Clausura Tournament undefeated, with 14 wins in 15 matches, 12 of them consecutive. In the championship final, Peñarol defeated Nacional, winners of the Apertura Tournament, by an aggregate score of 2-1, with goals from Antonio Pacheco and Matías Aguirregaray, and by winning the tournament also qualified directly for the group stage of the 2011 Copa Libertadores, where they reached the final, losing 2-1 in Brazil against Santos FC after a 0–0 draw in Montevideo.
Peñarol would be crowned champion again in the 2012-13 season, after winning the 2012 Apertura, with players such as Marcelo Zalayeta and Juan Manuel Olivera standing out. Falling just one point short of Defensor Sporting in the Clausura, they played a final for the Uruguayan Championship, holding an advantage after topping the annual table, which allowed them to claim the title by defeating the violet side 3-1 in a single match, with all three goals scored by Antonio Pacheco.
The 2015-16 season proved important for the club. In 2015, Diego Forlán joined Peñarol, and that same year the club won the Apertura Tournament. In the following year’s Clausura Tournament, the club inaugurated its new stadium, the Campeón del Siglo. They topped the annual table but did not win the Clausura, which forced a single-match final against Plaza Colonia. Peñarol won 3-1 in extra time, claiming the Uruguayan title for that season.
In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Peñarol were crowned back-to-back Uruguayan champions, with notable players such as Cristian Rodríguez (on his return to the club), Walter Gargano, and Argentine Maximiliano Rodríguez. In 2018, the club also won the inaugural edition of the Supercopa Uruguaya, defeating their classic rivals Nacional 3-1.
2020s: Growth in International Ambitions
In the 2021 season, Peñarol competed in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana, where they once again faced their eternal rivals, Nacional, in the round of 16, defeating them and advancing to the semifinals of the international tournament. The 2021 season ended with another Uruguayan league title, after winning the Clausura Tournament and later defeating Plaza Colonia once again in a final match. In 2024, Peñarol achieved a dominant domestic performance by winning both the Torneo Apertura and Torneo Clausura, thereby securing the 2024 Uruguayan Primera División title outright and earning their 52nd league crown without the need for playoffs. Internationally, they delivered a dramatic statement in the 2024 Copa Libertadores, eliminating Flamengo in a thrilling quarter-final by winning the first leg 1-0 in Brazil and holding them to a 0–0 draw at home, which propelled Peñarol into the semi-finals again. The club has continued to grow financially and have returned as a mainstay in the most prestigious international competitions.