Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievements in Uruguay and internationally.

Defensor Sporting
Full nameDefensor Sporting Club
Nickname(s)El Violeta
La Viola
El Tuerto
El Defe
La Farola
La Cometa
Founded15 March 1913; 111 years ago (1913-03-15)
GroundEstadio Luis Franzini,
Montevideo, Uruguay
Capacity18,000
ChairmanAlberto Ward
CoachMartín Varini
LeaguePrimera División
2023Primera División, 4th of 16
WebsiteClub website

It is the third most highest winning club in Uruguay, with 25 official titles, only surpassed by Peñarol and Club Nacional de Football. The club's best performance at the international stage was in 2014, when they reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, eventually losing to Club Nacional 2–1 on aggregate. They have won the Uruguayan Championship four times: in 1976, 1987, 1991, and 2007-08. Their 1976 title win was especially notable in Uruguay's football history as it ended 44 years of dominance by Nacional and Peñarol.

History edit

Founded on March 15, 1913, as Club Atlético Defensor, the name of the club was changed in 1989 to Defensor Sporting Club after a merger with Sporting Club Uruguay. They played in the first professional league season in Uruguay, the 1932 Uruguayan Primera División

Defensor has won many qualifying tournaments (Pre-Liguilla) to the Copa Libertadores and has represented Uruguay on numerous occasions internationally. Regarded as one of the teams that creates and develops many players in Uruguay that become successful players worldwide, It is the first club of numerous players like Jorge "Polilla" da Silva, Sergio "Manteca" Martínez, Sebastián Abreu, Andrés Fleurquin, Marcelo Tejera, Darío Silva, Gonzalo Vargas, Diego "Ruso" Pérez, Nicolás Olivera, Martín Cáceres, Maxi Pereira, Álvaro González, and Tabaré Viúdez.

Legendary coach Prof. José Ricardo de León brought Defensor to the national championship in 1976 and originated a football (fútbol) school of thought, consistently criticized as ultra defensive, that is still present nowadays in several teams and coaches.

In September 2007, the club was considered the World's Club Team of the Month by the IFFHS.[1]

Defensor Sporting's most famous supporter is singer/composer Jaime Roos.

Stadium edit

Defensor plays its home games at its own stadium called Estadio Luis Franzini which has a capacity for 18,000 spectators. The stadium was opened on 31 December 1963, and is located in Parque Rodó, Montevideo.

Rivalries edit

Defensor Sporting has had a rivalry with Danubio in recent years, because of the two clubs being the next biggest clubs in Uruguay after the historical two: Peñarol and Nacional. Matches between them are called the "Clásico de los medianos" (Spanish for Classic of the Mediums).[citation needed]

Honours edit

Senior titles edit

Keys
  •   Record
  • (s) Shared record
Type Competition Titles Winning years
National
(League)
Primera División 4 1976, 1987, 1991, 2008
National
(Cups)
Copa AUF Uruguay 1
Liguilla Pre-Libertadores 8
1976, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006
Campeonato Nacional General Artigas 1
1960
Torneo Cuadrangular 1
1957

Other titles edit

Titles won in lower divisions:

Type Competition Titles Winning years
National
(League)
Segunda División 2 1950, 1965
Segunda División (1903-1914) 1
1914
Divisional Tercera Extra 1
1913

Performance in CONMEBOL competitions edit

1977: Group Stage
1980: Group Stage
1982: Group Stage
1990: Round of 16
1992: Round of 16
1994: Round of 16
1996: Round of 16
2001: Group Stage
2006: First Round
2007: Quarter-finals
2009: Quarter-finals
2012: Group Stage
2013: First Stage
2014: Semi-finals
2018: Group Stage
2019: Third Qualifying Stage
2024: First Qualifying Stage
2012: Runner-up
2005: Second Round
2007: Quarter-finals
2008: Round of 16
2010: Round of 16
2015: Quarter-finals
2017: First Stage
2018: Second Stage
2023: First Stage
1995: First Round
1997: First Round

Kit evolution edit

Current squad edit

As of 17 February, 2024

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   URU Matías Dufour
3 DF   URU Guillermo de los Santos
4 DF   URU Rodrigo Cabrera
5 MF   URU Facundo Bernal
6 MF   URU Mauricio Amaro
7 MF   URU Nicolás Rodríguez
8 MF   ARG Fernando Elizari
9 FW   URU Octavio Rivero
10 MF   URU Anderson Duarte
11 FW   URU Lucas Agazzi
12 GK   URU Kevin Dawson
13 FW   URU Augusto Cambón
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 DF   ARG Renzo Giampaoli
15 DF   URU Juan Viacava
16 DF   URU José Álvarez
17 MF   URU Francisco Barrios
21 MF   URU Joaquín Valiente
22 DF   URU Lucas Ymbert
24 FW   URU Braian Mansilla
25 FW   URU Sebastián Guerrero
26 MF   URU Nicolás Wunsch
27 MF   URU Juan Manuel Jorge
30 MF   URU Erico Cuello
34 MF   PER Alfonso Barco (on loan from Universitario)

Notable former players edit

Notable coaches edit

References edit

  1. ^ "The World's club Team of the Month". IFFHS. 20 December 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2020.

External links edit