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.
It is the third most highest winning club in Uruguay, with 24 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 Founded on 15 March 1913, as Club Atlético Defensor, with heavyweight in soccer, the name of the club was changed in 1989 to Defensor Sporting Club after a merger with Sporting Club Uruguay, originally a basketball club. They played in the first professional league season in Uruguay, the 1932 Uruguayan Primera División.
Defensor has won several qualifying tournaments (Pre-Liguilla) to the Copa Libertadores and has represented Uruguay on numerous occasions internationally. Defensor regarded as one of the teams that created and developed many players in Uruguay that become successful players worldwide, 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.
Stadium
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 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).
Honours Senior titles
Type Competition Titles Winning years National(League)Primera División41976, 1987, 1991, 2008Segunda División21950, 1965Segunda División (1903-1914) 1 Divisional Tercera Extra 1 Half-year / Shorttournament(League)Torneo Apertura 4 Torneo Clausura 4 National(Cups)Copa AUF Uruguay3 Liguilla Pre-Libertadores 8 Campeonato Nacional General Artigas 1 Torneo Cuadrangular 1
Performance in CONMEBOL competitions Copa Libertadores: 17 appearances 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
U-20 Copa Libertadores: 1 appearance 2012: Runner-up
Copa Sudamericana: 8 appearances 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
Copa CONMEBOL: 2 appearances 1995: First Round 1997: First Round
Kit evolution
Current squad
Out on loan
Notable coaches Hugo Bagnulo (1952–1957; 1960–1961) Gregorio Pérez (1983–1984) Juan Ahuntchaín (1996) Ricardo Ortiz (1996–1997) Juan Tejera (2004–2005) Jorge da Silva (2005–2009) Gustavo Ferrín (2009–2010) Pablo Repetto (2010–2011) Gustavo Díaz (2011–2012) Tabaré Silva (2012–2013) Fernando Curutchet (2013–2014) Mauricio Larriera (2015–2016) Eduardo Acevedo (2016–2018)
References
External links