Era 2010-2019

Lore & Background

Founded in 1906 as Unión Football Club, the club changed its name to Guadalajara Football Club in 1908, and then changed to its current name in 1923. Nicknamed Chivas, it was one of ten founding members of the first professional and national league in Mexico, named Liga Mayor (current Liga MX). Guadalajara is one of seven Mexican clubs that have never been relegated. Chivas is the only football club in Mexico that does not sign foreign or naturalized players unless they are of Mexican descent.

The team has historically relied on home-grown (cantera) players and has been the launching pad of many internationally successful players, including Javier Hernández, Carlos Vela and Carlos Salcido, among others. Domestically, CD Guadalajara is one of the most successful Mexican clubs, winning twelve Liga MX titles, four Copa MX titles, seven Campeón de Campeones and one Supercopa MX, and also holds the league record for the longest winning streak at the beginning of a season, with eight consecutive wins in the Bicentenario 2010.

Internationally, it has won two CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League titles, and also finished as runners-up in the 2010 Copa Libertadores. According to a study of preferred football clubs in 2016, Guadalajara was the most popular Mexican club, with 44.2% of supporters in the country. In 2020, Forbes estimated that the club was the most valuable of the league, ranking sixth overall in the Americas, worth approximately $311.5 million.

Reader's Guide

The team was founded by Edgar Everaert. First named 'Unión' because of the camaraderie between the players of different nationalities, most of whom were employees of the Fábricas de Francia store, with founder Everaert as coach. A few Spanish and English players also became members of the Unión Football Club. The club's first match was against Gimnasio Atlético Occidental.

In 1908, in a club meeting at Sáinz's house attended by the Orozco brothers, Sabino Orozco, and the remaining Mexican Unión members, Club de Fútbol Unión was renamed as Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Gregorio Orozco would take credit for the decision to rename the club. At the same meeting, Rafael Orozco would be named the first club president. During the amateur era (1908–1943), Guadalajara won 13 amateur titles.

In 1943 the Liga Mayor was founded and professional football began. Guadalajara made their professional debut on 6 July 1943 in the Copa MX, losing 3–1 to Atlas. Later that year, they made their Liga Mayor debut on 21 October against Atlante, winning 1–4. Guadalajara struggled during the early years, with the exception of the 1948–49 season when they finished third.

This same year Guadalajara was given the name 'Chivas Locas' (Crazy Goats) during a game against Tampico. During the 1956 season, players such as Salvador 'Chava' Reyes, Jaime 'El Tubo' Gomez, Arturo 'Curita' Chaires, Juan 'Bigotón' Jasso, Isidoro 'Chololo' Díaz, Guillermo 'Tigre' Sepúlveda, and José 'Jamaicón' Villegas were part of El Campeonísimo. Guadalajara won its first championship during this season. Led by coaches such as Donaldo 'Pato' Ross and Javier 'Chamaco' de la Torre in subsequent years, the team won seven league championships, two cups, three CONCACAF titles and seven Champion of Champions titles.

It was the only team in Mexico's football history to win four league championships in a row, during the 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, and 1961–62 seasons. El Campeonísimo became internationally recognized and, in 1964 played several matches in Europe against such teams as FC Barcelona, Werder Bremen, and Lille Olympique, resulting in two victories, four draws and four losses for the team. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Guadalajara struggled a lot, being nicknamed 'Las Chivas Flacas' (The Lean Goats).