1997 Apertura Final – Cruz Azul vs. Necaxa
The first CONCACAF club to win a continental treble, and the first worldwide to win it twice.
Club de Futbol Cruz Azul S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Cruz Azul, is a Mexican professional football club based in Mexico City. The club competes in Liga MX and plays its home matches at Estadio Azteca. Founded in 1927 in Jasso, Hidalgo, the club relocated to Mexico City in 1971. It was renamed Cruz Azul Fútbol Club, A.C. in 2012, before adopting its current name in 2022. Cruz Azul are one of only seven Mexican clubs to have never been relegated from the top flight.
Quick Facts
- Tournament
- 1997 Apertura
- Opponent
- Necaxa
- Format
- Two-legged final
Lore & Background
Cruz Azul was founded in the late 1920s in Jasso, Hidalgo, where cement company Cooperativa La Cruz Azul fostered a connection with football. Carlos Garcés López, a footballer and dentist employed by the cooperative, advocated for football to become the company's official sport. After a referendum on 22 March 1927, football was selected, and the team was formally established on 22 May 1927. The club achieved a continental treble in the 1968–69 season by winning the Primera División, Copa México and CONCACAF Champions' Cup, becoming the first CONCACAF club and third worldwide to accomplish this feat, and later the first club worldwide—and one of only five—to have won the continental treble twice.
Reader's Guide
Cruz Azul competes in Liga MX and plays home matches at Estadio Azteca. The club has won ten league titles, four Copa MX, four Campeón de Campeones, and holds the joint-record with one Supercopa de la Liga MX and one Supercopa MX. In international competitions, with seven titles, the club holds the joint-record for the most successful club in the history of the CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League. Cruz Azul also holds the record for the most league runner-up finishes (12) and was the first team from CONCACAF to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores.
More in Iconic Matches & Classics
Elsewhere in Cruz Azul
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced