Club Bolívar

Bolivia's most decorated club, with 31 league titles.

Club Bolívar, a professional football club from La Paz, plays in Bolivia's top division. Founded in 1925 and named for Simón Bolívar, it has always worn light blue jerseys, giving it the nickname "Los Celestes." The club holds the most Bolivian league titles and was named by the IFFHS as the country's best team of the 20th century and early 21st.

Quick Facts

Club

Bolívar

Founded

12 April 1925; 100 years ago

Ground

Estadio Hernando Siles
Estadio Libertador Simón Bolívar
La Paz, Bolivia

Capacity

41,143

Owner

Marcelo Claure

Manager

Alejandro Restrepo

League

División Profesional

Season

2025

Facts from the source article.

History

Until the 1980s, the club's foundation date was disputed, with 1927 long considered correct before it was established that the club was founded in 1925, the year of Bolivia's centenary. Club Bolívar was created on 12 April 1925 by a group of friends meeting in a colonial house on Junín street in La Paz, less than two blocks from Plaza Murillo. They chose the name Bolívar in homage to the Liberator Simón Bolívar, rejecting names such as Franz Tamayo or Antonio José de Sucre, and deviating from the English names common among Bolivian teams at the time. The founders originally added "musical literary club" to the name, forming "Club Atlético Literario Musical Bolívar," but this was soon dropped as the football team gained prominence. Humberto Bonifacio managed the club provisionally until Carlos Terán was elected the first president, joined by Ernesto Sainz, Héctor Salcedo, Rafael Navarro, and Felipe Gutiérrez. In 1927, two years after its founding, the club enrolled in the La Paz Fútbol Association and finished runner-up in its first official championship behind Nimbles Sport. Bolívar became the first Bolivian team to tour internationally, playing five matches in Chile in December 1930 and January 1931. On 8 July 1931, the club recorded its first international victory, beating Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta 2–1 in La Paz. The club won its first championship in 1932, a tournament interrupted by the Chaco War; the captain of that squad was Mario Alborta, also captain of the Bolivia national team. Bolívar won back-to-back titles from 1939 to 1942, a four-time championship led by players like Walter Saavedra, Nicolas Terrazas, Guillermo Baldellón, Germán Huaranca, Rodolfo Plaza Montero, Alfredo "Guardiaco" Molina, and Hernán Rojas. In 1947, winger Víctor Agustín Ugarte debuted for the club, later considered by many the best Bolivian player in history. In 1950, the Asociación de Fútbol de La Paz turned professional, and Bolívar became the first professional champion, winning 3–0 over Litoral under president Armando Gamarra and the leadership of Ugarte and Mario Mena. In 1953, under José Fiorilo, the club won the title undefeated with 11 victories and 40 goals in 14 matches. On 14 January 1956, Bolívar defeated Argentine club River Plate 7–2 in a historic friendly in La Paz; River Plate featured stars like Amadeo Carrizo, Néstor Rossi, Santiago Vernazza, Omar Sívori, and Ángel Labruna. The club's worst season came in 1964, when relegation followed a 2–1 loss to Universitario de La Paz, but Bolívar won the 1965 second division season undefeated and returned immediately to the Primera División. The following season, they won the league title and qualified for their first Copa Libertadores in 1967; their first match was a 1–0 win against 31 de Octubre on 12 March, and their first away win was a 2–1 victory over Independiente Santa Fe in Bogotá on 10 May. In 1968, Bolívar won its first title under president Mario Mercado Vaca. Under his management, Estadio Hernando Siles was renovated and Estadio Libertador, the club's reserve stadium, was opened in January 1976. Bolívar has 31 league titles, making it the most successful Bolivian club. At international level, the club has participated 40 times in the Copa Libertadores, with best performances as semi-finalist in 1986 and 2014, the only Bolivian club to reach that stage. Bolívar played its first international final in 2004, finishing runner-up to Boca Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana, and is the only Bolivian team to reach that final.