El Millonario

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Lore & Background

The story of 'Los Millonarios' is rooted in the economic boom of Colombian football during the 'El Dorado' era. The club was officially founded on June 18, 1946, after the merger of several Bogotá clubs, including Club Deportivo Municipal. The nickname 'Millonarios' was not coined in 1937 or 1939, nor from a match against Deportivo Barranquilla. Instead, it was popularized in the late 1940s when the club spent lavishly to sign Argentine legends like Alfredo Di Stéfano (who joined in 1949) and other international stars. The high salaries and transfer fees led journalists to dub them 'Los Millonarios.' The club's traditional blue and white colors were adopted from the Colombian flag and earlier club iterations, not from Argentine club Tigre. The first official match under the name 'Millonarios' took place in 1946, not 1939.

In Their Own Story

On August 13, 1939, the team officially adopted the name 'Los Millonarios' during a meeting at the 'El Gato Negro' café on 16th Street with Eighth Avenue. That same day, they defeated Deportivo Barranquilla 6–0. The goals came from Luis Timón (scoring twice, including the 5–0 goal), Martínez, Ruiz Díaz, Zapata, and an own goal by López. During this historic match, the team debuted their current blue uniform with grey socks, copied from the Argentine team Tigre. This kit was soon modified by leader Manuel Briceño Pardo for the next game: shorts changed to white and socks to blue, colors associated with the Colombian Conservative Party. The first squad to bear the name included Carlos Álvarez, captain Antenor Rodríguez, Ignacio 'Nacho' Izquierdo, Alfredo Cuezzo, Alfonso 'Che' Piedrahíta, Óscar Sabransky, Vicente Lucífero, Antonio Ruiz Díaz, Luis Timón, and José Antonio 'Mico' Zapata. This moment marked a turning point where the press began referring to them exclusively by their new nickname rather than their official name.

Reader's Guide

To understand the true origin of 'Los Millonarios,' one must look to Colombia, not Argentina. The club officially became Club Deportivo Los Millonarios on June 18, 1946, and later reconstituted as a public limited company named Millonarios Fútbol Club on April 20, 2011. Since 1938, they have played at Estadio El Campín in Bogotá, which holds a capacity of 36,343. The nickname's origin is strictly tied to the salary demands for Argentine players in 1939 and the subsequent media reaction. While River Plate adopted a similar nickname in 1932 for big signings, the Colombian club's version was cemented by the specific financial negotiations of Lucífero and the support of managers Briceño Pardo, Vargas, and Lega. The team has participated in the Categoría Primera A since its inception in 1948, making it one of only three teams to play in every tournament alongside Independiente Santa Fe and Atlético Nacional.

Did You Know?

• The nickname 'Los Millonarios' was popularized in the 1940s due to the club's extravagant spending during the 'El Dorado' era, not from a single salary dispute in 1939.
• The club was officially founded on June 18, 1946, after a merger of several Bogotá clubs, and its first match under the name 'Millonarios' was in 1946, not 1939.
• Alfredo Di Stéfano, one of the most famous early Argentine players for Millonarios, joined in 1949, not Vicente Lucífero.
• Millonarios' traditional blue and white colors were inspired by the Colombian flag and earlier club iterations, not by Argentine club Tigre.
• The 6–0 victory over Deportivo Barranquilla on August 13, 1939, is not a historically recorded match for Millonarios; the club's early history is tied to its 1946 founding.