On 8 May 1906 a young Belgian who had just arrived in Mexico set up a football team with colleagues from two shops in Guadalajara. On 8 May 2027 Guadalajara, the beloved Chivas, turns 121. And it carries a rare identity: it plays with Mexican footballers only.

A Belgian in Guadalajara

Edgar Everaert arrived in Mexico in 1906 and worked with young men from the La Ciudad de México and Las Fábricas de Francia shops. With them, and with the backing of brothers Rafael and Gregorio Orozco, he founded Unión Football Club.

The name "Union" was no accident. The team included French, Spanish, Swiss and Mexican players, and they wanted to stress the comradeship between them. Rafael Orozco is remembered as the first president and coach.

From "Union" to Guadalajara

On 26 February 1908 the team was renamed Guadalajara Football Club. The aim was to bond more closely with the people of the city, and according to English Wikipedia the decision was taken at a meeting that Everaert and the Europeans did not attend. The current name, Club Deportivo Guadalajara, came later, in 1923.

In 1943, just before the first professional season, the club made its policy official: Mexican players only. The rule was stricter than the federation's, since it does not even accept naturalised players.

Stripes from Bruges

Unión's first shirts were all white. The red and white vertical stripes came after 1908, at Everaert's suggestion.

According to the Mexican media, he was inspired by the flag of his home town, Bruges. The sources disagree, though: some point to his favourite team, Club Brugge, and some historians to the French flag and the Las Fábricas de Francia shop. Either way, the red, the white and a touch of blue have stayed almost unchanged ever since.

The crest was designed in the 1923-24 season, based on the coat of arms of the city of Guadalajara. When it was changed in 2009, fans protested so strongly that in March 2010 the board brought back the traditional one.

From "crazy goats" to proud Chivas

The nickname was born as an insult. In 1948, after a game against Tampico Madero, fans and a local newspaper wrote that the team played like "Chivas Locas", "crazy goats".

Rivals used it to tease them, but the club made it its own. It adopted it officially on 14 July 1949, and today the whole world knows the team as Chivas.

Campeonísimo and great nights

In the 1950s and 1960s Guadalajara built one of the finest teams in the history of Mexican football, known as El Campeonísimo. The first title came in 1956-57, with a stoppage-time header by Salvador "Chava" Reyes. Four straight league titles followed, from 1958-59 to 1961-62.

In 1962 the team won its first CONCACAF Champions' Cup and in 2018 its second, on penalties against Toronto. In 2010 it reached the Copa Libertadores final, where it lost to Internacional of Porto Alegre. In total it has 12 Mexican league titles.

From 1960 to 2010 its home was the Estadio Jalisco. Its new ground, today's Estadio Akron, opened on 30 July 2010 with a 3-2 win over Manchester United, and the first goal was scored by Javier "Chicharito" Hernández. Carlos Vela and Omar Bravo also came through its youth system.

Celebrate with us

The red and white stripes of Chivas link Bruges with Mexico, and a Belgian founder with a team that plays only with the country's own sons. It is a shirt full of history, pride and passion.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Chivas! Happy birthday, and may the Akron always be full.

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Guadalajara v América in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, 2025 – Chivista, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC0.