On 18 June 1946 a team from Bogotá that would become a South American legend officially took its name. Millonarios turns 81 on 18 June 2027. And its name, which means "the millionaires", started out as a jibe.

From the San Bartolomé pupils to 1946

The club's roots go back to 1937, when pupils of the Colegio San Bartolomé school in Bogotá formed a football team. It later became the city's official team, under the name Deportivo Municipal.

On 18 June 1946 the club was legally constituted as Club Deportivo Los Millonarios, with Alfonso Senior as its first president. In 2011 it became a public limited company under today's name, Millonarios Fútbol Club.

A jibe that became a name

In 1939 the team brought in players from Argentina, something unheard of in Colombia. Journalist Luis Camacho Montoya of the newspaper El Tiempo mocked the club's leaders by calling them "Los Millonarios".

The nickname stuck. Instead of taking offence, the club adopted it, and in 1946 it became the official name.

Blue from Argentina

As the city's team, the club first wore black and white, the colours of Bogotá. The blue shirt appeared on 13 August 1939, copied from Argentina's Tigre, together with grey socks.

For the next match Manuel Briceño Pardo suggested white shorts and blue socks, and that became the official kit. The club's crest was handed over by the Bogotá municipality, at the time when the team was the city's official side.

Di Stéfano and the "Blue Ballet"

In the late 1940s Millonarios signed Adolfo Pedernera and then Alfredo Di Stéfano and Néstor Rossi. The Ballet Azul, the "Blue Ballet", was born, and it was rated among the best teams in the world.

The first professional league title came in 1949, with Pedro Cabillón scoring 42 goals, a record that still stands. A hat-trick of titles followed in 1951, 1952 and 1953, and Di Stéfano was top scorer in 1951 and 1952.

In 1952 the team also added the Copa Colombia. The Argentine superstar stayed in Bogotá from 1949 to 1953.

In March 1952, at Real Madrid's 50th anniversary, the Ballet beat Real 4-2 in Madrid. In 1953 it won the Small Club World Cup unbeaten, ahead of River Plate, Rapid Vienna and Espanyol.

The "Ambassador" and 16 stars

Wins in the Duelo de Campeones tournaments of 1950 and 1951 and other international success earned the team the nickname "Embajador", the Ambassador. The era of the stars ended in 1953, when FIFA rules forced clubs to return foreign players they had signed irregularly.

But the club kept making history at El Campín, its home since 1938. Alfredo Castillo is the record scorer with 131 goals, and the shirt has been worn by Willington Ortiz, Arnoldo Iguarán and Mario Vanemerak.

In June 2023 Millonarios beat Atlético Nacional on penalties in the final to win its 16th league title. Its trophy cabinet also holds Colombian Cups, the 2001 Copa Merconorte and the 1972 Copa Simón Bolívar.

Celebrate with us

From a mocking newspaper line to a Ballet applauded in Madrid, Millonarios is part of football history. Happy 81st birthday to the Ambassador of Bogotá!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Panoramic view of El Campín, Bogotá – Darwinjvega, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.