On 1 April 1908, a group of boys from the streets of Buenos Aires and a priest brought San Lorenzo de Almagro to life. On 1 April 2027 the club turns 119. It is the team of "El Ciclón", of the "Cuervos" and of its most famous fan, Pope Francis.

The street boys and Father Lorenzo

In the early 20th century, a group of boys played football in the streets of the Almagro and Boedo neighbourhoods. They called themselves "Los Forzosos de Almagro", a name that, according to Federico Monti who suggested it, meant they were strong and hard to beat.

According to the club's history, when a tram nearly hit one of the boys, the Salesian priest Lorenzo Massa opened his church's yard to them so they could play safely. His condition was simple: they had to attend Sunday mass.

A name with three meanings

When the time came for an official name, one of the boys proposed "Lorenzo Massa" in honour of the priest. He declined and suggested "San Lorenzo", after Saint Lawrence but also after the Battle of San Lorenzo, General San Martín's first victory. Monti agreed, on condition that "de Almagro" was kept.

The exact founding day is not entirely certain. Speaking to El Gráfico in 1937, the founders could not remember the date, and 1 April 1908 was taken from the club's seal. It is, in any case, the official day San Lorenzo celebrates.

Blue and red: the priest's gift

Before today's colours, the team wore wine-coloured shirts with white collars and cuffs. According to the founders, Father Massa himself gave the boys their first blue and red shirts. Why he chose these colours we do not know, as the sources give no firm answer.

In the early professional years, the official colours were blue and garnet, which later gave way to red. That is where the nickname "Azulgranas" comes from. San Lorenzo is also proud that its shirt is on display at the FIFA museum.

Cyclone, Crows and the Gasómetro

The name "Ciclón" was coined, according to most sources, by journalist Hugo Marini for the team's attacking power, and it was also a dig at rivals Huracán, whose name means "hurricane". The "Cuervos", the crows, refer to the priests' black cassocks. The unbeaten champions of 1968 went down in history as "Los Matadores".

From 1916 to 1979 San Lorenzo played at the legendary Gasómetro in Boedo, which held about 75,000 spectators. The military government forced the club to sell it, and the site later passed to a supermarket chain. In 1993 the Nuevo Gasómetro, the Estadio Pedro Bidegain, opened, while fans are still fighting for a return to Boedo.

The shirt of legends and of a Pope

In this shirt José Sanfilippo became the top scorer in the club's history, while Rinaldo Martino, Luis Monti and Leandro Romagnoli also stood out. In 2014 the long-awaited Copa Libertadores finally arrived, with a 1-0 win over Nacional of Paraguay in the second leg of the final at the Nuevo Gasómetro.

Its most famous fan was the Argentine Pope Francis, a member of the club. A few days after his election, in March 2013, the players wore his photo on their shirts in a league match.

Celebrate with us

119 years after that church yard, San Lorenzo's blue and red shirt carries faith, passion and an entire neighbourhood. Few teams have such a human story behind them.

Happy birthday, Ciclón! May you one day return home, to Boedo.

See our San Lorenzo jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: San Lorenzo's Estadio Pedro Bidegain (Nuevo Gasómetro) – Marianitens at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.