Defensor Sporting

Founded on March 15, 1913 as Club Atlético Defensor, the name of the club was changed in 1989 to Defensor Sporting Club after a merger with Sporting Club Uruguay. They played in the first professional league season in Uruguay, the 1932 Uruguayan Primera División

Defensor has won many qualifying tournaments (Pre-Liguilla) to the Copa Libertadores and has represented Uruguay on numerous occasions internationally. Regarded as one of the teams that creates and develops many players in Uruguay that become successful players worldwide, It is the first club of numerous players like Jorge "Polilla" da Silva, Sergio "Manteca" Martínez, Sebastián Abreu, Andrés Fleurquin, Marcelo Tejera, Darío Silva, Gonzalo Vargas, Diego "Ruso" Pérez, Nicolás Olivera, Martín Cáceres, Maxi Pereira, Álvaro González, and Tabaré Viúdez.

Legendary coach Prof. José Ricardo de León brought Defensor to the national championship in 1976 and originated a football (fútbol) school of thought, consistently criticized as ultra defensive, that is still present nowadays in several teams and coaches.

In September 2007, the club was considered the World's Club Team of the Month by the IFFHS.[1]

Defensor Sporting's most famous supporter is singer/composer Jaime Roos.

Defensor plays its home games at its own stadium called Estadio Luis Franzini which has a capacity for 18,000 spectators. The stadium was opened on 31 December 1963, and is located in Parque Rodó, Montevideo.

Defensor Sporting has had a rivalry with Danubio in recent years, because of the two clubs being the next biggest clubs in Uruguay after the historical two: Peñarol and Nacional. Matches between them are called the "Clásico de los medianos" (Spanish for Classic of the Mediums).

• Copa Libertadores: 16 appearances

1977: Group Stage

1980: Group Stage

1982: Group Stage

1990: Round of 16

1992: Round of 16

1994: Round of 16

1996: Round of 16

2001: Group Stage

2006: First Round

2007: Quarter-finals

2009: Quarter-finals

2012: Group Stage

2013: First Stage

2014: Semi-finals

2018: Group Stage

2019: Third Qualifying Stage

• U-20 Copa Libertadores: 1 appearance

2012: Runner-up

• Copa Sudamericana: 7 appearances

2005: Second Round

2007: Quarter-finals

2008: Round of 16

2010: Round of 16

2015: Quarter-finals

2017: First Stage

2018: Second Stage

• Copa CONMEBOL: 2 appearances

1995: First Round

1997: First Round

As of 16 November 2020

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  URU Matías Castro 2 DF  URU Lucas Rodríguez 3 DF  URU Gastón Álvarez 4 DF  URU Alejandro González 5 MF  URU Vicente Poggi 6 DF  URU Emilio Zeballos 7 FW  URU Diego Coelho 8 MF  URU Gonzalo Nápoli 9 FW  ARG Ignacio Colombini 10 MF  URU Juan Albín 11 MF  URU Ignacio Laquintana 12 GK  URU Bernardo Long 13 GK  URU Matías Dufour 14 DF  URU Facundo Mallo 15 MF  URU Álvaro González 16 FW  URU Kevin Méndez 17 FW  URU Luciano Boggio

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  URU Adolfo Lima 19 MF  URU Tabaré Viúdez 20 FW  URU Álvaro Navarro 21 DF  URU Rodrigo Rojo 22 DF  URU Renzo Rabino 23 MF  URU Mathías Cardacio 24 DF  URU Matías Rocha 25 MF  ARG Franco Zuculini 27 MF  URU Matías Ocampo 28 MF  URU Damián Silva 29 MF  URU Alan Rodríguez 30 DF  URU Andrés Lamas 77 FW  ARG Cristian Chávez (on loan from Independiente) — DF  URU Jonathan González — MF  URU Joaquín Valiente — FW  URU Facundo Milán

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  URU Martín Rabuñal (at Juárez until 31 December 2020) — MF  URU Ramiro Cristóbal (at Rentistas until 31 December 2020) — MF  URU Martín Correa (at Liverpool Montevideo until 31 December 2020) — FW  URU Owen Falconis (at Salamanca until 31 December 2020) — DF  URU Mauro García (at Rocha until 31 December 2020) — MF  URU Federico Larraura (at Villa Teresa until 31 December 2020)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  URU Pablo López (at Deportivo Toluca until 30 June 2021) 7 MF  URU Cristian Barros (at Universidad de Chile until 30 June 2021) — MF  URU Robert Ergas (at Olimpia until 31 December 2021) — FW  URU Juan Manuel Boselli (at Cádiz CF B until 30 June 2022)

• Diego Jaume

• Hugo Bagnulo (1952 – 1957), (1960 – 1961)
• Gregorio Pérez (1983 – 1984)
• Juan Ahuntchaín (1996)
• Ricardo "Tato" Ortíz (1996 – 1997)
• Juan Tejera (2004 – 2005)
• Jorge "Polilla" da Silva (2005 – 2009)
• Gustavo Ferrín (2009 – 2010)
• Pablo Repetto (2010 – 2011)
• Gustavo "Chavo" Díaz (2011 – 2012)
• Tabaré Silva (2012 – 2013)
• Fernando Curutchet (2013 – 2014)
• Mauricio Larriera (2015 – 2016)
• Eduardo Acevedo (2016 – 2018)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Defensor Sporting Club.

• Official website