Club Bolívar

Until well into the 1980s there was controversy regarding the date of creation of the institution. The year 1927 was considered accurate until it became clear that it had been founded in 1925, the year of the country's centenary.

The club was born on 12 April 1925, by a group of friends who had the idea of forming a social club whose objective was to practice sport, especially football. They met in a modest colonial center house of La Paz, specifically on Junín street and less than two blocks from Plaza Murillo, where it was decided to create the club with an unusual name, Bolívar, contrary to the usual names of Bolivian teams back then, as most of them were created with names in English. Names such as Franz Tamayo or Antonio José de Sucre were thought of, but in homage to the Liberator Simón Bolívar, the group decided for Bolívar.

Despite the fact that the founders had as a dominant passion for the practice of football, as was the style at the time, they decided to add the additional denominative of "musical literary club; that is, the club was originally founded with the name of "Club Atlético Literario Musical Bolívar" which was soon diluted by the strength of the football team and its distinctive achievements, being reduced only to Club Bolívar.

Don Humberto Bonifacio was in charge of the club's management on a provisional basis, until the first president was elected by a democratic election. The first president was Carlos Terán, who was accompanied by Ernesto Sainz, Héctor Salcedo, Rafael Navarro, and Felipe Gutiérrez.^[5]

In 1927, two years after its founding, Club Bolívar officially enrolled in La Paz Fútbol Association. This would be the first time Bolivar participated in an official championship, where the club finished runner-up behind Nimbles Sport.

 

The first team that disputed the 1927 championship was made up of Walter Miranda, Enrique Tellería, Felipe Gutiérrez Nieto, Víctor Leclere, Carlos Terán, Germán Garnica, Roberto Segaline, Miguel Carreón, Luis Ernesto Sanz, and the captain Humberto Barreda. Alfredo Molina, Roberto Gómez and Carlos Álvarez were incorporated a year later.

The club's first international friendly match was played on 3 June 1927, against Coquimbo Unido of Chile in La Paz, losing 2–1.

Bolívar was the first Bolivian team to make an international tour and play outside Bolivia. In December 1930 and January 1931, the team played five matches in Chile. In 1931 the tournament was fulfilled with poor performances by teams that did not have good youth divisions, limiting the championship to only four teams. That same year, on 8 July, Bolívar obtained its first international victory against Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta, winning 2–1 in La Paz.

A fundamental event in this first part of the club's history occurred in 1932 when Bolívar achieved the first championship in its history played in two series. The captain of that Bolívar squad and one of the great South American players in history was center forward Mario Alborta, who was also captain of the Bolivia national team. The contest began on May 26, but had to be suspended for a month due to the events of the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay, more specifically the Battle of Boquerón, which was fought from 7–29 September. The La Paz Football Association established that the location and score of the moment were recognized in the final table. For this reason, Club Bolívar was declared champion of that year.

In the following two years, 1933 and 1934, the tournaments were suspended until the end of the war event facing the country. After the war, the championship was restarted a year later, in 1935. The team was champion for the second time in 1937.

Bolívar was runner-up in 1938, and after that achieved a four-time championship, winning the titles from 1939 to 1942. That team was led by players Walter Saavedra, Rojas, Romero, Plaza, Gutiérrez, and Garzón.

1947 is an important year for Bolívar and for Bolivian football, because of winger Víctor Agustín Ugarte's debut with the "celeste" jersey of Bolivar. The Tupiceño came to La Paz to test himself and from the first day, showed his quality. He made his debut against Ferroviario and that same year he debuted in the Bolivia national team. Many people consider him the best Bolivian player in history.^[6]

 

In 1950, the Asociación de Fútbol de La Paz became professional, dividing its tournament into Primera "A" with the clubs already consolidated from amateurism and the amateur division. From 1954, the Asociación de Fútbol de La Paz, organized 2 parallel tournaments: The Campeonato Oficial del Fútbol de La Paz, where clubs from the capital city competed for the title of La Paz Champion, and the Integrated Championship, where clubs from La Paz, Cochabamba and Oruro, competed for the title of National Champion.^[7]

Bolívar was the first champion from La Paz in the professional era. Under the presidency of Armando Gamarra and under the leadership of Víctor Agustín Ugarte, Mario Mena from Tarija and the participation of players like Argentine Ramón Guillermo Santos, it was crowned champion with 21 points.

Among the players who led the club to its first professional glory were: Conrado Kramer, Walter Vascones, Celestino Sandoval, Guillermo Baldellón, Arturo Miranda, Edgar Vargas, Fernando Sanzetenea, Benjamín Ugáz, Arlindo Puertas and Walter Orozco.

With José Fiorilo they won the 1953 title, and for the first time a team achieved the professional title undefeated with 11 victories and a whopping 40 goals in 14 matches.

 

This success was repeated by winning the integrated championship of 1956. That same year, Rodolfo Plaza Montero became the club's new manager and president. He is the only former player of the institution who was also president.

The unforgettable match of their international friendlies was played on 14 January 1956 in La Paz when they defeated Argentine club River Plate with a historic score of 7–2. Los Millonarios had high-profile players such as Carrizo, Rossi, Bayro, Vernazza, Sívori, Méndez, Ángel Labruna and Zárate.^[8]

 

Bolivar's worst season in its history was in 1964, when a poor campaign led to relegation in that season, against a newly promoted team, Universitario de La Paz, which beat Bolívar 2–1.^[9] The club won the 1965 second division season undefeated and made an immediate return to the Primera Division.

The following season, they won the league title and qualified to their first ever Copa Libertadores for the 1967 edition. Their first match in the Libertadores was on 12 March, a 1-0 win against 31 de Octubre. Their first away win was on 10 May, a 2-1 win against Independiente Santa Fe in Bogota. They eventually placed fourth out of six in their group with two wins four draws and four defeats.

In 1968, Bolívar won its first title under the presidency of Mario Mercado Vaca Guzmán. In 1976 they won their last title before the professional league era. On 21 January 1995, Mario Mercado died when his private jet crashed in Oruro en route to Sucre.^[10] Aside from football, he was also mayor of the city of La Paz. Under his management, Estadio Hernando Siles was renovated and Estadio Libertador, the club's reserve stadium, was opened in January 1976.^[11]

On 23 August 1977, at the then Sheraton Hotel in La Paz, 16 clubs from across the country decided to create the Bolivian Professional Football League. The birth of the league marked the beginning of a new era in Bolivian football commonly known as the Liga Era.

In 1978 the club won their first title after the professional league era began, finishing first in both the first and second stages before beating Wilstermann 1–0 in the final match. In 1979 they won a minor official competition called Copa Liga.

In the 1980s, they won four titles, going back to back between 1982-1983 and 1987-1988, with the 1985 title in between. In 1986, they reached the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, topping their group but finishing behind America de Cali and Olimpia in the three-team semi-final group.

In the 1990s, the club added five more titles, winning in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997. Also in the 90's the club participated in the 1996 Copa CONMEBOL but lost 4-2 on aggregate to Lanus in the first stage.

The most notable achievements during this era were reaching the 1986 Copa Libertadores semi-finals, and winning a total of ten titles in fifteen years between 1982 and 1997, which cemented their status as one of the biggest clubs in Bolivia.

In the early 2000s, Mauro Cuellar assumed the presidency of Bolívar.

In 2002, Bolivar reached the semi-finals of the inaugural edition of the Copa Sudamericana, their second ever qualification to a semi-final of a continental competition. They began their campaign by beating another Bolivian club, Oriente Petrolero, over two legs. In the second round, they beat Club Libertad, one of the biggest clubs in Paraguay. In the first leg of the quarter-finals against Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Bolivar won 4-1 at home. Bolivar lost the second leg in La Plata 2-0, but qualified to the semi finals 4-3 on aggregate. In the semifinals they were paired with another Argentine club, San Lorenzo. Bolivar won the first leg in La Paz 2-1, but in Buenos Aires San Lorenzo won 4-2 and eliminated Bolivar 5-4 on aggregate. Although Bolivar were eliminated, they gained the respect of many, because San Lorenzo later won the competition and Bolivar was one of the few clubs to beat the champion.

Two years later, Bolivar had another deep run in the Copa Sudamericana, reaching the finals of the 2004 Copa Sudamericana against Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors. In their first matchup, they disposed of fellow Bolivian club Aurora in the preliminary round, then defeated Chilean club University of Concepción, disposed of Argentine club Arsenal de Sarandí in the quarter-finals despite having lost the first leg in Argentina 1–0, and reached their first international final after beating Ecuadorian club LDU Quito 3–2 on aggregate. In the first leg of the finals at home, Bolivar won 1–0 with a goal from Argentine striker Horacio Chiorazzo. However, in the second leg at La Bombonera, Boca made a comeback and won the match 2–0 with goals from Martín Palermo and Carlos Tevez in the first half hour of the match, with Bolivar launching an attacking strategy in the second half where they had a shot hit the crossbar, being very close to tying the aggregate score.^[12] Despite the loss, Bolivar gained the respect of many and put Bolivia on the map, also being the only team to beat the winners of the competition.^[13][14] Also that year, Bolivar won their 19th title by clinching the Apertura championship.

However, despite the club's sporting achievements, it fell into a deep financial crisis, nearly disappearing with debts in excess of US$5 million, until Bolivian millionaire Marcelo Claure took over the club in September 2008 through BAISA, a subsidiary company owned by Claure. BAISA owns the right to operate the club for 20 years.^[15][16] The financial crisis also slightly affected their performance on the field; Bolivar failed to win the title for 30 months, and failed to finish in the top three for three consecutive tournaments. The first title the club won under BAISA was the 2009 Apertura, their 22nd title in history.

In 2014, under the lead of Spanish coach Xabier Azkargorta, the team reached the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, after eliminating Club León in the round of 16 and 2013 Copa Sudamericana champions Lanus in the quarter finals. The first leg of the semi-finals at Nuevo Gasómetro against San Lorenzo ended with a heavy 5–0 loss, but Bolivar won the second leg at home 1–0, being eliminated 5–1 on aggregate by the eventual champions of the competition, also being one of the few clubs to have beaten the champion, similar to what happened in 2002.^[17][18]

In 2017, Bolivar won both Apertura and Clausura tournaments that year, therefore completing a "bicampeonato" (two-time consecutive championship). This was their first "bicampeonato" in the modern Apertura-Clausura format.^[19]

In January 2021, Club Bolivar was announced as the first Partner Club of City Football Group.^[20][21] Also in January 2021, the club's "Plan Centenario" was announced, which is a five-year plan to construct an academy, open the club's ownership to fans, and win a "tricampeonato" (three-time consecutive championship) or reach a CONMEBOL final, all by 2025, the club's centenary year.^[22]

In 2023, Bolivar had a notable participation in that year's Copa Libertadores, finishing second in their group which included a 3-1 victory over Palmeiras at home and a notable 4-0 away victory against Cerro Porteño. In the round of 16 they achieved an incredible upset after defeating 2022 Copa Libertadores runner-up Athletico Paranaense on penalties, later losing to Internacional. By reaching the quarter-finals, Bolivar became one of only three Bolivian clubs that has reached this stage in Libertadores for the sixth time; the other ones to do so were Wilstermann in 1981 and Oriente Petrolero in 1985.

Bolivar's traditional home colors are light blue, traditional away colors are dark blue or white.

Bolivar's classic rival is The Strongest. Matches between them are considered the "Bolivian derby", "clásico paceño" or "clásico boliviano".^[24] It is considered the most important football derby in the country.^[25] Bolívar and The Strongest are one of the oldest and the most winning teams of the league,^[26][27] both from the administrative capital of Bolivia, La Paz; hence the name Paceño.

The first official Bolivian derby in history was played on 17 October 1927, a match which ended 0–0. It is the match that has been played in all Bolivian football competitions, from amateurism, professionalism, and even in international tournaments such as Copa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores.

In 2014 the Bolivian derby was listed as "one of the 25 most explosive rivalries in the world" by the specialized magazine Football Derbies.^[28] The criteria that were used to show the great rivalry between both teams has to do with the time of existence of the classic, the number of games, the importance of duels, the public they carry, and a historical account of the episodes of violence.

• Total matches: 262
• Bolivar wins: 113
• Ties: 86
• The Strongest wins: 63

The club also has some rivalries with other popular Bolivian clubs and clubs from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, such as Oriente Petrolero, Jorge Wilstermann, and Club Blooming. Matches between these clubs usually gather lots of attention throughout the country.

• Bolivian Primera División
  • Winners (30): 1950, 1953, 1956, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2004-A, 2005-AD, 2006-C, 2009-A, 2011-AD, 2013-C, 2014-A, 2015-C, 2017-A, 2017-C, 2019-A, 2022-A

• Copa Liga
  • Winners (1): 1979

• Copa de la División Profesional
  • Winners (1): 2023

• Copa Sudamericana
  • Runners-up (1): 2004

• Campeonato Paceño
  • Winners (13): 1932, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1976
• Campeonato de Honor 
  • Winners (1): 1942
• Campeonato de 2.ª Categoría
  • Winners (1): 1965

As of 31 August 2024

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   BOL Carlos Lampe (vice-captain) 2 DF   BOL Jesús Sagredo 3 DF   BRA Anderson 4 DF   BOL José Sagredo 5 DF   BOL Jairo Quinteros 6 MF   ESP Álex Granell 8 DF   BOL Luis Paz 9 FW   PAR Alfio Oviedo 10 MF   BRA Bruno Sávio 11 MF   BOL Ramiro Vaca 12 GK   BOL Rubén Cordano 13 MF   BOL Leonardo Viviani 14 DF   BOL Escleizon Freita 15 MF   BOL Paulino Paz 16 DF   BOL Diego Arroyo

No. Pos. Nation Player 17 FW   ARG Patito Rodríguez 20 MF   BOL Fernando Saucedo 21 FW   BOL Jhon Velásquez 22 DF   BOL Yomar Rocha 23 MF   BOL Leonel Justiniano (captain) 25 GK   BOL Roger Coronado 27 FW   BOL Henry Vaca 28 FW   BOL Bruno Méndez 30 MF   BOL Javier Uzeda 33 MF   BOL Ervin Vaca 35 DF   BOL Diego Campos 44 DF   URU Renzo Orihuela (on loan from Montevideo City Torque) 80 MF   BOL Carlos Melgar 90 FW   BRA Fábio Gomes

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 37 MF   BOL José Alí — DF   BOL Christian Osinaga

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   ECU Andersson Ordóñez

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   BOL Roberto Fernández (at Akron Togliatti until 30 June 2025) — MF   BOL Gabriel Villamíl (at LDU Quito until 31 December 2024) — FW   BOL Lucas Chávez (at Al-Taawoun until 30 June 2025)

See also Category:Club Bolívar players.

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