Ballet Azul

The Ballet Azul (Blue Ballet) is a term coined in Colombia in the 1950s to describe the Millonarios football team, during its successful period from 1949 to 1964. The nickname has its origins in Millonarios's blue kit and style of play. Later in the 1960s, in Chile, Ecuador and Costa Rica, the same term was used to refer to Universidad de Chile (during its successful period from 1959–1969),[1] Emelec,[2] and C.S. Cartaginés[3] respectively.

Millonarios, the first Ballet Azul

The term Ballet Azul (Blue Ballet) was coined by radio commentator Carlos Arturo Rueda (referring to Millonarios' blue uniforms) during the golden age of Colombian football known as El Dorado (1949–1953), a period when the national league broke away from FIFA after the DIMAYOR, the governing body of the national league, leave the Colombian Football Federation, which allowed its teams to bypass international transfer rules and offer more lucrative and flexible contracts.[4] This attracted many of South America's top players drawn by the significantly higher salaries offered by clubs, especially following the 1948 players' strike in Argentina, which exposed poor working conditions and financial instability in the local league.[5]

In 1952, Millonarios gained international fame after defeating Real Madrid 4–2 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium (then Chamartín) during the Bodas de Oro tournament.[6][7] The following year, Millonarios also triumphed in the Small Club World Cup in Caracas, Venezuela. With this team, Millonarios won the Colombian League championship in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964.

Some of the notable footballers of the time that were part of the Ballet Azul squad are:

Player Nationality Position Years at Club
Alfredo Di Stéfano Argentina Argentine Forward 1949–1953
Adolfo Pedernera Argentina Argentine Attacking midfielder 1949–1954
Néstor Rossi Argentina Argentine Defensive midfielder 1949–1954
Julio Cozzi Argentina Argentine Goalkeeper 1950–1954
Raúl Pini Uruguay Uruguayan Defender 1950–1953
Francisco Zuluaga Colombia Colombian Defender 1949–1955
Julio César Ramírez Paraguay Paraguayan Defender 1950–1953
Carlos Aldabe Argentina Argentine Manager 1949–1950
Gabriel Ochoa Uribe Colombia Colombian Goalkeeper 1949–1952
Ramón Villaverde Uruguay Uruguayan Forward 1953–1954

Universidad de Chile, the Chilean Ballet Azul

The team won the Chilean league championship in 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967 and 1969, Tournament Metropolitan in 1968, 1969 and the Cup Francisco Candelori in 1969.[1]

In addition, many of the players were part of the Chile national team that managed to win a bronze medal at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Following the success, the club was invited to a European tour where they beat teams like Internazionale F.C., champion of Italy and Europe.

Among the most outstanding team members of the Chilean Ballet Azul were:

References

  1. ^ a b "Historia (Colosseum Geocities)". Archived from the original on 2009-10-26. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
  2. ^ Ricardo Vasconcellos Rosado (22 January 2017). "Recuerdos del primer Ballet Azul y del estadio Capwell". El Universo. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. ^ Redacción Diario Extra (6 June 2015). "Homenaje al Ballet Azul en su 50 aniversario". Diario Extra. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Millonarios Historia: El Dorado". Archived from the original on 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  5. ^ Fox, David (11 February 2012). "Colombia once had a claim to be the best league in the world". World Soccer. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  6. ^ "27 000 Dólares que cambiaron la historia del fútbol". Real Madrid C.F. (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  7. ^ Andrés Acosta (26 June 2025). "International Matches of Millonarios de Bogotá". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 10 August 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.