Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican

sports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

, mostly known for its

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the

Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá is a football stadium in San Juan de Tibás, with a seating capacity of 23,112, making it the second-largest stadium in the country. The stadium is the home of Deportivo Saprissa, and was named in honor of the team ...

. Their colours are burgundy and white. It is the main team representing the capital, but with the distinction of being massively followed throughout the whole country and overseas. The club was founded in 1935 and has competed in the Costa Rican first division since 1949. The name of the team comes from one of the club's main founders, Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. One of the most popular nicknames for the team (''The Maroon'' ''Monster'') can be traced back to 1987, when the Costa Rican newspaper '' Diario Extra'' gave the team the nickname during a derby, because of the club's enormous following. A reporter commented that the sea of fans in the stands at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá in

Tibás Tibás is the thirteenth canton in the province of San José in Costa Rica. The head city of the canton is San Juan. History Tibás was created on 26 June 1914 by decree 31. It was formerly known as San Juan del Murciélago and was meant to ...

wearing purple, and the tremendous noise they were generating, made him feel like he was "in the presence of a thousand headed monster". Saprissa immediately adopted the nickname . It remains the most lauded

team in the whole region. Saprissa has won 40

Primera División de Costa Rica The Primera División of Costa Rica, commonly known as Liga de Fútbol de Primera División (Liga FPD), and Liga Promerica for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional association football division in Costa Rica. It is administered by the Uni ...

championships, including six consecutive national titles in the 70s. It stands as one of the more successful teams in the

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...

region as well, having won the

CONCACAF Champions' Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

three times – in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, and

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. Saprissa has also won five Central American crowns in 1972, 1973, 1978, 1998, and 2003. For the period 1 September 2007 to 31 August 2008 the club was ranked the 106th best team in the world by the

International Federation of Football History & Statistics The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

, an organization recognized by

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

.The last IFFHS World Club ranking of 16 January 2018 has the club in 250th place. Saprissa has regularly appeared in the CONCACAF Champions Cup finals in recent decades, with three first-place finishes and four runners-up finishes. One of the club's most notable moments came in 2005 when Saprissa became the second club in

to finish third in the

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

together with the Mexican club

Necaxa Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Club Necaxa, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in Aguascalientes (city), Aguascalientes. It competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican ...

who accomplished it in 2000 and were joined by two more Mexican clubs, in 2012 by

C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey Rayados, A.C., simply known as Monterrey or by its nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, that plays in Liga MX, the top d ...

and in 2017 by C.F Pachuca. The club was chosen by the IFFHS as the CONCACAF team of the 20th Century. This event gave Saprissa worldwide recognition. Their main partner is a Costa Rican Investment Consortium named Horizonte Morado (Purple Horizon), composed mainly of Juan Carlos Rojas Callán, Edgar Zurcher, and Televisora de Costa Rica.

History

Deportivo Saprissa was founded on 16 July 1935, by Roberto Fernández who named his team after the man who sponsored their uniform, Don Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. The club entered the Costa Rican Third Division as Saprissa F.C. They were promoted to the

, making their debut in the top flight on 21 August 1949. That year Saprissa actually won the first final match against Gimnástica Española with 0–3 score, then lost the away game by 6–2 to be defeated again 2–1 in a third game. They were accepted in 1st category as a favor granted by the administrative entity of that time. One of the most notable achievement of their early years, was to win the third and second division titles undefeated. The club has remained in the Costa Rican top flight ever since.

Recent events

In 2003, the majority of the club's stock was bought by Mexican entrepreneur

Jorge Vergara Jorge Carlos Vergara Madrigal (; 3 March 1955 – 15 November 2019) was a Mexican businessman and film producer. He was the founder of the multi-level marketing company Grupo Omnilife. In addition to its health products business, Grupo Omnili ...

, the owner of Mexican football club

Club Deportivo Guadalajara Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A de C.V. (;), nicknamed ''"Chivas"'' () and simply known as Guadalajara or internationally as Chivas de Guadalajara, is a Mexican professional football club based in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Jalisco. It c ...

and soon after the operator of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

club

Club Deportivo Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The team played from 2005 to 2014. It w ...

in the United States. Saprissa won the 2005 CONCACAF Champions Cup, beating Mexican club

UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

in the final over two legs, in May 2005. As

club champions they qualified for the

2005 FIFA Club World Championship The 2005 FIFA Club World Championship (officially known as the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Japan 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the second FIFA Club World Championship, a football competition organised by FIFA for the champion clu ...

, held in Japan in December 2005. They beat

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

club

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

in the quarter-finals thanks to a goal by

Christian Bolaños Christian Bolaños Navarro (born 17 May 1984) is a Costa Rican former professional association football, footballer who played as a right winger. After his international debut with the Costa Rica national football team, Costa Rica national team ...

. In the semi-finals they were beaten 3–0 by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

club

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, who were the Champions League holders that year, making it the strongest team in Europe. In the third place match they beat Al Ittihad of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

3–2.

Álvaro Saborío Álvaro Alberto Saborío Chacón (; born 25 March 1982) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer, who played as a forward. Saborío originally retired in 2017 but returned months later. A full international for Costa Rica since 2002, S ...

scored two goals, and

Rónald Gómez Rónald Gómez Gómez (born 24 January 1975) is a Costa Rican former football forward and manager. He is the current manager for Liga Nacional club Achuapa. An important player on the Costa Rica national football team during the 1990s and ...

scored an astonishing free-kick final goal in the 89th minute to seal the win. After this "late goal" Costa Rican people start calling the late-game goal "La Saprihora" (The Sapritime) in honor to this late goal even though this event happened in 2005 people still using this name for most of the Saprissa goals scored after the minute 85. They finished the competition in third place behind

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and Liverpool. Saborío was joint top scorer, and Bolaños was awarded the Bronze Ball by

as third best player of the championship out of 5 teams.

Team colours

Even though the original colours were red and white, the team is known by their purple-burgundy colour. Red and white were utilised very briefly, and Ricardo Saprissa's influence from the Polo Club of Barcelona had the team try red and blue instead, even though this is the origin of the colour used throughout all of its history. When the new kit for 1937 (red and blue) was being manufactured, some of the threads got mixed evenly along the sides of the jerseys, producing a type of purple, resembling a burgundy/maroon colour. This new colour went down well with everyone involved, it reflected class and originality, and it was selected as the team's official colour. It was decided that the team's shield would appear on the chest of the uniform, with a notable bold white letter "S". Saprissa utilizes a purple/burgundy jersey with white and grey details, and white shorts with burgundy and grey details for home games. For away games, a white jersey with burgundy and grey details is used, and white shorts with burgundy and grey details.

Kit history

Jersey Suppliers

Stadium

Saprissa plays home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá named after Ricardo Saprissa. They originally played at the Costa Rica National Stadium, which they rented and shared. A new site for a stadium was bought in 1965 and on 27 August 1972 after six years of construction and upgrades, Estadio Ricardo Saprissa was officially opened. The first match was between Deportivo Saprissa and Comunicaciones of Guatemala. The match ended in a 1–1 draw with Peter Sandoval of Comunicaciones scoring the first goal at the new stadium. The stadium is called , named after the founder of the club. There is a bust of ''Don Ricardo'' in one of the corners of the stadium. The stadium is also nicknamed (The Monster's Cave/Lair) or (The Lair), after the nickname of the club, ("The Purple Monster"). It has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 24,000 and is overlooked by local mountains and downtown San Jose. The stadium has great fame internationally, especially with all the national teams that play against Costa Rica.

Supporters

(The Purple Ultra) is the club's most radical supporters group, even though it is not recognized as an official or formal part of the club. This group is always set on the south side of the stadium. La Ultra Morada is categorized as an "ultras group" or "ultras movement", being similar to what is more commonly known to outsiders as "hooligans"; even though members of , or simply , emphasize their support for the club by creating a passionate atmosphere during matches. The group was the first

Ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are known for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tendency ...

group in Costa Rica, formed in 1995 when then-Saprissa president Enrique Artiñano brought fans from the Chilean football club Universidad Católica to help build a similar ultras group to their for Saprissa. In the mid-to-late 1990s the Ultras began to develop the image of being

football hooligans Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviors perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism typically involves ...

when violence began to break out with opposition fans during games. Due to the negative atmosphere and press coverage, Saprissa officials stepped in to restore order to a group that they had help create. The group is sub-divided in smaller groups called . They maintain the style of a classic Ultras group, with chants, choreos, pyro shows (flares and gunpowder), abundant flags, giant banners, and the constant beat of an oversized bass drum. There are, however, several different other supporter group that are legally recognized by the club. These groups occupy different zones in the stadium, and they are mainly groups that get organized with transportation, original merchandise, and massive displays for the team during a game (confetti, balloons, banners, flares, etc.)

Mascot

The official mascot of the team is a cartoonish purple dragon, which was based on the Dragon Elliot from Pete's Dragon, and similar to one from ''

Dragon Tales ''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational Fantasy fiction, fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker, developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser, and pr ...

'' and many other dragons from children's shows. Because of this, many of the fans call the mascot which means "a friendly monster". The mascot was meant to appeal to children in general, but it ended up being loved by the entirety of the fans. This caused it to be present in all kinds of paraphernalia and merchandise. It is the most recognizable and appreciated mascot in all the region. However, in early 2010, a new mascot was introduced. The mascot was designed in Mexico and many club supporters felt that it was a campy, superhero-like purple monster. As a result, the new mascot was highly rejected by the fans, claiming that "" (We don't want a super hero dinosaur, we want the original spirit of the team). The new mascot was replaced immediately after the strong rejection, and the team now has a new mascot that resembles the original. The new costume was manufactured by Fernando Thiel, a widely recognized Argentina-born puppeteer who lives in Costa Rica.

Rivalries

El Clásico

When Deportivo Saprissa faces

Alajuelense Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA, ), commonly known as Alajuelense and nicknamed La Liga (), is a Costa Rican multisport club based in the borough of El Llano, Alajuela, Alajuela province. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Al ...

, it is known as ''El Clásico''. Saprissa is the team from

, in San José, while Alajuelense is from

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela (canton), Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of ...

. The first duel between these teams was on October 12, 1949, in a match where Alajuelense won by 6–5. The current score of victories is 139 for Saprissa, 107 for Alajuelense and 109 draws.

Honours

National

** Champions (40): 1952, 1953, 1957, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2006–07, Invierno 2007, Verano 2008, Invierno 2008, 2010 Verano, 2014 Verano, 2014 Invierno, 2015 Invierno, 2016 Invierno, Clausura 2018, Clausura 2020, Clausura 2021, Apertura 2022, Clausura 2023, Apertura 2023, Clausura 2024 ** Runners-up (19): 1950, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2002–03, Verano 2017, Apertura 2018, Clausura 2019, Apertura 2021 * Torneo de Copa de Costa Rica ** Champions (6): 1950, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1972,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

** Runners-up (7): 1953, 1954, 1961, 1963, 1967,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 2023 * Supercopa de Costa Rica ** Champions (3): 1976, 2021, 2023 ** Runners-up (2): 2020, 2024 * Recopa de Costa Rica ** Champions (2): 1963, 2023 ** Runners-up (1): 2024 *

Segunda División de Costa Rica Costa Rican Second Division (also known as Liga Transcomer for sponsorship reasons) is a professional league incorporated in 1921 for association football clubs in Costa Rica. It is the country's second-tier/division football competition, which ...

** Champions (1): 1948 * Tercera División de Costa Rica ** Champions (1):1947

International

Worldwide

** Third place (1):

Intercontinental

Copa Interamericana The Copa Interamericana () was an international association football, football competition endorsed by CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean) and CONMEBOL (South America). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACAF ...

** Runners-up (2):

Continental

CONCACAF Champions Cup The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, a ...

** Champions (3):

** Runners-up (3):

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

CONCACAF League The CONCACAF League was an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its secondary continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. It was announced on 8 May 2017. The compet ...

** Champions (1):

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

** Runners-up (1):

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Regional

* Copa Fraternidad/Torneo Grandes de Centroamérica/Copa Interclubes UNCAF ** Champions (5):

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

** Runners-up (7):

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Friendly

* Torneo Relámpago de Fútbol de Costa Rica: 1949, 1957 * Copa Mayid Barzuna: 1954 * Trofeo Vuelta al Mundo: 1959 * Copa Ricardo Saprissa: 1982, 1989 * Copa Camel: 1985 * Copa 90 Minutos por la Vida: 1999, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011

Awards

* CONCACAF League Fair Play ** Winners (1): 2019

Performance in CONCACAF competitions

: 38 appearances ::

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

– Semi-finals ::

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

– ::

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

– Semi-finals ::

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

– Semi-finals ::

– Second round ::

– Runners-up ::

– First round ::

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

– Semi-finals ::

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

– Semi-finals ::

– Third round ::

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

– First round ::

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

– First round ::

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

– Quarter-finals ::

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

– Fourth round ::

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

– First round ::

– Champion ::

– Second round ::

– Third place ::

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

– Quarter-finals ::

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

– Round of 16 ::

– Runners-up ::

– Champion ::

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

– Semi-finals ::

– Runners-up :: 2008–09 – Group stage :: 2009–10 – Group stage ::

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

– Semi-finals :: 2014–15 – Quarter-finals :: 2015–16 – Group stage :: 2016–17 – Quarter-finals ::

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

– Round of 16 ::

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

– Round of 16 ::

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

– Round of 16 ::

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

– First Round ::

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

– First Round *

CONCACAF Central American Cup The CONCACAF Central American Cup () is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top regional tournament for clubs from Central America. It serves as a qualification method for the CONCACAF Champions Cup. ...

: 2 appearances ::

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

– Quarter-finals ::

– Quarter-finals *

: 3 appearances ::

– Champion ::

– Runners-up ::

– Quarter-finals

Player records

, -

Current squad

''As of 30 January 2025''

Out on loan

Non-playing staff

List of coaches

* Roberto Fernández ''"Beto"'' (1936–47) * José Francisco García ''"Pachico"'' (1947–50) * Otto Bumbel (1951–53) * José Francisco García ''"Pachico"'' (1953–55) * Alfredo Piedra ''"Chato"'' (1955–56) *

Carlos Peucelle Carlos Desiderio Peucelle (13 September 1908 – 1 April 1990) was an Argentine football player who played as an inside forward or as a right winger and is considered one of Argentina's finest wingers in their history. He is also known for being ...

(1957–58) *

Eduardo Viso Abella Eduardo Viso Abella (16 December 1919 – 6 July 1995) was a former Spanish football player and football manager. As a player, he played for Deportivo La Coruna and Real Zaragoza in a midfield position. He coached CD Juvenil, S.C. Braga, Depo ...

(1958–61) * Jorge Thomas (1961) * Alfredo Piedra ''"Chato"'' (1962–64) *

Mario Cordero Mario Cordero Brenes (7 April 1930 – 10 July 2002) was a Costa Rican football player and coach; he is still considered in his country as one of the top defenders to have played the game. Club career Better known as ''Catato'' or ''Pierna ...

''"Catato"'' (1964–67) * José Ramos Costa (1967) *

''"Catato"'' (1968–70) *

Marvin Rodríguez Marvin Rodríguez Ramírez (26 November 1934 – 16 October 2017) was a Costa Rican football coach and midfielder. He coached the Costa Rica national football team to its debut at the World Cup in 1990. Career Club Born in barrio Don Bosco, S ...

(1971–76) *

Jozef Karel Jozef Karel (13 September 1922 in Humenné – 26 September 2005 in Košice) was a Slovak football player and coach. A midfielder, he played for SAC Sečovce, Snaha Košice, Slávia Prešov, ŠK Bratislava and shortly for Red Star Saint-Ouen o ...

(1977–79) * Giovanni Rodríguez (1979–80) * Marcos Pavlovsky (1980) *

''"Catato"'' (1980) * Wálter Elizondo (1981–82) * Giovanni Rodríguez (1982–83) *

Javier Mascaró Carlos Javier Mascaró Vildósola (9 October 1924 – 8 July 2008), known as Javier Mascaró, was a Chilean football manager and a goalkeeper. Playing career A goalkeeper, Mascaró is one of the few players who have played for the three greate ...

(1983) * José Mattera (1984–85) *

(1985–86) *

Walter Ormeño José Francisco Walter Ormeño Arango (3 December 1926 – 4 January 2020) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Playing career Born in Lima, Ormeño played for Club Univ ...

(1986) * Rigoberto Rojas ''"Feo"'' (1986) * Guillermo Hernández ''"Coco"'' (1986–87) * Raúl Higinio Bentancor (1987–88) * Josef Bouska (1988–91) * Odir Jacques (1991) *

Rolando Villalobos Rolando Villalobos Chacón (born 25 July 1953) is a retired Costa Rican footballer and football manager. Club career After coming through their youth ranks, Villalobos made his senior debut for Alajuelense on 9 May 1971 against rivals Sapriss ...

(1991–92) * Odir Jacques (1992–93) *

Fabrizio Poletti Fabrizio Poletti (; born 13 July 1943) is an Italian former football manager and player who played as a full-back. He is remembered for his career with Torino, where he played for nine seasons, and won the Coppa Italia twice. He also represent ...

(1993) *

Julio César Cortés Julio César "''El Pocho''" Cortés Lagos (born 29 March 1941) is an Uruguayan football coach and former midfielder who participated in three World Cups with the Uruguay national team. At the club level, Cortés was most successful during th ...

''"Pocho"'' (1993) * Carlos Watson (1993–94) * Carlos Linaris (1994–95) * Luis García ''"Chiqui"'' (1995–96) * Carlos Watson (1996) *

Jorge Olguín Jorge Mario Olguín (born 17 May 1952 in Dolores, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine footballer who played as a defender. He played for Argentina when the team won 1978 World Cup. Since his retirement as a player he has managed a number of ...

(1996–97) *

Alexandre Guimarães Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimarães (born 7 November 1959) is a Costa Rican football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the currently a free agent. Club career Early career Guimarães was born on 7 November 1959 i ...

(1997–99) *

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

(1999) * Jorge Flores (1999) *

(1999–00) *

Miguel Company Miguel Alejandro Company Chumpitazi (born 12 January 1945) is a Peruvian football coach, former player (1965–1973), and sports reporter. Playing career Company did not have a great track record during his playing days. He did manage to play ...

(2000) * Jorge Flores (2000) *

Valdeir Vieira Valdeir "Badú" Vieira (born 11 July 1944 in Marília, São Paulo) is a Brazilian football manager. Career Playing career Like many Brazilian players in the 1960s, Badu was discovered in the ever-expanding futsal scene. It is from the indoors t ...

''"Badú"'' (3 Nov 2000–01) *

Evaristo Coronado Evaristo Coronado Salas (born 13 September 1960) is considered the best Costa Rican football striker during the 1980s. Club career Born in Ciudad Cortés, Coronado is one of the most recognized sports figures in his country. He played his ent ...

(2001) * Enrique Rivers (2001) *

Patricio Hernández Patricio Hernández (born 16 August 1956) is an Argentina, Argentine Association football, football coach and former player. Hernández started his career in 1974 at Estudiantes de La Plata, a club that he would later manage. He soon earned a r ...

(2001–02) * Vladimir Quesada (2002) * Manuel Keosseian (10 May 2002 – 30 June 2003) *

Hernán Medford Hernán Evaristo Medford Bryan ( , ; born May 23, 1968) is a Costa Rican former football player and current coach of Deportivo Marquense. Highly regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Central American football, Medford ...

(1 July 2003 – 30 October 2006) *

Jeaustin Campos Jeaustin Campos Madriz (born June 30, 1971) is a Costa Rican football manager and retired player. Club career Campos was one of the most famous Costa Rica n football midfielders during the 1990s and played most of his career with Deportivo Sapr ...

(1 July 2007 – 2 November 2009) *

Roy Myers Roy Anthony Myers Francis (born April 13, 1969 in La Francia de Siquirres) is a Costa Rican former football player who played most of his career with Deportivo Saprissa. Club career Myers was known as ''El Maravilloso'' (The Marvellous) due t ...

(1 Jan 2010 – 31 December 2010) * Juan Manuel Álvarez (1 Jan 2011 – 30 June 2011) *

(1 July 2011 – 31 May 2012) * Daniel Casas (1 July 2012 – 31 December 2012) * Rónald González Brenes (1 Jan 2013 – 30 September 2014) *

(30 September 2014 – 17 September 2015) *

Douglas Sequeira Douglas Esteban Sequeira Solano (Also known as ''El Esqueleto Sequeira'') (born 23 August 1977) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Early career Sequeira started his career in Costa Rica by p ...

(18 September 2015 – 15 October 2015) * Carlos Watson (15 Oct 2015 – 17 December 2017) * Vladimir Quesada (18 Dec 2017 – 3 February 2019) *

Walter Centeno Wálter Centeno Corea (born 6 October 1974) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and current manager of Santos de Guapiles. He was a regular member of the Costa Rica national team and holds th ...

(3 Feb 2019 – 7 February 2021) *

(8 Feb 2021 – 18 April 2021) *

Mauricio Wright Wílber Mauricio Wright Reynolds (born 20 December 1970) is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played as a defender and current manager of Cartaginés. He was a key member of the Costa Rica national team for over ten years. Cl ...

(20 Apr 2021 – 9 November 2021) *

Iñaki Alonso José Iñaki Alonso Rodríguez (born 7 August 1968) is a Spanish football manager. Manager career Born in Durango, Biscay, Basque Country, Alonso began his managerial career at local SCD Durango, and subsequently managed neighbours SD Eibar B, ...

(10 Nov 2021 – 13 Jul 2022) *

(14 July 2022 – March 28, 2023) * Vladimir Quesada (30 March 2023 – 6 Oct 2024) * José Giacone (7 Oct 2024 - 3 March 2025) *

Paulo Wanchope Paulo César Wanchope Watson (; born 31 July 1976), more commonly known as Paulo Wanchope, is a Costa Rican football coach and former professional footballer who is the manager of Deportivo Saprissa. As a player he was a striker who notably ...

(5 March 2025 - )

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control

Saprissa Deportivo Saprissa is a Costa Rican sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is based in San Juan de Tibás, San José, and play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. Their colours are burgundy and white. It ...

Association football clubs established in 1935 1935 establishments in Costa Rica S S S

History

Recent events

Team colours

Kit history

Jersey Suppliers

Stadium

Supporters

Mascot

Rivalries

El Clásico

Honours

National

International

Worldwide

Intercontinental

Continental

Regional

Friendly

Awards

Performance in CONCACAF competitions

Player records

Current squad

Out on loan

Non-playing staff

List of coaches

Notes

See also

References

External links