The story of the greatest national title winner in this sport actually began on April 12, 1925, when young men linked to Magallanes, the country’s largest club at the time, decided to leave the team because they felt undervalued.

This meeting, led by David Arellano, took place in a small place called El quita penas ¨Sorrow eliminator¨, which still exists on a corner of the General Cemetery of Santiago, located in the Recoleta district.

There, they agreed to meet a week later, today April 19, on a soccer field to begin training as a new team, under the direction of Arellano, who was their first captain. This moment is considered the founding act.

The name, proposed by Luis Contreras, honors the indigenous Mapuche warrior Colo Colo, who faced the Spanish conquerors and died in battle in 1560. Hence, they are also known as El Cacique (The Chief) or the White Team, due to the color of their uniform.

Tragedy soon struck the young group when, during a game in Spain against Real Valladolid in 1927, their captain and founder suffered a blow to the abdomen that caused fatal peritonitis. In 1933, Colo Colo became one of the pioneers of professional football in Chile, winning its first of 34 titles to date in 1937, undefeated, a feat repeated in 1941.

Its extensive list of achievements includes 14 Chilean Cups, four Super Cups, one Champions League title, and is the only Chilean club with a Copa Libertadores title, won in 1991.

Furthermore, it is the only team that has never been relegated to a lower division, although it came close to doing so in 2020 in a contest marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite its history both inside and outside the country, El Cacique has not managed to avoid the problem of violence in football stadiums, and its hooligan groups, including the so-called Garra Blanca ¨White Claw¨, are feared for their aggressiveness. One of the most recent incidents occurred on April 10 during a Copa Libertadores match against Fortaleza of Brazil, when a group of Colo Colo fans caused a stampede to enter the Monumental stadium without proper tickets.

During the riot, an 18-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy died, allegedly struck by a police vehicle, an incident that is still under investigation.

The tragedy led to the cancellation of all celebratory events for Colo Colo’s centennial, with only ceremonial events taking place.

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