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 1949–1964, because the blue color of their uniform, the large number of titles the team won, and the quality of its game. The term was first used by the sportscaster Carlos Arturo Rueda.
Later in the 1960s, in Chile, Ecuador and Costa Rica, was used the same term to refer to Universidad de Chile during its successful period from 1959–1969, Emelec, and C.S. Cartaginés respectively.
Millonarios, the first ''Ballet Azul''
The term was born in the era known as El Dorado in Colombia, when the football league broke away from FIFA because the Colombian football league turned professional in 1948. The Colombian league reached its golden era during the period, and the best footballers in Latin America came to play in Colombia.
In this period the best team was Millonarios, with players like Adolfo Pedernera, a star with the legendary River Plate team of the 1940s better known as La Máquina; Alfredo Di Stefano, who would later star for the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s; and Néstor Rossi.
The team won the Colombian League championship in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964
In addition, the best players were part of the Ballet Azul in the era of el Dorado of the Colombian football (1949–1954):{{Cite web |url=http://www.millonarios.com.co/dorado.html |title=Millonarios Historia: El Dorado |access-date=2009-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203125242/http://www.millonarios.com.co/dorado.html |archive-date=2008-12-03 |url-status=dead }}
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Alfredo Di Stéfano
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Adolfo Pedernera
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Néstor Raul Rossi
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Julio Cozzi
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Raúl Pini
- Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Francisco Zuluaga
- Image:Flag of Paraguay.svg Julio César Ramírez
- Image:Flag of Peru.svg Ismael Soria
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Reinaldo Mourín
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Antonio Báez
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Hugo Reyes
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Carlos Aldabe (Manager)
- Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Gabriel Ochoa Uribe
- Image:Flag of Uruguay.svg Ramon Villaverde
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.
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:
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Leonel Sánchez
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Rubén Marcos
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Luis Eyzaguirre
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Sergio Navarro
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Jaime Ramírez
- Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Ernesto Alvarez
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Carlos Campos
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Braulio Musso
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Carlos Contreras
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Manuel Astorga
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Alberto Quintano
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Luis Álamos (Manager 1956-1966)
- Image:Flag of Chile.svg Ulises Ramos (Manager 1969)
External links
- {{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20091026193602/http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/6661/historia.html History of Ballet Azul]