# Defensor Sporting

Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievements in Uruguay and internationally.
It is the third most highest winning club in Uruguay, with 24 official titles, only surpassed by Peñarol and Club Nacional de Football. The club's best performance at the international stage was in 2014, when they reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, eventually losing to Club Nacional 2–1 on aggregate. They have won the Uruguayan Championship four times: in 1976, 1987, 1991, and 2007-08. Their 1976 title win was especially notable in Uruguay's football history as it ended 44 years of dominance by Nacional and Peñarol.

## History

Founded on 15 March 1913, as Club Atlético Defensor, the name of the club was changed in 1989 to Defensor Sporting Club after a merger with Sporting Club Uruguay. They played in the first professional league season in Uruguay, the 1932 Uruguayan Primera División
Defensor has won many qualifying tournaments (Pre-Liguilla) to the Copa Libertadores and has represented Uruguay on numerous occasions internationally. Regarded as one of the teams that creates and develops many players in Uruguay that become successful players worldwide, It is the first club of numerous players like Jorge "Polilla" da Silva, Sergio "Manteca" Martínez, Sebastián Abreu, Andrés Fleurquin, Marcelo Tejera, Darío Silva, Gonzalo Vargas, Diego "Ruso" Pérez, Nicolás Olivera, Martín Cáceres, Maxi Pereira, Álvaro González, and Tabaré Viúdez.
Legendary coach Prof. José Ricardo de León brought Defensor to the national championship in 1976 and originated a football (fútbol) school of thought, consistently criticized as ultra defensive, that is still present nowadays in several teams and coaches.
In September 2007, the club was considered the World's Club Team of the Month by the IFFHS.

## Stadium

Defensor plays its home games at its own stadium called Estadio Luis Franzini which has a capacity for 18,000 spectators. The stadium was opened on 31 December 1963, and is located in Parque Rodó, Montevideo.

## Rivalries

Defensor Sporting has had a rivalry with Danubio in recent years, because of the two clubs being the next biggest clubs in Uruguay after the historical two: Peñarol and Nacional. Matches between them are called the "Clásico de los medianos" (Spanish for Classic of the Mediums).

## Honours
### Senior titles
#### Keys

* Record
* $^{(s)}$ Shared record
| Type | Competition | Titles | Winning years |
| National (League) | Primera División | 4 | 1976, 1987, 1991, 2008 |
| National (League) | Segunda División | 2 | 1950, 1965 |
| National (League) | Segunda División (1903-1914) | 1 | 1914 |
| National (League) | Divisional Tercera Extra | 1 | 1913 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Apertura | 4 | 1994, 2007, 2010, 2017 |
| Half-year / Short tournament (League) | Torneo Clausura | 4 | 1997, 2009, 2012, 2013 |
| National (Cups) | Copa AUF Uruguay | 3 | 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| National (Cups) | Liguilla Pre-Libertadores | 8 | 1976, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2006 |
| National (Cups) | Campeonato Nacional General Artigas | 1 | 1960 |
| National (Cups) | Torneo Cuadrangular | 1 | 1957 |

## Performance in CONMEBOL competitions

* Copa Libertadores: 17 appearances
       1977: Group Stage
       1980: Group Stage
       1982: Group Stage
       1990: Round of 16
       1992: Round of 16
       1994: Round of 16
       1996: Round of 16
       2001: Group Stage
       2006: First Round
       2007: Quarter-finals
       2009: Quarter-finals
       2012: Group Stage
       2013: First Stage
       2014: Semi-finals
       2018: Group Stage
       2019: Third Qualifying Stage
       2024: First Qualifying Stage
* U-20 Copa Libertadores: 1 appearance
       2012: Runner-up
* Copa Sudamericana: 8 appearances
       2005: Second Round
       2007: Quarter-finals
       2008: Round of 16
       2010: Round of 16
       2015: Quarter-finals
       2017: First Stage
       2018: Second Stage
       2023: First Stage
* Copa CONMEBOL: 2 appearances
       1995: First Round
       1997: First Round

## Current squad

    As of 1 February, 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | URU | Lucas Machado |
| 2 | DF | URU | Ariel Lima |
| 3 | DF | URU | Guillermo de los Santos |
| — | MF | ARG | Lukas König |
| 5 | MF | ARG | Walter Montoya |
| 6 | MF | URU | Mauricio Amaro |
| — | FW | ARG | Franco Soldano |
| 8 | MF | URU | Kevin Altez |
| 9 | FW | URU | Augusto Cambón |
| 10 | MF | URU | Matías Abaldo |
| 11 | FW | URU | Lucas Agazzi |
| 12 | GK | URU | Kevin Dawson |
| 13 | DF | URU | Nahuel Furtado |
| 14 | DF | ARG | Federico Marchesini |
| 15 | DF | URU | Juan Viacava |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | DF | URU | José Álvarez |
| 17 | FW | ARG | Felipe Cadenazzi |
| 18 | MF | URU | Agustín Soria |
| 19 | FW | URU | Diego Abreu |
| 20 | DF | URU | Patricio Pacífico |
| 21 | MF | URU | Kevin Prieto |
| 22 | MF | PER | Alfonso Barco (on loan from Universitario Deportes) |
| 23 | GK | URU | Bruno Simone |
| — | MF | URU | Francisco Ginella |
| 25 | MF | MEX | Xavier Biscayzacú |
| 26 | MF | URU | Nicolás Wunsch |
| 27 | MF | URU | Juan Manuel Jorge |
| 29 | FW | URU | Rodrigo Dudok |
| 30 | MF | URU | Erico Cuello |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |

## Notable former players

* Diego Jaume

## Notable coaches

* Hugo Bagnulo (1952–1957; 1960–1961)
* Gregorio Pérez (1983–1984)
* Juan Ahuntchaín (1996)
* Ricardo Ortiz (1996–1997)
* Juan Tejera (2004–2005)
* Jorge da Silva (2005–2009)
* Gustavo Ferrín (2009–2010)
* Pablo Repetto (2010–2011)
* Gustavo Díaz (2011–2012)
* Tabaré Silva (2012–2013)
* Fernando Curutchet (2013–2014)
* Mauricio Larriera (2015–2016)
* Eduardo Acevedo (2016–2018)