On a day like today, but 20 years ago, Don Jorge Vergara Madrigal (r.i.p.) bought Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Since then, like everything else in life, we have experienced ups and downs with the team that ignites passion throughout the country, here is a brief review of the last 2 decades in remembrance of what the red and white institution has built and achieved.
Akron Stadium as a legacy:
Chivas has the most beautiful and functional stadium in Latin America, capable of hosting more than 45 thousand people and which began construction in 2007 and inaugurated in 2010, with a match of international stature with Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
Among many other events of all kinds, in 2011 Akron Stadium hosted the Pan American Games and the Under 17 World Cup.
In addition, it is worth remembering that in 2026 the home of the Chivas Rayadas del Guadalajara will host the World Cup. So, thanks to the investment made several years ago, the Akron will host FIFA World Cup matches.
On the other hand, we have something that has characterized the Vergara Family: Innovation.
Chivas was the first team in Mexico to have its own platform to broadcast its home games and offer exclusive, on-demand content, namely ChivasTV.
In addition, Guadalajara was also a pioneer in esports, as it decided to create its own professional team for several video games and, in addition to the support provided to its players, it built the gameroom at the Akron, which is used to play international tournaments and is open for fans to visit on match days.
Let's go back to the field and talk about titles. What is the track record during this period?
The institution has accumulated 10 titles since 2002, the year in which the Vergara family administration began. What are those trophies?
The Rebaño Sagrado has won 2 league titles, the AP2006 and CL2017, 2 MX Cups, 1 MX Super Cup, 1 Concachampions and 1 Interliga.
But beware, not only have they accumulated titles in the men's division, Chivas Femenil also has two league championships, the first in 2017 and the second in 2022, in addition to the title of Champions of Champions 2022. And if we want to go even deeper into the topic, Guadalajara was the first team in Liga MX Femenil with a basic forces structure.
Another achievement that does not bring trophies but brings with it a lot of satisfaction, among other things, is to export players to Europe. There are several cases, but Javier Hernández Balcázar is the one that gets all the awards. Chicharito' was formed in the red and white youth academy and after his performance in the Rebaño and the Mexican national team, he was the first great transfer of a youth player to a big European club: Manchester United, in 2010. The rest of Hernandez's career in European soccer is exemplary, as he played in the best leagues in the world and was always decisive and exemplary. A curious fact is that in addition to facilitating his departure to the team that at that time was managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, Don Jorge accompanied Chicharito to Manchester to sign his contract.
Among all these things, it is impossible to forget the irreverent style adopted by the team, for example, the official photos with which Chivas surprised everyone or the famous flyers with which they framed victories in important matches, which helped to boost sporting rivalry.
Another not minor issue was the first blow to the table of the new Chivas era, which took place at the end of 2002: having a uniform clean without publicity, after the Rebaño had at one time sported up to 14 different brands distributed among jerseys, shorts and socks.
In addition, the boost brought about by the institutional turnaround had its first great showcase in the third tournament of the new administration, when Guadalajara reached the Grand Final, one of the most eagerly awaited in recent Liga MX history, the 2004 Clausura against Pumas.
Undoubtedly, the challenge is to transcend at many more levels and for Chivas to be constantly successful in all the areas in which it competes or participates, which is why from this day forward there will be great commitment and a daily demand to provide the happiness that the great Chiva Nation and its more than 40 million members in Mexico, the United States and the world deserve so much.
