The Quito University Sports League debuted in the national championship in the 1960 edition and before the end of the decade the Albos won the first of their twelve Ecuadorian titles: the one in the 1969 season.

On December 7 of that year, the university team inscribed its name among Ecuador’s tournament monarchs by defeating Everest at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, in a “tense game,” according to EL UNIVERSO, 3-1 to take the lead. But with the goals of Marco Moreno, Francisco Thin Bertocchi, and Carlos Ríos, the Liga reversed the result and finished the all-vs-all competition at the top of the table.

Gomes Nogueira

The coach of the champion in 1969 was the Brazilian Jose Gomes Nogueira, who died on November 18, 2022. He also led the national team in the qualifiers for the World Cup in Mexico in 1970. He worked in Peru and Mexico, where in four stages in León he left his mark with his iron discipline and successful campaigns. In the Aztec country, he was also a technician for the Unión de Curtidores, in Guanajuato.

Leonel Montoya

From the second division, Liga de Quito, it was promoted directly to Serie A in the middle of the 1974 season (because the year it went down, B was temporarily eliminated) and was national champion. They repeated the title in 1975 and became the first two-time AFNA club in Ecuador. They beat El Nacional in the 1974 final and in 1975, after a great 3-3 draw with Aucas on the last date, they made another Olympic comeback.

Colombian coach Leonel Montoya (1933-2020), who settled in Ecuador, where he died, was responsible for the double lily. He was a player for Boca Juniors de Cali, Deportivo Independiente de Medellín (DIM), Deportivo Cali, Once Caldas and Aucas. He worked as a coach in several clubs in his country and in Ecuador, apart from the Liga, he worked in Barcelona SC, El Nacional, Aucas, Deportivo Cuenca, Manta FC and Delfin.

Leonel Montoya was twice champion with albums. Photo: Archive

Polo Carrera

The only case of an Ecuadorian-born coach who won a national championship with the Quito League is that of Pola Carrera Velasteguí, who also won it as a player in 1975. The biggest symbol of the university’s students, the Quito native born in 1945 ended in 1990 with a 15-year drought.

On December 23, 1990, at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium, the Quito League was crowned with a 3-1 victory over Barcelona SC, with two goals from Uruguayan Carlos Ernesto Berrueta and one from central defender Hans Ortega.

Paul Massa

Another Brazilian strategist gave the League a fifth national star: Paulo Massa (1940-2016), who before coming to Ecuador in 1995 coached his country’s under-23 national team (one of his students was Cafú, captain of the 2002 World Cup). ). He established himself with liljani in 1998, in the return final won by a scandalous victory against Emelec with 7-0.

Massa managed four giants of Ecuador: El Nacional (with whom he was champion in 1996), Liga de Quito, Barcelona and Emelec. Espoli also had him on their bench.

Manuel Pellegrini

The 1999 title was won by Liga de Quito with Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, who after that success began a great campaign in Argentina and Europe that included staying in several of the most important teams on the planet. After a campaign with albums, he was champion with San Lorenzo and River Plate. With Manchester City, he won three awards, including one from the Premier League, and in 2002, the Copa del Rey with Betis.

In the 2009-2019 season, he was in Real Madrid. Pellegrini won the Liga title after two final victories against El Nacional (1-0 and 3-1).

Jorge Fossati

The first coach of the Uruguayan national champion with the Quito league was the former goalkeeper of Peñarol, Independiente de Avellaneda and Rosario Central: Jorge Fossati. He led the Uruguayan team and is close to taking command of Peru.

In 2003, the Albos secured the title a day before the end of the league when they beat El Nacional 2-1 at the Casa Blanca Stadium on December 14, 20 years ago. Patricio Urrutia and Néicer Reasco scored in the Quito League.

Juan Carlos Oblitas

The parade of nationalities continued in the Quito League when Peruvian Juan Carlos Oblitas took the title, the only time an Inca coach has won a national championship. In 2005, two tournaments were held, the Apertura, which was for students, and the Clausura El Nacional.

As a left forward, Oblitas won the Copa América in 1975 and played for his country in the World Cups in Argentina in 1978 and Spain in 1982. In 2005, the Liga lost the first final match 1-0 to Barcelona SC, but in the second leg, on July 24 in Casa Blanca beat the Yellows 3:0. Carlos Espínola, Fraklin Salas and Néicer Reasco scored for the monarch.

Juan Carlos Oblitas with the 2005 Champions Cup. Photo: Archive

Edgardo Bauza

He Patton, winner of the World Cup with Argentina in Italy in 1990 and the symbol of Rosario Central, led the Liga de Quito to success on December 5, 2007, beating El Nacional 2-0 in Casa Blanca. Luis Bolaños and Patricio Urrutia from the penalty kick scored the goals for Azucenas in a crucial league match that did not feature a team from Guayas.

In 2010, Edgardo Bauza returned to the university team to once again win the highest football title in Ecuador. In the final against Emelec, he faced Jorge Sampaoli, who, like him, would be the future coach of Argentina. In Quito, Liga won 2-0 in the first leg and despite losing 1-0 in Capwell, won (2-1 on aggregate).

Pablo Repetto

In 2018, after almost a decade of waiting, the Liga de Quito returned to the top of Ecuadorian football with Uruguayan Pablo Repetta in the role of coach. Glory was achieved at the expense of Emelec in the final of the round trip. It was 1-1 at Capwell and then they won 1-0 on their stage.

Luis Zubeldia

Called out Prince He is the second Argentine coach who awarded the Ecuador championship to Liga de Quito. For the 2023 Pro League title, Ponceano’s team faced Independiente del Valle in two lackluster finals.

In the first game they tied 0-0 in Sangolquí, and in the second game 1-1 at Rodrigo Paz. In stoppage time, Independiente was poor as they missed three of their shots. Liga, on the other hand, scored the three he performed and thus won the national tournament for the twelfth time in history. (D)