Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the club also has teams playing basketball, volleyball, athletics, futsal, pool and pelota.
History
Origins (1898–1931)
The Montevideo Wanderers was founded in the end of the 19th century, made up of a group of idealistic young people who wanted to express their sporting principles in a club where they were truly the protagonists of their own decisions.
Led by the Sardeson brothers, the community quickly became a well-known group in their neighborhood of origin, El Prado. Its name was born as a result of a trip by Enrique Sardeson and Juan Sardeson to England.
In England at that time The Wanderers were a prominent team, although it was not the only Club with that name playing in the English tournament, since it coexisted with Wolverhampton Wanderers, an institution that currently plays in the The Championship, and Bolton Wanderers F.C. as well.
The local League did not yet exist, so the team's competition was summed up to simple friendly matches. Most of the members of Wanderers played at the same time for the Albión Football Club, an entity that was the founder of the current Uruguayan Football Association, participating since the first Uruguayan tournament organized by it.
Differences fundamentally in the sports field led this group of young people led by the Sardeson brothers to found the Montevideo Wanderers Football Club with all the legal and administrative requirements on the afternoon of August 15, 1902 in the Almacén y Bar de la calle 19 de Abril. at the current intersection of the same street and Adolfo Berro.
The representative emblems of the wanderista team were a blue and white shirt with thin vertical stripes, white pants, and black socks.
Its first president was Mr Juan Sardeson.
Birth of the professional era (1932–1951)
With the advent of professionalism, a new stage was born in Uruguayan football. In 1932 the Uruguayan Championship was disputed by ten institutions, one of which was Montevideo Wanderers. In that year Wanderers obtained the fifth position losing vanguard positions in the last dates. A year later, they inaugurated the Wanderers Park, on October 15, with a victory over Bella Vista by 2–0, a match corresponding to the Uruguayan Championship, a scenario where the bohemians are currently tenants. In 1934 Wanderers is the first non-traditional club to play a final for an official tournament. They play against Nacional the final of the tournament falling defeated by 3–0. In those years the Uruguayan tournaments were played in three stages.
Wanderers almost always topped the table with Nacional and Peñarol in the official tournaments. They were third in the Uruguayan championships of 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940 and 1942.
In 1937 Montevideo Wanderers is notable Champion of the Uruguayan Honor Tournament by defeating Nacional by 3–0, the bohemians were the third team behind albos(National) and mirasoles(Peñarol) to obtain an official First Division tournament.
The Obdulio Varela in Wanderers debuted in 1938 and played for five seasons with the albinegro where he demonstrated his category for the events. He exhibited his vigor in the midfield and was a specialist in the execution of penalty shots.
In 1939 the Bohemians are vice champions of the Uruguayan Honor Championship. In 1942, three dates from the end of the Uruguayan Championship, disputing the title inch by inch with the two classic banners. The wanderista team finished third in the tournament. By 1943, already distant, the great captain obtained fourth place in the local tournament, an event that would be repeated a year later.
In the middle of that decade, for the first time, the bohemians are located at the bottom of the table of the Uruguayan tournament. As much as the Albinegros leaders hire experienced figures from Argentina, they cannot bring the team back to the top positions of other years.
In 1950 the Bohemians finished in the last positions in the table with Club Atlético Bella Vista.
The Association set tiebreakers to see which team remained in the top division and who was relegated. The first final marked the papal(Bella Vista) victory by 2–1, the second resulted in a victory for Wanderers by 1-0 and the third tied at two. For the time being, and since the institutions did not agree on the setting of a fourth game, it was decided that who should determine the relegation of that season was a draw. So it was. Luck accompanied the bohemian team and Bella Vista had to descend to Second Division.
The bohemians must play for the first time in the promotion division
After the meager results of the Competition and the first round of the Uruguayan championship, the wanderista board decided to hire a large number of Argentine players, including their top scorer of those years, Eduardo Ricagni.
Although the performance clearly improved, it could not avoid relegation by one point to the Second Division.
Promotions and Relegations (1952–1972) In 1952, when the Montevideo Wanderers had their 50th anniversary, it had to be a member of the Second Division for the first time due to the state of the economy.
Some players from the previous season's squad remained, others joined and certain players who had announced their retirement reconsidered their decision. The most important example was that of José María Medina, a great scorer who stayed for another year so that the team he loved would return to the top division. In addition, the return of the great goalkeeper Juan Bautista Besuzzo who had also made the decision to retire was highlighted. After a great campaign, the Bohemians obtained the title of Uruguayan Champion, immediately returning to the First Division.
In 1953 the Bohemians fulfilled a commendable performance in the Uruguayan Tournament fulfilling the objective of remaining in the category, a fact that was repeated in the following campaign. In both seasons, center forward Oscar Chelle stood out, who with his goals made it possible to win points for the Albinegro team. When the middle of the decade was reached, the albinegros returned to the top positions in national football.
In 1956 the club obtained the fourth place in the competition tournament and fifth in the Uruguayan tournament. The 1957 Championship Competition marked the Wanderers' return to the definition of an official tournament. In the absence of a date, the Bohemians were even with Peñarol. On the last date the wanderers faced Racing in Parque Viera. The Bohemians displayed their best football but could not break the great albiverde defense ending the match tied 0-0. Meanwhile, Peñarol easily defeated his rival obtaining the title. Months later, the Bohemians took their revenge by beating Racing by 4–0 away from home, condemning them to relegation to the second category.
In 1958, one of the most colorful players in all of Bohemian history, Julio Toja, began to form part of the team. In those years he was part of a great wandering front line made up of Rumbo, Nario, Guaglianone (scorer in the 1959 Uruguayan Championship), him and De León. That year Wanderers finished in fifth place in the Uruguayan table, the same position it held in the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
In 1961 there were several changes in the albinegra institution. He even completely modifies his uniform. Leaving the classic dress for years of thick black and white vertical stripes, black pants and gray socks for a uniform with thin black and white vertical stripes, white pants and white socks. It was an irregular year for the bohemian. They finished at the bottom of the table, defining relegation with Centro Atlético Fénix who won the finals by 4-0 and 3–2.
In 1962, Wanderers returned to the First Division after winning the Second Division championship. The team included players such as Walter Taibo (goalkeeper), Beico and Nelson Diaz (defenders), Hermin and Poy Moreira (midfielders), and Castelnoble, Ledesma, Guaglianone, Ferreri, and De Leon (forwards).
Returning to division A, the performance of the first team was brilliant. Third in the 1963 and 1964 seasons, having memorable afternoons at the Centenario Stadium against the greats. The team in those two campaigns does not suffer major changes. He lined up Taibo, Beico, Diaz, Hermin, Poy, Cámera, Castelnoble, Ledesma or Bertochi, Guaglianone or Flores, Toja and Ferreri. In addition, Wandererses was the club that brought the most public to the fields after Nacional and Peñarol in those years.
In 1965 the campaign in the local tournament was very poor. He finished penultimate. For 1966 a new descent system was created. For the first time the score was accumulated of the Uruguayan Tournament of the previous year. Good campaigns but without promotion 1967–1968. He fights for promotion in both Tournaments. In 1968, they remained first until the last date, but lost 1–0 with Bella Vista in a very controversial match, relegating the Bohemian team to third place.
In 1969 the Albinegro team experienced its worst crisis. With great economic and therefore sports limitations, he faced the season culminating in sixth place. In 1970 he improves the position finishing fourth. In that season, one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Wanderers made his debut, Miguel Ortiz, who joined from Argentina.
During those years, Mateo Giri became president of the club. With him, Wanderers recovered, local prominence and international prestige. In 1971 and 1972 Wanderers formed a strong team that made it return to the first division.
The Bohemians settled in Las Piedras and in that city after beating Racing by 1–0 with a goal by Aníbal Alves, they returned to the First Division at the end of the last named season.
Entertainer again in the Primera (1973–1991)
In 1973, with the aim of remaining in the first division, a team was formed with a stronger defense. The Albinegros once again obtained points at the Centenario Stadium against Nacional, Peñarol. Finally, he finished in a position, saving himself from any relegation commitment.
In 1974-1975 Wanderers again got into the big story. Qualified for the first time to the Copa Libertadores. After an acceptable Uruguayan Championship and a great Olympic Champions Tournament, the bohemians earned the right to participate in the first edition of the Pre-Libertadores de América league. The Albinegros began their campaign with a defeat against Danubio by 2–1. Later on the second date he fell again this time against Peñarol by 2–0. He recovered on the third date beating Cerro in Belvedere by 5–3. They later beat Liverpool 3–2. That made it possible for the bohemian who, with a victory against Nacional on the last date, would enter the Copa Libertadores for the first time. On January 28, 1975, Wanderers wrote another page of glory by defeating Nacional 2–1 with a goal by Washington Olivera in the last minute of stoppage time. On March 14, 1975, Wanderers won their first victory in the Copa Libertadores by beating Unión Huaral 4–0 with two goals from Manuel Sierra and two from Héctor de los Santos. Although the Bohemians did not pass the series (a time when only the Group winners qualified), they left high the prestige of the rich history of the Prado institution.
In 1976 he returned to the top places in local tournaments.He qualified third in the Major League, fifth in the Uruguayan and fourth in the Liguilla Pre Libertadores when with two dates to go he was first and undefeated. The pointers Richard Forlán and Washington Olivera stood out, considered by the press and the fans as the best of the local season in their positions.Undefeated Champion of the Capital-Interior integration. Protagonist in Uruguayan soccer.