Club León, (simply known as León) is a Mexican professional football club based in the city of León, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. They currently play in the Liga MX (first tier).
León has won the Primera División title five times, in 1948, 1949, 1952, 1956 and 1992. They became the first Mexican "Campeonísimo" (winner of the League and the México Cup in the same year) in 1949. In 1993 León was the CONCACAF Champions' Cup runner-up, losing the final match against Deportivo Saprissa, of Costa Rica, in one of the greatest upsets among the defeats in the club's history. They also qualified for the Champion's Cup in 1998, but were eliminated in the semi-final. The team has been a consistent contender for the Primera División A title since relegation from the Primera División in 2002; they failed to obtain the promotion due to constant mediocre performances in the playoffs despite good appearances during the regular season until the Clausura 2012 Tournament when León defeated Correcaminos UAT 6–2 and after ten years were finally promoted to the Primera División. León is ranked 29th in the IFFHS Central and North America's best clubs of the 20th century.
The club's origins date back to the 1920s when a group of local businessman — Pilar Ramírez, Diego Mosqueda, Elías Sanromán, Pedro Calleja and David Villa — founded León Atlético. That first squad was made up of great players including Enrique Marín, Verulo Gómez, and Daniel González.
Until 1922, León Atlético only played friendly matches against Club Irapuato, due to the lack of opponents and the close relationship both clubs had. That year new clubs including Nacional and Obrero were formed in order to establish an amateur league in the state of Guanajuato. León Atlético took home the first state championship in 1924 .
In 1928, Unión de Curtidores was established and quickly became a rival to León Atlético. Unión de Curtidores gained supporters around the city and became the city's most important club, bringing in big clubs from Mexico City for friendly matches, including Necaxa and Club América. Unión de Curtidores was made up of great local players including Chueco Martínez, Manuel Tío Ramírez, Zenón Falcón and Tomás Medina. In 1943 Unión de Curtidores tried to join the Primera División Mexicana which had just become professional. The club sent Antonio Morales to discover the requirements for joining the league that year. The club did not take part of the first tournament held in 1943, and for the 1944 tournament Unión de Curtidores and the Selección de Guanajuato merged in order to join the Primera División. This new club became known as Union León. The club started selling club stock shares in order to form a competitive club, as well as to pay for expenses. That first squad was made up of Marcial Ortiz, Raúl Varela, Alfonso Montemayor, Salvador Ramírez, Conrado Muñiz, Vicente Serrano, Pepe Cortes, and Palitos Ramírez, with Duilio Dobles and Joaquín Fuente as trainers.
The club's origins date back to the 1920s when a group of local businessman — Pilar Ramírez, Diego Mosqueda, Elías Sanromán, Pedro Calleja and David Villa — founded León Atlético. That first squad was made up of great players including Enrique Marín, Verulo Gómez, and Daniel González.
Until 1922, León Atlético only played friendly matches against Club Irapuato, due to the lack of opponents and the close relationship both clubs had. That year new clubs including Nacional and Obrero were formed in order to establish an amateur league in the state of Guanajuato. León Atlético took home the first state championship in 1924 .
In 1928, Unión de Curtidores was established and quickly became a rival to León Atlético. Unión de Curtidores gained supporters around the city and became the city's most important club, bringing in big clubs from Mexico City for friendly matches, including Necaxa and Club América. Unión de Curtidores was made up of great local players including Chueco Martínez, Manuel Tío Ramírez, Zenón Falcón and Tomás Medina. In 1943 Unión de Curtidores tried to join the Primera División Mexicana which had just become professional. The club sent Antonio Morales to discover the requirements for joining the league that year. The club did not take part of the first tournament held in 1943, and for the 1944 tournament Unión de Curtidores and the Selección de Guanajuato merged in order to join the Primera División. This new club became known as Union León. The club started selling club stock shares in order to form a competitive club, as well as to pay for expenses. That first squad was made up of Marcial Ortiz, Raúl Varela, Alfonso Montemayor, Salvador Ramírez, Conrado Muñiz, Vicente Serrano, Pepe Cortes, and Palitos Ramírez, with Duilio Dobles and Joaquín Fuente as trainers.
Club León
