One of the names that will be invariably linked to Chivas is that of Guillermo Sepúlveda, one of the greatest exponents of our Club and eternal defender of what it means to be from Guadalajara. Today, on his birthday, we fondly remember the famous 'Tigre', who is undoubtedly one of the best central defenders in our history.
He was born on November 29, 1934 in Guadalajara, where he grew up and was formed with great physical strength, which made him a tough defender and a tough marker; he was characterized by never 'wrinkling' in the dispute for the ball. He was part of a group of players that emerged from Sutaj, a team that in amateur soccer distinguished itself for being one of the best seedbeds of talent.
Crescencio 'Mellone' Gutiérrez and Salvador Reyes accompanied him in his formation process in the Juvenil Especial and in the second edition of the Revolution Games he caught the attention of Jorge Agnesi, who did not hesitate to take him to Guadalajara.
El Tigre' became known in an unbeatable showcase: a Mexican Classic. It was the 1953-54 season and in that duel against the institution's greatest antagonist, he started his career on the right foot by winning by the narrowest of margins. It took him very little time to earn a starting place, as he played 10 matches in the second half of the season and shortly after, he was a key player in the Rebaño Sagrado's first title in 1956-57, a season in which he only played two matches.
Sepúlveda marked a golden era in the backline alongside Arturo 'Cura' Chaires and José 'Jamaicón' Villegas, who regularly accompanied him in defensive duties and together they contributed to building the legacy of the true and only 'Campeonísimo' of our soccer, who won 15 official titles: 7 League titles, 1 Mexican Cup, 6 Champion of Champions and 1 CONCACAF title.
His legend was born during the 1964 Champion of Champions Cup Final, since that day Guillermo Sepúlveda was sent off after an altercation with Alfonso Portugal and before leaving the field he took off his jersey, threw it on the grass right in front of the Azulcremas' bench and left a message to all those who occupied it: "with this one you have...", which heated the tempers between both teams to a fever pitch, but it was a magnificent reference to the wide dominance that the tapatíos had established over the capital's side during the 'Campeonísimo' era. In the end, Chivas, who arrived as league winners for the sixth time, won 2-0 at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario.
Did you know that...?
- Guillermo Sepúlveda was part of the seventh generation of elements inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame, located in Pachuca; the ceremony took place on November 7, 2017.
