Liga Deportiva Alajuelense

History

The team was created in 1919 when a group of friends that used to play in a team called the "Electra" at first and then "Once de Abril" (April the 11th) met at "Salon París". They wanted to give the city a team that could represent them at a national level. They played their first official game on August 2 of that same year against Cartaginés getting their first victory, 3–1.

Alajuelense was part of the 7 teams that built and formed the National League in Costa Rica, back in 1921, along with La Libertad, Gimnástica Española, Herediano, Cartaginés, CS Tres Rios de La Union, and Sociedad Gimnástica Limonense. They won their first championship in 1928. They are the only team to win the championship with a perfect record; in 1941 they won all 6 games. In 1960, the team made a tour around the world, leaving Costa Rica on September 17. In 78 days, the team played 24 games, winning 12, losing seven and drawing five. They scored 71 goals and allowed 47, with a remarkable performance from Juan Ulloa Ramírez, the best player and top scorer of this tour.

Throughout their history, Alajuelense has generated a lot of great players and stunning performances. They are known as one of the best teams in the Central America area. Their best decade was the 1990s, during which they won 4 Championships and 4 sub-championships (runner up) as well. In addition to that, by the end of the 90's and the middle of the 2000s, they won a total of 5 local championships (4 of them in a row), 2 Copa Interclubes UNCAF Trophies and a CONCACAF Club Championship, being the base for the Costa Rican football team in the Korea and Japan 2002 FIFA World Cup, with 9 players.

By November 11, 2000, and after participating in the Copa Merconorte, Alajuelense was ranked 27th in IFFHS's Club World Ranking. It is the best rank any Central American club has reached.

The club struggled with financial and administrative problems in the second part on the 2000s decade, so they decided to end contract with a lot of their regular and known players and started to build a team based on their younger divisions and make some structural changes. Nowadays the club is free of debts and with a team averaging 25-year-old players is still one of the best teams in the area and one of the teams with most fans in Costa Rica. On June 10, 2019, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary, being the second Costa Rican team to do so.

In 2023, Alajuelense participated in the 2023 CONCACAF Central American Cup, and they would advance to quarter-finals after being leaders on the Group D. They would face Cartaginés, that they would defeat 6–1 on aggregate, advancing to semifinals, where they would face Herediano, defeating them 5–4 on penalties after a 4–4 aggregate draw. In the final, they would face Real Estelí, but they would defeat them easily after a 4–1 victory on aggregate, being the first champions of the CONCACAF Central American Cup, and qualifying directly for the round of 16 of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Stadium

Main article: Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, Proposed Alajuelense Stadium

The Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto is the home of Alajuelense and is owned and operated by La Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. It is located in El Llano neighborhood of Alajuela.

On July 20, 1966, due to a motion by the Municipality of Alajuela, the stadium was renamed in honor of Alejandro Morera, nicknamed el mago del balón, which means the magician of the ball. He was a notable former player of Alajuelense, Barcelona, and Hércules, and for commercial purposes, in an agreement with the financial institution Scotiabank in 2011, the name Scotiabank was added.

The project to find a proper site for a permanent home started in 1938, when the director of the club, Carlos Bolaños, proposed that the club should purchase its own land. The land was purchased on October 7, 1940, but the terrain would not be football-ready until when the first game was played on January 18, 1942, when Alajuelense played against Cartaginés; the stadium only had a simple wooden stand that was previously used in the Estadio Nacional.

On September 27, 1949, a professor from a local high school named Armando Morux Sancho started what was called La marcha del ladrillo, meaning The March of Bricks in which every student would donate a brick to help build the walls and stands of the stadium. The first stands to be built were located in north, west and east around the pitch.

On March 19, 1970, the stadium saw its first night game when Alajuelense faced Honduran club Motagua, beating them 4–1.

In 1979, the enlargement of the stadium was initiated with the project of building a second stand on top of the existing stand and adding an additional stand over the dressing and conference rooms (south) and also adding a roof to the stands located to the east and the south. The project was fully completed in 1984. The stadium was re-inaugurated that year along with the new illuminations, which were amongst the best illuminations systems at the time.

On 8 April 2021, the team announced plans for a new stadium, with an expected opening by January 2025.

Mascot

The team is now represented by a Lion and Lioness dressed with the team uniform and wearing cleats as if he was going to play.

In every home game, the mascot comes out at the pitch before the game starts and plays on the field with fans, jokes with rival's fans, walk through the pitch with models giving away gifts from their sponsors and cheers the team with a huge team's flag. Before the game starts and during the half-time break, the Lion walks among the crowd and stands for pictures with the children.

The original mascot used to be a Mango, this because the team is located in Alajuela that is known as "La Ciudad de los Mangos" ("The Mangoes' City") because of the high amount of Mango Trees that could be located in the province due its weather, but later on in the early 80's, the mascot was changed into a Lion.

The Lion was chosen years ago because it represents four main attributes of the major king of the jungle, that are reflected on the team's vision and mission: Courage, Strength, Dynamism and Fidelity.

Sponsors

• Jersey supplier

• Jersey sponsors

:Kolbi – Tuasa – Repretel – Cementos Fortaleza – Toyota – Mobil

Honours

National

• Primera División de Costa Rica
  • Champions (31): 1928, 1939, 1941, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, Invierno 2010, Verano 2011, Invierno 2011, Invierno 2012. Invierno 2013, Apertura 2020, Apertura 2025
  • Runners-up (30): 1930, 1928, 1944, 1952, 1957, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2006–07, Verano 2008, Invierno 2008, Verano 2014, Verano 2015, Invierno 2015, Verano 2016, Apertura 2019, Clausura 2020, Clausura 2022, Clausura 2023, Clausura 2024, Apertura 2024
• Torneo de Copa de Costa Rica
  • Champions (12): 1926, 1928, 1937, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1953, 1949, 1974, 1977, 2023, 2024–25
  • Runners-up (3): 1938, 1947, 1956
• Supercopa de Costa Rica
  • Champions (1): 2012
  • Runners-up (1): 2021
• Recopa de Costa Rica
  • Champions (2): 1967, 2024

International

Intercontinental

• Copa Interamericana
  • Runners-up (1): 1986

Continental

• CONCACAF Champions Cup
  • Champions (2): 1986, 2004
  • Runners-up (3): 1971, 1992, 1999
• CONCACAF League
  • Champions (1): 2020
  • Runners-up (1): 2022
• Campeonato Centroamericano y Caribe
  • Champions (1): 1961

Regional

• CONCACAF Central American Cup
  • Champions (3): 2023, 2024, 2025
• Torneo Grandes de Centroamérica/Copa Interclubes UNCAF
  • Champions (3): 1996, 2002, 2005
  • Runners-up (2): 1999, 2000

Friendly

• Torneo Relámpago de Fútbol de Costa Rica: 1944, 1945
• Cuadrangular Antonio Escarré: 1964
• KLM Cup: 1994
• Torneo 90 Minutos por la Vida: 2003, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024
• Copa de las Américas: 2004
• Superclásico de Costa Rica: 2012, 2013 2014, 2015

Awards

• CONCACAF League Fair Play: 2020, 2022

Performance in CONCACAF competitions

• CONCACAF Champions Cup/League: 26 appearances ::1962 – Second round (quarter-finals) ::1968 – First round ::1971 – Finalist ::1973 – Third round (quarter-finals) ::1986 – Champion ::1988 – Semi-finals ::1991 – Third round (quarter-finals) ::1992 – Finalist ::1993 – Second round (quarter-finals) ::1995 – Third place ::1996 – Second round ::1997 – Second round ::1998 – Quarter-finals ::1999 – Finalist ::2000 – Quarter-finals ::2002 – Semi-finals ::2003 – Quarter-finals ::2004 – Champion ::2006 – Semi-finals ::2008-09 – First round ::2011–12 – Group stage ::2012–13 – Group stage ::2013–14 – Semi-finals ::2014–15 – Semi-finals ::2021 – Round of 16 ::2023 – Round of 16 ::2024 – Round of 16 ::2025 – Round of 16

• CONCACAF League: 4 appearances ::2017 – First round ::2020 – Champion ::2021 – First round ::2022 – Finalist

• CONCACAF Central American Cup: 2 appearances ::2023 – Champion ::2024 – Champion

Recent seasons

The following table lists the club's performance in national and international competitions over recent cycles. As of the end of the Apertura 2025, Alajuelense has secured 31 national league titles.

• Note: The 2025–26 Clausura season is currently in progress. Regular season statistics above reflect the Apertura 2025 phase.

2025–26 cycle summary

• Apertura 2025: Alajuelense finished the regular season in first place and clinched their 31st national title by defeating Deportivo Saprissa in the double-legged final (5–3 aggregate) in December 2025.
• International: The club achieved a historic "three-peat" in the CONCACAF Central American Cup, winning the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions, maintaining their status as the top-ranked club in Central America according to the CONCACAF club rankings.
• Other Trophies: Led by head coach Óscar Ramírez, the team also secured the Recopa de Costa Rica in July 2025 after defeating Herediano.

Player records

• Denotes player had more than one spell with the club.

• Denotes player had more than one spell with the club.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Retired numbers

20 – Costa Rica Mauricio Montero, defender (1987–98)

Historical list of coaches

• Costa Rica Carlos Watson
• Costa Rica Luis Diego Arnaez
• Argentina Andrés Carevic (20 Nov 2022 - 7 March 2024)
• Brazil Costa Rica Alexandre Guimarães (12 March 2024 - 17 April 2025)
• Costa Rica Óscar Ramírez (18 April 2025 - )

Notes

References

References

1. (20 December 2025). "Alajuelense beats Saprissa and is crowned champion in Costa Rica". La Prensa.
2. (13 November 2025). "LD Alajuelense retakes top spot in Central America in latest Concacaf Club Rankings".
3. (2017-09-21). "El fútbol manudo nació sobre cadáveres".
4. (6 August 2016). "La historia del 11 de Abril de Alajuela".
5. (15 October 2018). "Cuando Alejandro Morera brilló en el FC Barcelona - Buzón de Rodrigo". Buzón de Rodrigo.
6. "Unbeaten during a League Season". [[RSSSF]].
7. "LDA - ¡FELIZ ANIVERSARIO LIGA!".
8. Deportivas del Trece. (2015-06-22). "El Zar se lo cuenta: Historia de Alajuela".
9. "Noticias de fútbol, marcadores en directo, resultados y fichajes {{!}} Goal.com México".
10. "LDA - Este viernes se cumplen 77 años de la inauguración de 'La Catedral'".
11. Goldberg, David. (2011). "Estadio manudo ahora se llama Alejandro Morera Soto Scotiabank". [[La Nación (San José).
12. (2018-09-26). "Alajuela, el hogar de los 'Manudos'".
13. (17 January 2017). "Alajuelense está de fiesta: el estadio Alejandro Morera Soto cumple 75 años este miércoles".
14. "LDA - La nueva casa rojinegra de ser aprobada se inauguraría en enero del 2025". Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.
15. (1969-12-31). "La historia del hombre detrás del León de la Liga".
16. (2012-07-14). "La mascota: León Manudo {{!}} Liga Deportiva Alajuelense".
17. "Primera División".
18. "NB: tournament organised by Federación de Fútbol but not official".
19. "Costa Rica 1928".
20. Copa Guatemala. https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/cos28.html {{Webarchive. link. (2022-12-06)
21. "Costa Rica 1941".
22. "Costa Rica 1944".
23. "Costa Rica 1948".
24. Copa Gran Bretana. https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/cos49.html {{Webarchive. link. (2022-12-06)
25. "Costa Rica 1977".
26. "Copa Interamericana 1986".
27. (2023-12-02). "Alajuelense crowned kings of Central American Cup".
28. "CONCACAF Cup".
29. "Históricos de Alajuelense: Los hombres rekord del club".
30. (5 January 2026). "Goleadores Históricos de LDA". [[La Nación (San José).