1952 Campeonato Profesional
# 1952 Campeonato Profesional

The 1952 Campeonato Profesional was the fifth season of Colombia's top-flight football league. 15 teams compete against one another and played each weekend. The tournament was notable for being the fourth year of El Dorado. Millonarios won the league for 3rd time in its history after getting 46 points.

## Background

The tournament was the fourth year of El Dorado. The number of teams was reduced from 18 to 15: Deportes Caldas and Once Deportivo joined to form Deportivo Manizales. Huracán de Medellín disappeared due to poor performance, while Independiente Medellín had to retire because of an economic crisis.

Universidad, who was also in an economic crisis, received a lot of players from other teams in order to enable their participation in the championship: Santa Fe loaned it Roberto Martínez, Atilio Miotti, Juan Candall, José María Arnaldo, Oscar Contreras, Luis López, Mario Fernández y Angel Perucca; Millonarios loaned Tomás Aves; Junior loaned Heraldo Ferreyro; Deportivo Manizales loaned Segundo Tessori, Vicente Gallina and Osvaldo Bianco; and Deportivo Samarios loaned Milos Dragoilovich.

Millonarios became the first team to win the championship three times, and the first team to win two consecutive titles. Alfredo Di Stéfano became goalscorer of the tournament for the second time in succession. This was the most successful year of the denominated Ballet Azul, in which also played 33 international matches, finishing with 20 wins, 10 draws and 3 losses, being the 4-2 win against Real Madrid its most memorable match.

## League system

Every team played two games against each other team, one at home and one away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw. If two or more teams were tied on points, places were determined by goal difference. The team with the most points is the champion of the league.

## Teams

* 1. Armenia
* 2. Barranquilla
* 3. Bogotá
* 4. Bucaramanga
* 5. Cali
* 6. Cúcuta
* 7. Manizales
* 8. Medellín
* 9. Pereira
* 10. Santa Marta

| Team | City | Stadium |
| - | - | - |
| América | Cali | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | Bucaramanga | Estadio Alfonso López |
| Atlético Municipal | $Medellín^a$ | Estadio San Fernando |
| Boca Juniors | Cali | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | Cúcuta | Estadio General Santander |
| Deportes Quindío | Armenia | Estadio San José de Armenia |
| Deportivo Manizales | Manizales | Estadio Palogrande |
| Deportivo Cali | Cali | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| Deportivo Pereira | Pereira | Estadio Libaré |
| Deportivo Samarios | Santa Marta | Estadio Eduardo Santos |
| Junior | Barranquilla | Estadio Romelio Martínez |
| Millonarios | Bogotá | Estadio El Campín |
| Santa Fe | Bogotá | Estadio El Campín |
| Sporting de Barranquilla | Barranquilla | Estadio Romelio Martínez |
| Universidad | Bogotá | Estadio Alfonso López Pumarejo |

$^a$ Municipal played its home games at Itagüí

## Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Millonarios (C) | 28 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 70 | 14 | +56 | 46 |
| 2 | Boca Juniors | 28 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 40 |
| 3 | Deportivo Pereira | 28 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 37 |
| 4 | Deportivo Cali | 28 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 69 | 41 | +28 | 35 |
| 5 | Quindío | 28 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 35 |
| 6 | Junior | 28 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 33 |
| 7 | América | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 31 |
| 8 | Cúcuta Deportivo | 28 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 54 | 36 | +18 | 32 |
| 9 | Santa Fe | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 54 | 65 | −11 | 25 |
| 10 | Universidad | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 24 |
| 11 | Deportivo Samarios | 28 | 7 | 5 | 16 | 38 | 78 | −40 | 19 |
| 12 | Deportivo Manizales | 28 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 38 | 60 | −22 | 18 |
| 13 | Atlético Nacional | 28 | 5 | 7 | 16 | 38 | 69 | −31 | 17 |
| 14 | Sporting | 28 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 33 | 66 | −33 | 16 |
| 15 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 28 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 86 | −51 | 12 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | AME | BJ | BUC | CAL | CUC | JUN | MAN | MIL | NAC | PER | QUI | SAM | SFE | SPB | UNI |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| América | | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 |
| Boca Juniors | 4–2 | | 2–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 7–1 | 2–0 |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | 0–1 | 1–1 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–7 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–6 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Deportivo Cali | 2–2 | 1–2 | 5–0 | | 3–2 | 5–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 6–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | 3–0 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 3–1 | | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 |
| Junior | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | | 4–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Deportivo Manizales | 1–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| Millonarios | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 5–1 | | 2–2 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 |
| Atlético Nacional | 2–4 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 |
| Deportivo Pereira | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–5 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 |
| Quindío | 3–2 | 2–2 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 6–1 | 0–5 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 4–3 |
| Deportivo Samarios | 0–2 | 2–6 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–11 | | 4–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 |
| Santa Fe | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 0–6 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 3–3 | | 2–1 | 3–5 |
| Sporting | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 3–1 |
| Universidad | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 4–4 | 4–2 | 3–5 | 4–0 | |

* ↑ Atlético Bucaramanga don't play due to problems at the box office.

### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Millonarios | 19 |
| 2 | Carlos Gambina | Junior | 18 |
| 3 | Raúl Dimarco | Millonarios | 17 |
| 3 | Mario Garelli | Deportes Quindío | 17 |
| 5 | Germán Antón | Santa Fe | 16 |
| 5 | Jaime Gutiérrez | Deportes Quindío | 16 |
| 5 | Francisco Solano Patiño | Boca Juniors | 16 |
| 5 | Ramón Villaverde | Cúcuta Deportivo | 16 |
| 9 | Rubí Cerioni | Deportivo Cali | 15 |
| 9 | Miguel Mora | Sporting | 15 |

Source: RSSSF.com Colombia 1952

* 1952 Campeonato Profesional champion
* Millonarios Third title
