Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro was established in Buenos Aires in April 1908. The team was named after a Catholic priest from the area, Father Lorenzo Massa, who had allowed the founding members of the team to play football in his church yard. Today, the football team forms part of a wider sports club, which competes in hockey, tennis, basketball and rugby. In recent times, San Lorenzo have received huge publicity from around the world, because Pope Francis is a supporter of the team.
Historically, San Lorenzo have been amongst Argentina's most successful sides and are considered one of the traditional 'Big Five' clubs in the country, along with River Plate, Boca Juniors, Racing and Independiente. In 1972, they became the first team in history to win two Argentine league titles in the same year, as they won the Metropolitano Championship and the Nacional Championship.
In total, the club have won 14 Primera División titles, including three during the 1930s and three during the 1970s. Their most recent win came in the 2007 Clausura. Other domestic honours include a Copa de Honor Municipalidad de Buenos Aires win in 1936. San Lorenzo have also enjoyed some significant success in international tournaments, most notably winning the Copa Sudamericana in 2002, beating Atlético Nacional in the final. In addition, in 1923, 1927 and 1946, they lifted the Copa Aldao; a trophy which is considered a precursor to the establishment of the Copa Libertadores, and won the Copa Mercosur in 2001.
Amongst the best-known and most notable players to have played for the club are former Argentine interational René Pontoni, Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert and current national team star Ezequiel Lavezzi.
San Lorenzo play their home games at the Estadio Pedro Bidegain, better known as El Nuevo Gasómetro. The stadium opened in 1993 and is able to hold a maximum of 43,494 fans.
