Remember Luis Tróccoli’s name. This stadium carries his legacy. Known as Estadio Luis Tróccoli or simply “El Tróccoli”, it stands in Montevideo’s west end. It is near Cerro de Montevideo in the Cerro Norte neighborhood. The stadium is close to the Parque Tecnológico Industrial del Cerro. Its address is Av. Dr. Santín Carlos Rossi 4707.
Estadio Luis Tróccoli is home to Club Atlético Cerro. The club competes in Uruguay’s Primera División. The stadium holds 25,000 fans. It even has an athletic track.
The stadium boasts four stands. They are named Argentina, Paraguay, Brasil and Chile. Argentina is the main stand. It houses the press box and a confectionery. Brasil faces Argentina. It is for visiting fans. Chile and Paraguay are at each end. These are standing-only areas. Cerro fans occupy Chile. Paraguay sometimes hosts visiting fans.
Look closely at the stadium’s structure. A 600 square meter mural stands out. Leopoldo Novoa created it. It reflects abstract art of its time. Novoa said it shows the country’s conflicts. He used waste materials. These symbolized a society in decline.
Cerro’s early days involved several fields. Parque Canaleta was their first field. It was between Bogota, China, Austria and Portugal streets. Cerro won the 1923 Tercera Extra championship there. They also won the 1924 Intermedia championship.
Parque Santa Rosa followed. Ramón Tabares gave Cerro land. This was conditional. The field had to be named Parque Santa Rosa. Cerro achieved a fourth-place finish in the 1928 Uruguayan Championship here.
In 1929, crisis struck. Cerro lost its field due to debt. For years, they played in borrowed spaces. In 1935, they secured land. It was the same site as today’s Estadio Luis Tróccoli. They called it Parque Demetrio Arana.
Luis Tróccoli became Cerro’s president in 1949. In 1952, he ordered the old park’s demolition. He envisioned a grand stadium. Construction took 12 years. Finally, Estadio Luis Tróccoli opened on August 22, 1964. Cerro played River Plate of Argentina. Cerro won 5-2. 15,803 fans attended.
The opening was elaborate. Doves were released. Representatives from Argentina, Brasil, Chile and Paraguay spoke. Then Luis Tróccoli addressed the crowd. A helicopter hovered above. It dropped the match ball onto the field. During halftime, athletes Ulises Usuca and Albertino Etchechury raced. Etchechury won.
Cerro defeated San Lorenzo 4-2 three days later. Cacaio scored twice. Pablo Silva Araujo and Eduardo Restivo also scored.
Estadio Luis Tróccoli hosted international matches. Cerro played in the Copa Libertadores. They hosted River Plate and Independiente in 1995. Cerro beat Independiente 1-0. In 2017, they played Unión Española. In 2018, they competed in the Copa Sudamericana.
The stadium faced neglect. Vegetation grew in the stands. Walls faded. Club president Alfredo Jaureguiverry focused on the field only.
Estadio Luis Tróccoli stands as a testament. It honors Luis Tróccoli’s vision. It embodies Club Atlético Cerro’s spirit. The stadium is more than bricks and mortar. It is a community’s symbol.