Culiacán, Sinaloa.- Dorados de Sinaloa celebrates 23 years of existence in professional soccer this August 8, 2026, after the project led by businessmen Eustaquio de Nicolás and Valente Aguirre was finalized in 2003. The club began its adventure in the then Primera División A, and its first official match was played on August 8, 2003, against Venados de Yucatán in Mérida. Later, on August 23 of that year, El Gran Pez presented itself to its fans in Culiacán with a 4-2 victory over Cobras de Ciudad Juárez. In its debut tournament, Apertura 2003, Dorados won its first championship by defeating Cobras with a golden goal from Guadalupe “Lupillo” Castañeda, beginning a history that quickly led the team to the top flight.

The Sinaloa-based team has achieved five league championships in the second division — Apertura 2003, Clausura 2007, Clausura 2015, Ascenso 2003-04, and Ascenso 2014-15 — in addition to the Copa MX of Apertura 2012 and the championship of Apertura 2016. Dorados also competed in the Primera División in six short tournaments: Apertura 2004, Clausura 2005, Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, Apertura 2015, and Clausura 2016, achieving two promotions throughout its history. Among its notable figures are Sebastián “Loco” Abreu, top scorer twice in Apertura 2005 and Clausura 2006 with 11 goals in each tournament; Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Copa MX champion in 2012; as well as Jared Borgetti, Josep Guardiola, Diego Latorre, Pedro Iarley, Héctor Giménez, and Carlos Pinto, names that left their mark wearing the Sinaloa jersey.

Strategists of great relevance have also paraded on the bench, including Juan Carlos Chávez, coach of the first championship; José Guadalupe Cruz, who won titles with the club; Francisco Ramírez, Alexandre Guimarães, Carlos Bustos, Robert Dante Siboldi, and David Patiño. Special mention deserves Diego Armando Maradona, who managed Dorados between 2018 and 2019 and led the team to dispute two consecutive Ascenso MX finals, both against Atlético San Luis. 23 years after its founding, Dorados boasts a history marked by promotions, championships, international stars, and moments that turned El Gran Pez into one of the most representative institutions in professional soccer in Sinaloa.