On December 13, 1955 the club was founded as Sporting Cristal , after Backus' best-known beer brand, "Cristal". The new club from the Rímac ward debuted in 1956 in the professional Primera Division and won their first national title that same year. Journalists thus called them the club born a champion ("nació campeon"). The team managed to win more titles over the years and was known as one of the best football clubs in Peru after Universitario and Alianza Lima. A few years later, the club eliminated the word "Backus" from their name to demonstrate their economic independence.