Espérance Sportive de Tunis

Founding and early years

The club was founded at the Café de L'Espérance (Arabic: مقهى الترجي) in the Bab Souika neighborhood of Tunis, by Muhamed Zouaoui (of Kabyle heritage) and Hédi Kallel.

After almost one year of waiting, the authorities granted the founders of Espérance an initial verbal approval to establish the club in January 1919. However, two weeks later, they were required to appoint a French president to obtain official authorization, as the regulations at the time mandated that all such clubs be legally chaired by a French national. To comply, they turned to Louis Montassier, a member of the French colonial administration. On 15 January 1919, Espérance was officially registered, marking a moment of great joy for its founders, Muhamed Zouaoui and Hédi Kallel, who successfully established the first Tunisian football club. Its initial colors were green and white ➜.

Due to a persistent shortage of green jerseys, Chedly Zouiten stumbled upon a stock of red and yellow jerseys while shopping. They wore these colors for an upcoming match and won. Believing the new colors brought them good luck, the club decided to adopt them permanently. This marked the transition to red and yellow ➜, which became the club's iconic "Sang et Or" colors, a tradition that continues today. Under Zouiten's tenure, which lasted more than three decades, Espérance was nearly on the verge of abandonment until promotion to the honorary division of the League of Tunisia in 1936.…

Espérance Sportive de Tunis is one of the most successful football clubs in Tunisia and Africa. The club has a rich history, with numerous Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 titles, Tunisian Cup, and Tunisian Super Cup. Espérance is especially renowned for its success in African competitions, particularly in the CAF Champions League, which they have won multiple times. In 1994, they earned the nickname The Beast of Africa after winning every major African trophy in a single season. Despite having strong competition, including clubs like Al Ahly, Espérance has consistently remained a top contender in African football with a remarkable legacy. The club has also participated in the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup on three occasions: in 2011, 2018, and 2019. These appearances reflect Espérance's strong international presence and their continued prominence in global football.

S shared record

Club prizes

African Inter-Club Team of the Year: 2011 FIFA Fair Play Award: 2019

Players awards

African Footballer of the Year

Tunisian Athlete of the Year Award

Tunisian Golden Boot

Source: Tunisian Football Federation

Tunisian Golden Ball

African Inter-Club Player of the Year

Arab Golden Ball

Best Maghreb Player Award