Editing Colo-Colo (section)

===1925–1933: Foundation and early years===
[[File:David Arellano.PNG|thumb|160px|left|[[David Arellano]], the founder of the club]]
[[File:Colo-Colo 1925.jpg|thumb|right|250px|One of the first Colo-Colo line-ups, 1925]]

The team was founded in early 1925 by [[C.D. Magallanes|Magallanes]]' footballer [[David Arellano]], who led a group of young players leaving that club after institutional problems.<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 37.</ref><ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 52.</ref> Finally, after meetings and negotiations, on 19 April 1925 Arellano and the other youths officially established the club, with Luis Contreras choosing the name "Colo-Colo" for the club, in reference to the legendary ''[[cacique]]'' (chieftain) [[Colocolo (tribal chief)|Colo Colo]] of the [[Mapuche]] people, who fought against the colonial Spaniards in the 16th-century [[Arauco War]].<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 44.</ref>

Initially the team played friendly games, but in 1926 Colo-Colo took part in their first competition, the [[Primera División de Chile|Metropolitan League of Honour]], where they were proclaimed champions (unbeaten) and earned the nickname of "invincible".<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 53.</ref> The following year, Colo-Colo became the first Chilean football team to participate in a tour across Europe. However, on 2 May, during an exhibition match against [[Real Valladolid|Real Unión Deportiva]] at [[Valladolid]], the team founder and captain David Arellano was critically injured after suffering a collision with an opposing player, which caused him [[peritonitis]].<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 70.</ref> The inflammation led him to his death the next day.<ref>{{cite web |publisher = Los Sports |date = 1925–1927 |url = http://www.memoriachilena.cl/archivos2/pdfs/MC0006536.pdf |title = Los domingos footballísticos |work = Zig-Zag |access-date = 17 March 2013 |archive-date = 3 October 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131003062905/http://www.memoriachilena.cl/archivos2/pdfs/MC0006536.pdf |url-status = live }}</ref> Despite the great impact caused by Arellano's death, the club won the [[Chilean Primera División|Central League of football]] tournament – then renamed [[Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago|Asociación de Football de Santiago]] – in the 1928,<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 184.</ref> 1929<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 215.</ref> and 1930<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 245.</ref> seasons.

In the 1931–32 season, Colo-Colo suffered its first institutional crisis due to financial problems, which led to a salary reduction for first team footballers and board members, with their consequent resistance.<ref>Salinas, Sebastián (2005), p. 309.</ref> That season the team played another tournament final against [[Audax Italiano]]. However, due to a platform collapse at Estadio Italiano and the subsequent fracas between the fans, it was decided that the game would be suspended. In that moment, Colo-Colo were winning 2–1. That day's tragedy resulted in 130 injuries and three deaths.<ref name="Tragedy"/> The match was cancelled and the champion position for that year remained vacant.<ref name="Tragedy">Salinas, Sebastián (2005), pp. 299–300.</ref> Other authors however declared that both [[Audax Italiano]] and Colo-Colo were declared champions.<ref>Larraín, Fernando (1940), p. 38.</ref><ref>La Nación (1985), pp. 12 and 32.</ref>