Pirata FC, then called Molinos El Pirata, became known worldwide as champions with a jersey that featured the famous Jack Sparrow on the chest and on its shield. What is the origin of his strange presence?
Pirate FC He was one of the most dazzling Copa Peru champions of recent years. It wasn’t so much because of his game or his results as because the team had Jack Sparrow as the main character. The famous Disney character was the club’s emblem and also the logo on the chest of their shirt. Thanks to this curious detail, the brand, then called Molinos El Pirata, made headlines around the world and sold several of its jackets in international stores. But what is the relationship between this personality and football?
It’s unusual for a club to be called Molinos El Pirata, but for a fictional character patented by a giant like Disney to be used at risk of copyright infringement borders on the bizarre. Few know, however, that the origins of the story between Jack Sparrow and the team extend beyond the sport.
Molinos El Pirata was crowned the 2018 Peru Cup winner at the National Stadium. Photo: GLR archives
How did Pirata FC come about?
Pirata FC was founded on November 15, 2015 under the name Molinos El Pirata in Moshoqueque, in the José Leonardo Ortiz district of Chiclayo. The facility was created on the initiative of the company Molinos El Pirata (G&B Molinos SAC), dedicated to the drying, stacking and maturing of rice. This had supported another team called Deportivo Construcción Civil on the national stage that year.
In this way, they took the initiative to create their own association for the 2016 season, in which they were invited to the first district by José Leonardo Ortiz. Molinos El Pirata surprised everyone and reached the national stage in his first year. They finished 14th in the Stage 1 table and played the playoffs against Racing de Huamachuco, but were eliminated by one goal overall (losing 4-0 in the first leg and winning 3-0 in the second leg).
Molinos El Pirata reached the second phase of the national stage in the first year of its existence. Photo: Portal Olmos
Where did the name Pirate come from and why Jack Sparrow?
Both the squad and the rice company have the term “pirate” in their names in homage to the brother of Luis Alberto Guevara, honorary president of the club, who died of an illness (supposedly related to the eyesight). After winning the Copa Perú title, it changed its name to Pirata FC, thereby participating in Liga 1 2019. What also changed more than once was the emblem of the institution.
The first image in the set was a vector of a pirate found on Google, but Pirates of the Caribbean’s popularity inspired leadership to use Jack Sparrow to raise awareness of the company and team. Before the League 1 premiere, it was said that the intention was to get permission from Disney to use the character played by Johnny Depp, but that nothing came to pass in the end.
Pirata FC went from Jack Sparrow to a photo of someone dressed as a pirate and ended up sticking with their current sign which has its own vector featuring the club’s main colours. On the other hand, the Molinos El Pirata company continues to operate successfully in Lambayeque and its products carry the image of another navy.
Molinos El Pirata has continued to operate as a rice company in Lambayeque since its inception in 2000. Photo: Arroz El Pirata