São Paulo
São Paulo Futebol Clube, usually called São Paulo FC or just São Paulo, is a very traditional Brazilian football team from São Paulo, founded on January 25, 1930, and Re-founded on December 16, 1935. It is often called Tricolor (meaning with three colours) by its supporters.
The team is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil, with several titles of national and international grade. That includes three World Championships (two of them are Intercontinental Cup titles and the other is a FIFA Club World Championship title) and three Libertadores Cups.
Their home stadium is Estadio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo (Morumbi), capacity 80,000. They play in a white shirt with two horizontal stripes - one red and one black, white shorts and socks.
Titles
International Competitions
- Intercontinental Cup - 1992, 1993
- FIFA Club World Championship - 2005
- Libertadores Cup: 1992, 1993, 2005
- Conmebol Cup: 1994
- Recopa: 1993, 1994
- Supercopa (Libertadores Cup Winners Supercup): 1993
National Competitions
- Brazilian Championship 1977, 1986, 1991
- São Paulo State Championship 21 times: 1931, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2005
- Rio-São Paulo Tournament: 2001
Famous players
Current squad
History
1900 - 1939: Formation
During this period, the club went through various changes in formation and name, mostly due to mergers with neighbouring clubs - from Clube Atlético Paulistano being founded in 1900, to São Paulo FC finally being established in 1935. The first game was against Portuguesa Santista on January 25, 1936. The match was almost cancelled, due to the city’s anniversary. Porphyrio da Paz, football director and composer of the club’s anthem, pleaded the Board of Education Office and obtained the permission. With another merge with Estudantes Paulista from the Moóca neighborhood, they reached the second place on 1938’s Campeonato Paulista.
1940 - 1950: The Steam Roller
In 1940, when the Pacaembu stadium was inaugurated, a new era began in the São Paulo state football. São Paulo was the club which better took advantage of the moment. In 1941, the club was again Campeonato Paulista runner-up. In 1942, after paying 200 contos de réis (with today is the equivalent of US$ 80,000), São Paulo acquired Leônidas da Silva, from Flamengo, who was one of the greatest players of that time. As it was already a major club, São Paulo brought other great players, like the Argentinian António Sastre, and the Brazilians Noronha, Bauer, Zezé Procópio, Luizinho, Rui and Teixeirinha. With them, the Tricolor formed the famous team known as the Steam Roller, five times Paulista champions in the 1940s (1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949). At this time, the club already had Canindé, used as a training field, this groundplot was later sold to Portuguesa to raise money to the Morumbi stadium construction.
1951 - 1957: The Drought
São Paulo was not very successful in the beginning of the 1950s only winning the state championship in 1953. São Paulo won again the state championship only in 1957. At that time the club was helped by the experience of the Carioca player Zizinho, who was 35 years old, and the Hungarian manager Bela Guttman. With the uprising of Pelé’s Santos and the construction of Morumbi stadium consuming all the efforts and resources, São Paulo had their longest titleless period in its history.
1958 - 1969: Just the Stadium
The club’s planning was focused on the Estadio do Morumbi construction, and for this reason, few players were hired by the club, most of them inexpressive ones, but Roberto Dias and Jurandir were exceptions to this rule. During the twelve years after the 1957 Campeonato Paulista title, the club did not win any important title. In 1960, Morumbi stadium was inaugurated, and named after the late Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who was the club’s chairman during most of the stadium construction. One of the few happy moments during this period was the 1963 Campeonato Paulista 4-1 victory against Pelé’s Santos.
1970 - 1975: The Glory Again
In 1970, the Morumbi stadium construction was concluded, and players like Gérson, of Botafogo, the Uruguayan midfielder Pedro Rocha, of Peñarol; and the Santos’ goalscorer Toninho Guerreiro were hired. The club, managed by Zezé Moreira, who was the 1954 FIFA World Cup Brazil national football team manager, won the Campeonato Paulista one week before the end of the competition, after beating Guarani 2-1 in Campinas.
In 1971, the club won again the state championship, and most of the club’s players were the same of the previous year. The club beat Palmeiras 1-0 in the final. The goal was scored by Toninho Guerreiro. In the same season, the club was the runner-up of the first Campeonato Brasileiro ever, staying only behind Atlético Mineiro, which was managed by Telê Santana. In the following years, Pelé’s Santos and Corinthians declined, and São Paulo and Palmeiras dominated the football of São Paulo state. In 1972, Palmeiras won the state championship title with only a point of advantage over São Paulo. In 1973, Palmeiras won the Campeonato Brasileiro and São Paulo was the runner-up. In 1974, São Paulo disputed Copa Libertadores de América being defeated in the final by Argentina’s Independiente, after losing in the final match replay. In 1975, the club was managed by the former goalkeeper José Poy, winning the Campeonato Paulista after defeating Portuguesa in the penalty shootout.
1976 - 1979: Affirmation Times
Waldir Perez, Chicão and Serginho were the best club players during the successful 1977 Campeonato Brasileiro campaign, won at Mineirão, against Atlético Mineiro in the penalty shootout. The club did not win any relevant title until 1980. Among the players who played for the club during this period were Zé Sérgio and Serginho Chulapa, who was the club’s top goalscorer in history.
The 1980s: Tricolor Decade
In the 1980s São Paulo won an impressive amount of titles. The club’s central defenders were the talented Oscar and Dario Pereyra. Those players helped the club win the Campeonato Paulista in 1980 and in 1981. In 1984, the manager Cilinho introduced to the world the Menudos of Morumbi: Silas, Müller and Sidney. In the same year, the club won the Campeonato Paulista. The club’s striker was Careca, a centre forward who played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and in the midfield there was Falcão, who came from Italy’s AS Roma, nicknamed the King of Rome. In 1986, the manager Pepe lead the club to its second Campeonato Brasileiro title, defeating Guarani in the penalty shootout. In 1987, Dario Pereyra left the club. In this year, the Menudos team won its last title. The Tricolor Decade ended with the 1989 Campeonato Paulista title and with the Campeonato Brasileiro second place, after losing to Vasco da Gama in the final.
1990 - 1995: The Telê Era
In 1990, the club, after a poor campaign, was relegated to the Campeonato Paulista second division. Telê Santana was hired as the club’s manager. São Paulo was the Campeonato Brasileiro runner-up, behind Corinthians. In the following year, the club won the Campeonato Paulista and Corinthians was the runner-up. In 1991, after being two times in a row Campeonato Brasileiro runner-up, São Paulo won its third competition title, after beating Carlos Alberto Parreira’s Bragantino. In 1992, the São Paulo of Telê, Zetti and Raí qualified to the Copa Libertadores de América final, against Newell’s Old Boys of Argentina. In the first leg, in Rosario, Newell’s Old Boys won 1-0. In the second leg, São Paulo beat the other side 1-0, and won the competition in the penalty shootout. In the same year, in Tokyo the club won its first Toyota Intercontinental Cup, beating Johann Cruyff’s FC Barcelona 2-1, after reversing the score. After returning to Brazil, the club beat Palmeiras in the state championship final. In 1993, São Paulo won again the Libertadores Cup, after beating Universidad Católica of Chile. After the competition ended, Raí left the club. São Paulo won the Toyota Intercontinental Cup again, in Tokyo, after beating Fabio Capello’s AC Milan 3-2. Müller scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match. In 1994, the club again reached the Libertadores Cup final, this time against Argentina’s Vélez Sarsfield, but it was defeated by the Argentine side in the penalty shootout, at Estadio do Morumbi.
1996 - 2004: Post-Telê Traumatic Shock?
In the beginning of 1996, due to health issues, Telê Santana left São Paulo, ending the club’s golden era. After him, between 1995 and 2004, 14 managers worked on the club without staying long. Among the most notable titles during those 10 years were the 2000 Campeonato Paulista and the club’s first Torneio Rio-São Paulo title in 2001. Rogério Ceni, Luís Fabiano and Kaka were the club’s stars. The club’s idol, Raí briefly played for the club in 1998, and with him, the club won the Campeonato Paulista of that year, after beating their rivals, Corinthians. Emerson Leão was hired as the club’s manager in the end of 2004, after the club’s unsuccessful campaign in its return to the Libertadores Cup.
2005: Once Again, the Best of the World
In 2005, with Leão as the club’s manager, São Paulo easily won the Campeonato Paulista. However, he soon left the club, and Paulo Autuori was hired to replace him. Paulo Autuori was previously the Peru national football team’s manager. São Paulo won the Libertadores Cup, beating another Brazilian team, Atlético Paranaense in the final. Atlético had to play on another ground, because its own stadium, Kyocera Arena has a maximum capacity below the minimum capacity allowed by CONMEBOL in Libertadores Cup final matches. The first leg, at Estadio Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre, ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second leg, at Estadio do Morumbi, São Paulo beat Atlético Paranaense 4-0. São Paulo is the first Brazilian club to have won three Libertadores Cup titles. In December, 2005, São Paulo disputed the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. After beating Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad 3-2, the Brazilian team faced England’s Liverpool on the final match. An 1-0 score was enough to give São Paulo its third Intercontinental title. The single goal was scored by Mineiro in the first half of the match.
External links
- Sao Paulo FC Official website (English version)
- CanalSPFC
- SPNet
- TricolorNet
Click here to see other Argentinean and Brazilian Football Clubs
Source: Wikipedia On-line Encyclopedia
