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The involvement of Clube Atlético Mineiro in international club football began in 1972, the year of its first appearance in an official competition at that level. Since then, the Brazilian club, based in
Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
,
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
, has participated in 31 continental and one intercontinental tournament.
Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
has won four official titles at the international level: the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
; the inaugural edition of the
Copa CONMEBOL The Copa CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football cont ...
in
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, and again in
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
; and the
Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...
in
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. In addition, the club finished as runner-up of the Copa CONMEBOL in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, the
Copa de Oro The Copa de Oro (English: ''Gold Cup'', Portuguese: ''Copa Ouro''), or Copa de Oro Nicolás Leoz, was a football cup winners' cup competition contested on 3 occasions by the most recent winners of all CONMEBOL continental competitions. These inclu ...
in
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
, and the
Copa Master de CONMEBOL The Copa Masters CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Masters Cup, pt, Copa Master da Conmebol or Supercopa Conmebol) was a football club competition contested by the 4 past winners of the Copa CONMEBOL at the time. The cup is one of the many inter-South Ameri ...
in
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
. Prior to the existence of official continental football in South America, Atlético Mineiro had played against foreign clubs since 1929, and toured Europe in 1950. As Brazilian champion in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
, the club qualified for the
1972 Copa Libertadores The 1972 Copa Libertadores was the 13th edition of the Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL's the annual club tournament. Independiente of Argentina defeated Universitario de Deportes of Peru in the finals, and became the second team in the tournament' ...
, its first continental tournament. Atlético Mineiro then debuted in the inaugural editions of the Copa CONMEBOL, in 1992, of the Copa de Oro, in 1993, and of the Copa Master de CONMEBOL, in 1996. Its first and only appearance in the
Copa Mercosur The Copa Mercosur (, pt, Copa Mercosul , "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV m ...
was in the
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
season, and its debut at the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
was in
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, the first time Brazilian clubs had participated. The club's first and only appearance in an intercontinental competition occurred in the 2013 edition of the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
, where it finished in third place. The club's biggest-margin win at the international level is 6–0, achieved twice against Mineros in the 1995 Copa CONMEBOL, and against
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a Chilean football professional club based in Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. That competes in the Primera B. The club's home ground is the Estadio Zorros del ...
in the
2000 Copa Libertadores The 2000 edition of the Copa Libertadores was the 41st in the tournament's history. It was held between February 15 and June 21. Thirty-two teams participated in this event. First round *Teams in green qualified to the next round Group 1 Grou ...
. Goalkeeper
Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
is the player with the most appearances in international competitions for the club, with 41; forwards
Guilherme Guilherme is a Portuguese given name, equivalent to William in English. The feminine form of this name is Guilhermina. Diminutive forms include Guilhermino. Vilma (Portuguese form of Wilma) is another female variant of the name. Brazilian foot ...
and
João Alves de Assis Silva (born 20 March 1987), known as Jô () or João Alves, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He has previously played for Nagoya Grampus, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Everton, Galatasaray, Internacional, Atlétic ...
are Atlético's top goalscorers with 11 goals.


Background

Prior to the inception of official international competitions between football clubs, Atlético Mineiro was the first team in Minas Gerais to play against a foreign team defeating Portugal's
Vitória de Setúbal Vitoria or Vitória may refer to : People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Steven Vitória (b ...
in
Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
in 1929. Over the following decades, the club played friendlies against foreign sides, including national teams, and in 1950 went on its first
European tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...
, during which it played ten games in five countries. Having taken place soon after the traumatic Maracanazo, the tour and Atlético's results, many of which were achieved in adverse weather, including snow, were seen by national sports media as a historic achievement for
Brazilian football Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and a prominent part of the country’s national identity. The Brazil national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Brazil ...
itself. The first continental competition organised by
CONMEBOL The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL, , or CSF; es, Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol; pt, Confederação Sul-Americana de Futebol) is the continental governing body of football in South America (apart from Guyana, Suri ...
, the governing body of
football in South America Football is considered one of the greatest sports in South America. Football was first introduced to the continent during the nineteenth century, as part of the worldwide diffusion of British culture initiated by the British diaspora and subsequen ...
, was the
1960 Copa Libertadores The 1960 Copa de Campeones de América was the first season of the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores, CONMEBOL's premier club tournament. Seven association's clubs entered the first competition, with three not sending a representative. The first match of ...
. Before this official tournament, Chilean club
Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has played ...
's President Robinson Alvarez had the idea for a
South American Championship of Champions The South American Championship of Champions ( es, Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones, pt, Campeonato Sul-Americano de Campeões) was a football competition played in Santiago, Chile in 1948 and the first continental-wide football tournament in ...
, which was eventually held in
Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
in 1948. In 1958, the new CONMEBOL president, José Ramos de Freitas, contacted South American football associations intending to introduce an annual competition for clubs on the continent. The following year, at a CONMEBOL congress in
Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
, the creation of a South American Champions Cup was decided, renamed as
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
in honour of the heroes of South American liberation. From 1959 to 1968 the champions and runners-up of the
Taça Brasil The Taça Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) was the Brazilian national football championship contested from 1959 to 1968. Bahia, Cruzeiro and Botafogo were the only champions to have played all phases of the tournament, because until the 1968 edition tea ...
were the Brazilian representatives in the Copa Libertadores; the national competition had been created with the purpose of selecting the country's entrants in the continental tournament. Brazilian clubs did not enter the
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
,
1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
or
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
editions of the competition, and in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
the champion and runner-up of the
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa The Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as Taça de Prata, or nicknamed Robertão, was an association football competition contested in Brazil between 1967 and 1970 among soccer teams from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Minas ...
filled Brazil's berths. From 1972 to 1989, the champions and runners-up of the Campeonato Brasileiro became the representatives; from 1990 to 1999, the champions of the
Copa do Brasil The Copa do Brasil ( en, Brazil Cup) is a knockout football competition played by 92 teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de ...
, the national cup, occupied the second Brazilian berth. Copa Libertadores saw an increase in the number of participating teams in 2000, and since then the runners-up, and other best-placed teams in the Brasileiro, also qualify for the continental tournament. Copa Libertadores was the only continental competition in South America until the creation of the
Supercopa Libertadores The Supercopa Libertadores (English: ''Libertadores Supercup''), also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a Association football, football club competition contested annually betw ...
in 1988, and the
Recopa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana ( pt, CONMEBOL Recopa Sul-Americana), known also as the Recopa Sudamericana or CONMEBOL Recopa, and simply as the Recopa (, ; "Winners' Cup"), is an annual international club association football, football compe ...
in 1989. The first was contested between past champions of the main continental tournament, while the second was played by the winners of the Libertadores and the Supercopa of the previous year. In 1992,
Copa CONMEBOL The Copa CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football cont ...
was established, being a competition for the best-placed clubs in the national leagues that did not qualify for the Copa Libertadores. Other ''Copas'' were also created by the continental confederation in the 1990s, some of them with a single game, mainly contested between past winners of the previous competitions.
Copa Mercosur The Copa Mercosur (, pt, Copa Mercosul , "Mercosur Cup") was a football competition played from 1998 to 2001 by the traditional top clubs from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. The competition was created by CONMEBOL to generate TV m ...
and the
Copa Merconorte The Copa Merconorte () was an international football competition organized by CONMEBOL from 1998 to 2001 by clubs from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela and starting in 2000 clubs from the CONCACAF confederation were invited in ...
replaced the Supercopa in 1998, and eventually absorbed Copa CONMEBOL in 2000. The two competitions were replaced by the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
in 2002, which remains active as the second-most important tournament on the continent. From 1960 to 2004, CONMEBOL and
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
, the administrative body of European football, jointly organised the Intercontinental Cup, a competition between the winners of the Copa Libertadores and the
European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
(the later UEFA Champions League). It was replaced in 2005 by the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 200 ...
(which had a pilot edition in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
), a worldwide event contested between the winners of the continental competitions of all six continental confederations.


History


Early appearances (1972–1981)

Atlético Mineiro's first participated in the Copa Libertadores in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
, having qualified as champion of the inaugural Campeonato Brasileiro in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
. In the first stage, Atlético was drawn in Group 3, along with Paraguayan clubs Olimpia and
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its presi ...
, and fellow Brazilian club
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, runner-up of the Brasileiro. Atlético failed to advance to the second stage, after drawing four games and losing one to Cerro Porteño. A match against Olimpia in Paraguay was abandoned in the 84th minute at 2–2, because Atlético had five players sent off; the points were awarded to the Paraguayan club. According to Atlético left-back Oldair, Olimpia played a violent game, and at one point Atlético's players decided to reciprocate. They were subsequently attacked and beaten by local police. Atlético did not participate in the Copa Libertadores again until
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, when it qualified after finishing as runner-up to São Paulo in the 1977 Brasileirão. The Brazilian clubs were again drawn into Group 3, this time with Chilean clubs as opposition:
Unión Española Club Unión Española S.A.D.P. is a professional association football, football club based in the Independencia, Chile, Independencia neighborhood, commune of Santiago, Chile. They currently participate in the Chilean Primera Division, Primera D ...
and
Palestino Club Deportivo Palestino is a professional football club based in the city of Santiago, Chile. The club was founded in 1920 and plays in the Primera División de Chile. They play their home games at the Estadio Municipal de La Cisterna stadium ...
. Atlético qualified for the second stage undefeated, with four wins and two ties. In the semi-finals, then played as a group stage with three teams, the club faced
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
and River Plate from Argentina. Atlético won only one match, against River, and Boca advanced to the competition finals, which it went on to win. After a two-year absence from the Copa Libertadores, Atlético qualified for the
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
edition as runner-up of the 1980 Campeonato Brasileiro, which it had lost to
Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football t ...
. The refereeing in the finals had been controversial, as Atlético forward Reinaldo was sent off with a straight
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or d ...
after scoring a
brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...
. Brazil's representatives were once again drawn into Group 3, together with Olimpia and Cerro Porteño, whom Atlético faced for a second time in a group stage of the Libertadores. The two encounters between the Brazilian clubs ended 2–2, and both won two and drew two matches against the Paraguayans, meaning Atlético and Flamengo were tied on points. According to the competition's rules, a
one-game playoff A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff, tiebreaker game or knockout game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a ...
in a neutral stadium had to be played between the clubs to decide which one would advance to the semifinals. The playoff match was played at
Serra Dourada Stadium Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil *Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area *Ampa ...
, in
Goiânia Goiânia (; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Goiás. With a population of 1,536,097, it is the second-largest city in the Central-West Region and the 10th-largest in the country. Its metropolitan area has a population ...
, a venue selected by Flamengo. Atlético elected the
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
,
José Roberto Wright José Roberto Ramiz Wright, also known as José Roberto Wright or José Ramiz Wright (born September 7, 1944 in Rio de Janeiro), is a former Brazilian football referee. He supervised four matches during the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. He is a ...
who, until the match, was considered the best in the country. At the 33rd minute of the match, Atlético forward and star player Reinaldo received a straight red card from the referee after fouling Flamengo's Zico, in what was described by the press as a "normal" foul and "without much violence". After the foul, Atlético player Éder was sent off for complaining, and the game was stopped. A turmoil started, and Atlético players Palhinha and Chicão were also sent off for insulting the referee. Left with seven players, Atlético's goalkeeper João Leite claimed he was injured when the match was restarted, but Wright did not stop the game. Atlético defender Osmar then held the ball with his hands, preventing the restart, and was also sent off. The match ended as a goalless draw at the 37-minute mark because Atlético had fewer than seven players on the field. The result meant qualification for Flamengo, as it had the best goal difference in the group stage.After the match, Atlético unsuccessfully appealed to a CONMEBOL court for its annulment. According to Wright, Reinaldo's foul was indeed "normal", but he was sent off because of a previous verbal warning. He also stated that Éder, Palhinha and Chicão continued to be undisciplined and that he had to send Éder off to not lose control of the match. The episode and referee Wright's performance were described by Brazilian and South American media at the time as "shameful", "deplorable" and "disgraceful". Flamengo advanced to the semi-finals and went on to win the competition.


First titles and finals (1992–1998)

Atlético only returned to official international football in 1992, taking part in the inaugural edition of the Copa CONMEBOL, a new competition organised by the continental confederation; the club earned a berth in the competition by finishing third in the
1991 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 1991 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 35th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. The competition was won by São Paulo. Santos Futebol Clube's Paulinho McLaren, with 15 goals, was the competition's top goal scorer. Overview It ...
. Copa CONMEBOL was contested among 16 teams, which played two-legged knockout ties. In the first round, Atlético eliminated fellow Brazilian side
Fluminense Fluminense Football Club (), known as Fluminense, is a Brazilian sports club best known for its professional football team that competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football and the Campeonato Carioca, ...
with an aggregate score of 6–3, after a 2–1 away loss and a 5–1 home victory. The team then faced Colombia's
Atlético Junior Club Deportivo Popular Junior F.C. S.A. (), commonly known as Junior de Barranquilla, by its old name Atlético Junior, or simply as Junior, is a Colombian professional football team based in Barranquilla, that currently plays in the Categoría ...
in the quarter-finals, advancing with a 5–2 aggregate score. Ecuadorian side El Nacional was the opponent in the semi-finals, in which Atlético lost the first leg at
Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
by 1–0 and won the second at home by 2–0 to advance. Olimpia, a team which Atlético had already faced in two Copa Libertadores tournaments, was the club's opposition in the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. After a 2–0 home win with a brace by Negrini at the
Mineirão Mineirão (), officially Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto (''Governor Magalhães Pinto Stadium'') is the largest football stadium in the state of Minas Gerais. It was established in 1965, and it is located in Belo Horizonte. It served as a ...
, and a 1–0 away defeat at the
Defensores del Chaco Estadio Defensores del Chaco is a multi-purpose stadium in Asunción, Paraguay. It is currently used mostly for association football, football matches. The stadium once had a 50,000+ capacity, however over the years the stadium has undergone rem ...
, Atlético won its first official international trophy.
Aílton Ailton is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Arts and Entertainment * Ailton Krenak (born 1954), Brazilian writer and journalist * Ailton Graça (born 1964), Brazilian actor Religion * Ailton Menegussi (born 1962), Brazilian bisho ...
, an Atlético forward, scored six goals in the competition and was its top goalscorer. As the 1992 Copa CONMEBOL winner, Atlético Mineiro qualified for the following year's edition of the competition, and for the 1993 edition of the
Copa de Oro The Copa de Oro (English: ''Gold Cup'', Portuguese: ''Copa Ouro''), or Copa de Oro Nicolás Leoz, was a football cup winners' cup competition contested on 3 occasions by the most recent winners of all CONMEBOL continental competitions. These inclu ...
, a new tournament organised by CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of all the continental competitions of the previous year:
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
, Copa CONMEBOL,
Supercopa Libertadores The Supercopa Libertadores (English: ''Libertadores Supercup''), also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a Association football, football club competition contested annually betw ...
, and
Copa Master de Supercopa The Copa Master de Supercopa was a football competition contested by clubs that had previously won the Supercopa Libertadores. It was organized by CONMEBOL and only played in 1992 and 1995. A third edition was scheduled to be played in 1998 but th ...
. In the Copa de Oro, Atlético faced its biggest rivals Cruzeiro in the semi-final, played as a single match at the Mineirão, the home stadium for both clubs, in front of a crowd of both teams' fans. The game ended 0–0, and Atlético advanced to its second continental finals after winning a
penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
by 5–4. The team faced the Boca Juniors in the finals, and finished as runner-up after drawing the first leg 0–0 at the Mineirão, and losing the second 1–0 at
La Bombonera The Alberto José Armando Stadium is a football stadium located in La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Widely known as La Bombonera (; en, The chocolate box) due to its shape, with a "flat" stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands rou ...
. In the Copa CONMEBOL, Atlético again eliminated Fluminense in the first round (this time in a penalty shootout), and defeated Peru's Sipesa in the quarter-finals with an aggregate score of 2–1. Atlético club was eliminated in the semi-finals by
Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...
, the eventual winner of the tournament, after winning the first leg 3–1 at home, but losing the second 3–0.Absent from continental football for one season, Atlético Mineiro returned to the Copa CONMEBOL in the 1995 edition, qualifying after finishing fourth in the 1994 Brasileiro. The team eliminated Brazil's Guarani in the first stage with an aggregate score of 2–1, before defeating Venezuelan club
Mineros de Guayana Asociación Civil Club Deportivo Mineros de Guayana, known as Mineros de Guayana or simply Mineros, is a professional football club based in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. History The Colegio Loyola Gumilla's field, located in Puerto Ordaz, was used ...
, with a club record home (6–0) and aggregate (10–0) win scores. In the semi-finals, Atlético faced Colombia's
América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...
, and advanced after winning a penalty shootout by 4–3, following a 4–3 away defeat, and a 1–0 home win. In its second Copa CONMEBOL final, Atlético faced Argentine side
Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the Englis ...
, and secured a significant advantage in the series with a 4–0 win at the Mineirão. However, in the second leg of the finals played in the Gigante de Arroyito, Atlético suffered a shocking 4–0 defeat, with a goal scored by Rosario at the 87th minute. The title was decided on penalties, with a 4–3 score favouring Central. In the following year, Atlético took part in the
Copa Master de CONMEBOL The Copa Masters CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Masters Cup, pt, Copa Master da Conmebol or Supercopa Conmebol) was a football club competition contested by the 4 past winners of the Copa CONMEBOL at the time. The cup is one of the many inter-South Ameri ...
, a single-edition competition contested in
Cuiabá Cuiabá () is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. It is located near the geographical centre of South America. Also, it forms the metropolitan area of Mato Grosso, along with the neighbouring town of Várzea Grande. The city' ...
between the past winners of the Copa CONMEBOL: Atlético, Botafogo, São Paulo, and Rosario Central. Only a few months after the previous year's defeat, Atlético faced Central again, this time winning 10–9 on penalties after a 0–0 draw. Atlético lost to São Paulo 3–0 in the final match, played at the
Verdão Estádio Governador José Fragelli, usually known as Verdão, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cuiabá, Brazil. The stadium, used mostly for football matches, holds 40,000, and was built in 1976. It was replaced by a new stadium in the city, seati ...
. After finishing third in the
1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 1996 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A was the 40th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, was played between August 8 and December 15, 1996. It had 24 teams and divided into two stages. In the first one, every team played against each o ...
, Atlético Mineiro qualified for the
1997 Copa CONMEBOL The 1997 Copa CONMEBOL was the sixth edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Eighteen teams from the ten South American football confederations qualified for ...
. Their opponent in the first stage was Série A runner-up Portuguesa, which had eliminated Atlético in the semi-finals of the national championship. This time, Atlético eliminated Portuguesa with a 4–1 aggregate score. In the quarter-finals, the team faced and eliminated América de Cali for a second time in its history. The opposition in the semi-finals was Peru's
Universitario Club Universitario de Deportes, popularly known as Universitario or simply as La "U", is a Peruvian football club located in Lima. The club was founded in 1924 under the name Federación Universitaria by students of the National University of S ...
, defeated by Atlético with a 6–0 aggregate score. Atlético then faced an Argentine team in a continental
final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
for the third time. With title holders
Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan ...
as the opponent, Atlético took the lead in the series with a 4–1 away win at
La Fortaleza La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Pala ...
in
Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan ...
. After the match, Atlético players and staff were trapped against the fence surrounding the pitch and attacked by Lanús players and supporters. Among the players and staff injured in the confrontation, Atlético head coach
Emerson Leão Emerson may refer to: People * Emerson (surname), a surname (and list of people with that name) * Emerson (given name), a given name (and list of people with that name) Places Australia *Emerson Crossing, a place in Adelaide Canada * Emerson, Ma ...
had to undergo surgery after being hit in the face. The second leg was played at the Mineirão, and this time the team's advantage was secured with a 1–1 draw, and Atlético won its second international title undefeated. Atlético forward
Valdir Valdir is a given name, most commonly used in Brazil. It may refer to: * Valdir Azevedo (1923–1980), Brazilian conductor * Valdir (footballer, born 1943), Brazilian football defender * Valdir Benedito (born 1965), Brazilian footballer * Valdir ...
was the top scorer of the competition with seven goals. As champion of the 1997 edition, the club qualified for the
1998 Copa CONMEBOL The 1998 Copa CONMEBOL was the seventh edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Sixteen teams from the ten South American football confederations qualified for ...
. Atlético eliminated Paraguayan side Cerro Corá on penalties in the first round, and Bolivia's
Jorge Wilstermann Jorge Wilstermann (; 23 April 1910 – 17 January 1936) was the first Bolivian commercial pilot. The son of a mechanic who worked for Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, Wilstermann took an interest in aviation, and became Bolivia's first civilian aviator. J ...
in the quarterfinals with a 4–1 aggregate score. In the semi-finals, Atlético faced Rosario Central for a third time in continental football, and was eliminated after a 1–1 draw at the Gigante de Arroyito and a 1–0 defeat at home. It was the last time the club participated in the Copa CONMEBOL, as the competition's final edition was played in 1999, and Atlético did not qualify.


Sudamericana years (2000–2011)

Atlético did not take part in any continental competitions in 1999, but as Série A runner-up in that year the club qualified for the
2000 Copa Libertadores The 2000 edition of the Copa Libertadores was the 41st in the tournament's history. It was held between February 15 and June 21. Thirty-two teams participated in this event. First round *Teams in green qualified to the next round Group 1 Grou ...
and the
2000 Copa Mercosur The Copa Mercosur 2000 was the 3rd staging of the international club cup. The competition started on 1 August 2000 and concluded on 20 December 2000 with Vasco da Gama beating Palmeiras in the final. Participants * Atlético Mineiro * Corinthia ...
. The latter was a new continental competition introduced in 1998, which eventually replaced both the Copa CONMEBOL and the Supercopa Libertadores for clubs in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In its return to the Copa Libertadores after nineteen years, Atlético was drawn in Group 8, with Bolivian
Club Bolívar Club Bolívar () is a Bolivian professional football club that currently plays in the Bolivian Primera División. Founded in 1925 in honor of Venezuelan military leader Simón Bolívar, it is the most successful and popular club in the history of ...
, Uruguayan side Bella Vista, and Chile's
Cobreloa Club de Deportes Cobreloa S.A.D.P. (), commonly referred to as Cobreloa, is a Chilean football professional club based in Calama, Región de Antofagasta, Chile. That competes in the Primera B. The club's home ground is the Estadio Zorros del ...
. Atlético's form in the group stage was erratic, but enough to ensure qualification for the next stage in second place. The team won its three home matches, which included a joint-record 6–0 victory against Cobreloa, and lost the three away ones, also with a joint-record, a 4–0 defeat against Bolívar. In the round of 16, the team faced Brazilian side
Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...
, which it eliminated by a score of 5–3 in a penalty shootout, after winning 1–0 at home and losing 2–1 away. The team's opponent in the quarter-finals was
Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
, winner of the previous year's Série A finals over Atlético. After drawing 1–1 at the Mineirão, Atlético was defeated 2–1 in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
and eliminated. In the Copa Mercosur, Atlético was drawn into Group E, with fellow Brazilian club
Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
, Uruguay's
Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neigh ...
and
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
from Argentina. The team qualified for the quarter-finals as first in the group, winning four games, drawing one with Peñarol, and losing only one to eventual champions Vasco. In the quarter-finals, Atlético eliminated Boca Juniors, winning 2–0 at the Mineirão, and drawing 2–2 at La Bombonera. The opposition in the semi-finals was
Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
, winner of the
1999 Copa Libertadores The 1999 Copa Libertadores was the 40th edition of the Copa Libertadores, South America's premier club championship. It was held between February 21 and June 16. Palmeiras became the champions after beating Deportivo Cali on penalties for the fi ...
and runner-up of the 1999 Mercosur. Atlético lost both legs, by 4–1 in São Paulo and 2–0 at home, and was eliminated. Atlético Mineiro did not qualify for any continental competitions in 2001 or 2002, a season in which Brazil did not have representatives in the first edition of Copa Sudamericana, the new cup which replaced Copa Mercosur and Copa Merconorte. The club qualified for the
2003 Copa Sudamericana The 2003 Copa Nissan Sudamericana was the second edition of CONMEBOL's new international club tournament. It was won by Peruvian club Cienciano, who won the first international trophy for their club and the country. They also qualified to play in ...
, taking part in a single round-robin preliminary group stage for Brazilian clubs, with Fluminense and Corinthians. Atlético defeated the latter 2–0 in São Paulo, but lost to the former 2–0 at home, and did not qualify for the second preliminary stage. The club became a regular participant in the Copa Sudamericana in the 2000s, but failed to advance from the Brazilian preliminary round in most tournaments. In
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, Atlético fell to
Goiás Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
with a 4–2 away loss and a 1–1 home draw. Going through a bad period in its history, which included relegation in 2005, the club was absent from continental football for three years between 2005 and 2007. Following its return to the Série A in
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, the team finished eighth in the league and earned a spot in the following year's Copa Sudamericana, but was eliminated in the first stage, after losing 8–3 on aggregate against Botafogo. In the 2009 edition, Atlético again fell to Goiás in the first stage, this time on penalties. After finishing in seventh place in the 2009 Série A, Atlético qualified for the
2010 Copa Sudamericana The 2010 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes (officially the 2010 Copa Nissan Sudamericana de Clubes for sponsorship reasons) was the 9th edition of CONMEBOL's secondary international club tournament. The winner qualified for the 2011 Copa Libertadores, ...
, and advanced from the second preliminary stage by eliminating Grêmio Prudente after drawing 0–0 and winning 1–0. Atlético then faced Colombian side Santa Fe in the round of 16, winning the first leg by 2–0 and losing the second 1–0 to advance. Palmeiras was the opponent in the quarter-finals, and Atlético was eliminated with a 1–1 draw at home and a 2–0 defeat at São Paulo. The club also took part in the
2011 Copa Sudamericana The 2011 Copa Sudamericana de Clubes (officially the 2011 Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana de Clubes for sponsorship reasons) was the 10th edition of the Copa Sudamericana, South America's secondary international club football tournament organize ...
, again falling to Botafogo in the preliminary stage with two losses.


Libertadores winner and regular (2013–2021)

After an unsuccessful season in the national league in
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, where it did not qualify for the following season's continental tournaments, Atlético finished as runner-up in the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro, qualifying for the Copa Libertadores for the first time in twelve years. The team entered the competition in the second stage, and was drawn into Group 3, together with Argentine club
Arsenal de Sarandí An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Bolivia's
The Strongest Club The Strongest is a Bolivian professional football club based in La Paz, that currently plays in the Bolivian Primera División. Founded in 1908, their team colours are yellow and black. Although they have a home ground, Estadio Rafae ...
, and São Paulo once again. With a squad composed of
Ronaldinho Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Wide ...
,
João Alves de Assis Silva (born 20 March 1987), known as Jô () or João Alves, is a Brazilian professional footballer. He has previously played for Nagoya Grampus, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Everton, Galatasaray, Internacional, Atlétic ...
,
Diego Tardelli Diego Tardelli Martins (born 10 May 1985), known as Diego Tardelli, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is considered a dynamic player due to his speed on attack and individual skills. ''Tardelli'' is not his last ...
,
Bernard Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...
and a returning
Gilberto Silva Gilberto Aparecido da Silva (; born 7 October 1976) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder most notably for English Premier League club Arsenal, Super League club Panathinaikos F.C., Clube Atlétic ...
, Atlético dominated the group, winning its first five matches. São Paulo inflicted the team's only loss in the last match, but Atlético had already secured the best performance of the competition's group stage, which meant the second legs in further rounds would be played at home. São Paulo, as the worst runner-up of the group stage, was also the team's opponent in the round of 16. Atlético won the first leg, played at the Morumbi, after a 2–1 comeback; in the second leg, played at the Estádio Independência (the club's new first-choice home ground since the previous year), the team won 4–1 with a hat-trick by Jô to advance. Mexico's
Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as '' Xolos'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Tijuana. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloitzcuintle, Hermoso. Founded ...
was the opponent in the quarter-finals, and the first leg, contested in
Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and
< ...
, ended 2–2 with an equaliser goal by Atlético's Luan in injury time. In the second leg, Tijuana opened the scoring but Atlético evened the score in the first half with a goal by the team's captain,
Réver Réver Humberto Alves de Araújo (born 4 January 1985), simply known as Réver, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Atlético Mineiro. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a defensive midfielder. He has won the Bola de P ...
. An iconic moment for the club occurred when a penalty kick was awarded to Tijuana in injury time. If Duvier Riascos' shot had scored, it would have meant elimination, but it was saved by Atlético's goalkeeper
Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
with his foot. The save, according to sports commentators and supporters, represented the "kicking out" of the club's historic "jinx". In the semi-finals, Atlético faced Argentine champion
Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...
, and lost the first leg 2–0 in
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...
. In the second leg, after an interruption at 1–0 because of a failure in the Independência's floodlights, Atlético made the score 2–0 six minutes into injury time to equalise the series. The team advanced after winning 3–2 on penalties. In the
finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, Atlético faced Olimpia for the second time in a continental decision, and the Paraguayan club won the first leg, played at the Defensores del Chaco, by 2–0. The competition's rules demanded a stadium with at least a capacity of 40,000 for the finals, and the second leg was played at the Mineirão. A Jô goal in the beginning of the second half, and a header by Leonardo Silva at the 87th minute, equalised the aggregate, and the match ended with the same score after extra-time. The title was decided by a penalty shootout, which Atlético Mineiro won 4–3 to claim its first Copa Libertadores trophy. Jô was the top goalscorer in the competition with seven goals, and Victor was selected as the tournament's best goalkeeper. The team's victory also ensured awards for Atlético players at a continental level: Ronaldinho was named
South American Footballer of the Year The Rey del Fútbol de América ("King of Football of America"), often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year, is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar ...
and selected for the continent's ideal team of 2013, along with Bernard, Réver,
Marcos Rocha Marcos Luis Rocha Aquino (born 11 December 1988) is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Palmeiras as a right back. Club career Born in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, Marcos Rocha joined Atlético Mineiro's youth setup in 2005, from hometown's Bel ...
and Jô. As winner of South America's main continental tournament, Atlético won the right to play in the
2013 FIFA Club World Cup The 2013 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the 10th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between t ...
in Morocco, its first official intercontinental competition. However, it was unsuccessful, as Atlético fell in the semi-finals to host club (as Moroccan champions)
Raja Casablanca Raja Club Athletic ( ar, نادي الرجاء الرياضي, Nādī ar-Rajāʾ ar-Riyāḍī, zgh, ⴰⵙⵔⵉⵔ ⵏ ⵕⴰⵊⴰ ⴰⵎⴰⵏⵓⵏ), commonly referred to as Raja CA, Raja Casablanca or simply RCA is a professional Footb ...
in a 3–1 loss. After the unexpected defeat, the team faced the Chinese club, and Asian champion,
Guangzhou Evergrande Guangzhou Football Club, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under the license of the Chinese Football Association. The team is based ...
in the
third place match A third place match, game for third place, bronze medal game or consolation game is a single match that is included in many sporting knockout tournaments to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. The tea ...
, which it won 3–2 with an injury time goal. The Copa Libertadores victory also ensured the club a berth in the 2014 edition of the competition. In that season, Atlético was drawn in Group 4, together with Paraguay's
Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...
, Venezuela's Zamora, and Santa Fe. The team finished the group in first place, with three wins and three draws, and advanced to the knockout stages, where it faced Colombian club
Atlético Nacional Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional association football, football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the countr ...
. Atlético Mineiro lost the first leg 1–0 in
Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
and scored 1–0 in the second leg at home, but a goal in the 87th minute by Atlético Nacional meant elimination. Atlético also took part in the
2014 Recopa Sudamericana The 2014 Recopa Sudamericana (officially the 2014 Recopa Santander Sudamericana for sponsorship reasons) was the 22nd edition of the Recopa Sudamericana, the football competition organized by CONMEBOL between the winners of the previous season's ...
its first appearance in the competition, contested between the champions of the Libertadores and the Sudamericana. The club again faced Lanús in a continental final, and won the first leg 1–0 in Argentina. Despite scoring first in the second leg at the Mineirão, Atlético suffered a comeback, and the aggregate score was 3–3 after 90 minutes. In extra-time, two
own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
s by Lanús players gave Atlético the title, with an aggregate score of 5–3. Atlético qualified for the
2015 Copa Libertadores The 2015 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2015 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 56th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL ...
after winning the
2014 Copa do Brasil The 2014 Copa do Brasil (officially the 2014 Copa Sadia do Brasil for sponsorship reasons) was the 26th edition of the Copa do Brasil football competition. The competition was contested by 87 teams, either qualified through participating their re ...
over rivals Cruzeiro. Unlike in previous years, the team struggled in the group stage, where it was drawn in Group 1 with Chilean side Colo-Colo, Mexico's
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
, and Santa Fe again. Atlético qualified for the following stage in second place, and was eliminated in the round of 16 by Brazilian club
Internacional Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the Brazilian league, as well as in Campeonato ...
, with a 2–2 draw in the first leg in Belo Horizonte and a 3–1 loss in
Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...
. The club qualified for the
2016 Copa Libertadores The 2016 Copa Libertadores de América (officially the 2016 Copa Bridgestone Libertadores for sponsorship reasons) was the 57th edition of the Copa Libertadores de América, South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. ...
, after finishing as runner-up in the
2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Brasileirão Chevrolet 2015 for sponsorship reasons) was the 59th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top-level of professional football in Brazil. After winning twice in a ro ...
. Through its position in a new Copa Libertadores ranking introduced by CONMEBOL, Atlético was seeded in Pot 1 for the 2016 edition, and joined in Group 5 by Colo-Colo, Peruvian champions Melgar, and Ecuador's
Independiente del Valle Club de Alto Rendimiento Especializado Independiente del Valle, known simply as Independiente del Valle, is a professional football club based in Sangolquí, Ecuador, that currently plays in the Ecuadorian Serie A. Founded in 1958, the club play ...
. After advancing as first in its group, the team eliminated Argentina's
Racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
in the round of 16, with a goalless draw at El Cilindro, and a 2–1 victory at home. Atlético fell to São Paulo in the quarter-finals on
away goals The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
, after losing 1–0 at the Morumbi, and winning 2–1 at the Independência. In the 2017 edition of Libertadores, Atlético Mineiro was drawn in group 6, facing Libertad, Godoy Cruz and
Sport Boys Sport Boys Association, commonly referred to as Sport Boys or simply Boys, is a Peruvian football club based in the port city of Callao. It was founded on 28 July 1927. Its classic and historic rival is the Atlético Chalaco against whom dispute ...
. With 13 points, he was the overall leader of the tournament, earning the right to play the knockout games at home. However, right in the round of 16, Atlético stopped in
Jorge Wilstermann Jorge Wilstermann (; 23 April 1910 – 17 January 1936) was the first Bolivian commercial pilot. The son of a mechanic who worked for Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, Wilstermann took an interest in aviation, and became Bolivia's first civilian aviator. J ...
steam, in the aggregate score of 0–1. In 2018, Atlético returned to play in an edition of the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
, but in the first phase, it fell to the
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...
team in the aggregate score of 0–1. In 2019, the rooster competes again in Libertadores, this time the
Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
team enters the second phase, defeating the
Danubio Danubio Fútbol Club is a Uruguayan football club based in Jardines del Hipódromo, Montevideo that currently plays in the Uruguayan Primera División. Founded in 1932, the club's home stadium is Jardines del Hipódromo, which has a capacity o ...
(5–4) and eliminating another Uruguayan team in the third phase, this time
Defensor Sporting Defensor Sporting Club is a sports club based in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1913, Defensor has several sports sections, with football and basketball being the most important and the ones in which the club has achieved significant achievemen ...
(2–0) . In the group stage, Atlético fell into group E, along with
Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...
,
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its presi ...
and Zamora. With a campaign of only 2 wins and 4 losses, the club was in third position and was relocated to the Copa Sudamericana. In the competition, he reached the semifinals, passing in the second phase by Union La Calera (1 (3)–(2) 1),
Botafogo Botafogo (local/standard alternative Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a beachfront neighborhood (''bairro'') in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a mostly upper middle class and small commerce community, and is located between the hills of M ...
(3–0) in the round of 16,
La Equidad Club Deportivo La Equidad Seguros, also known as La Equidad, is a professional Colombian football team based in Bogotá, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. They play their home games at the Metropolitano de Techo stadium. History ...
(5–2) in the quarters, falling only to the Colón (3 (3)–(4) 3). In the 2020 edition, Atlético once again competes for the Sudamericana and is once again eliminated in the first phase, this time for Unión (2–3). In 2021, Atlético returns to Libertadores, where it fell in group H, alongside
Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its presi ...
,
América de Cali América de Cali S. A., best known as América de Cali or América, is a Colombian professional football club based in Cali. It competes in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight league of Colombian football. The team plays its home games at ...
and
Deportivo La Guaira Deportivo La Guaira (formerly known as Real Esppor) is a professional Football (soccer), football club promoted to the Primera División Venezolana, Venezuelan league in 2009, based in La Guaira but playing its home games in Caracas at the Estadi ...
. With 16 points accumulated, the team once again took the overall lead of the tournament, playing all the knockout stages at home. In the eighth and quarter finals, he passed Argentine rivals
Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
(0 (3)–(1) 0) and River Plate (4–0), respectively. In the semifinals, they ended up being eliminated by
Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
by 1–1 on the scoreboard, giving the
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
team the advantage of the away goal.


In search of new glories (2022–)

After being crowned
2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Brasileirão Assaí 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was the 65th season of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top level of professional football in Brazil, and the 18th edition in a doubl ...
and the
2021 Copa do Brasil The 2021 Copa do Brasil (officially the Copa Intelbras do Brasil 2021 for sponsorship reasons) was the 33rd edition of the Copa do Brasil football competition. It was held between 9 March and 15 December 2021. The competition was contested by 92 ...
, Atlético Mineiro, started the
2022 Copa Libertadores The 2022 Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores was the 63rd edition of the CONMEBOL Libertadores (also referred to as the ''Copa Libertadores''), South America's premier club football tournament organized by CONMEBOL. On 14 May 2020, CONMEBOL announced t ...
, with a victory over the Colombians of Tolima. Following, the rooster drew with rivals
América Mineiro The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
at
Mineirão Mineirão (), officially Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto (''Governor Magalhães Pinto Stadium'') is the largest football stadium in the state of Minas Gerais. It was established in 1965, and it is located in Belo Horizonte. It served as a ...
and the Ecuadorians at
Independiente del Valle Club de Alto Rendimiento Especializado Independiente del Valle, known simply as Independiente del Valle, is a professional football club based in Sangolquí, Ecuador, that currently plays in the Ecuadorian Serie A. Founded in 1958, the club play ...
, but won both in the return matches 2–1 and 3–1, respectively. In the last round, Atlético beat Tolima 2–1 at home and, with that, ended a sequence of 18 games without losing in the competition, but qualified first in the group. In the first game of the Round of 16, away from home, they reached a draw against Emelec from
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
, but on the way back, the ''Galo'' won 1–0, with a penalty goal from striker
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
and qualified for the Quarter-finals. Against
Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
, in the first leg, at home, Atlético opened 2–0 on the scoreboard, but suffered a tie in stoppage time. In the return game, the game ended in a 0–0 tie and
Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...
won 6–5 on penalties, eliminating Atlético Mineiro in
Libertadores ''Libertadores'' (, "Liberators") were the principal leaders of the Spanish American wars of independence from Spain and of the movement in support of Brazilian independence from Portugal. They are named that way in contrast with the ''Conquistado ...
.


Records


Team and players

*First match: Atlético Mineiro 2–2
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, Copa Libertadores, 30 January 1972 *First goal scored:
Wanderley Paiva Wanderley Paiva Monteiro (born 7 April 1946), commonly known as Wanderley Paiva or as Vanderlei Paiva, is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player. He was a defensive midfielder who played mostly for Atlético Mineiro, and also ...
, against São Paulo *Biggest home win: :*Atlético Mineiro 6–0 Mineros, Copa CONMEBOL, 14 November 1995 :*Atlético Mineiro 6–0 Cobreloa, Copa Libertadores, 5 April 2000 *Biggest away win: Mineros 0–4 Atlético Mineiro, Copa CONMEBOL, 21 November 1995 *Biggest home defeat: Atlético Mineiro 2–5 Botafogo, Copa Sudamericana, 27 August 2008 *Biggest away defeat: :*Rosario Central 4–0 Atlético Mineiro, Copa CONMEBOL, 19 December 1995 :*Bolívar 4–0 Atlético Mineiro, Copa Libertadores, 22 March 2000 *Highest home attendance: 60,116, against Olimpia in the 1992 Copa CONMEBOL *Most appearances:
Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, 41 *Most goals scored:
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...
, 12 ;Key *E = Entries *P = Matches played *W = Matches won *D = Matches drawn *L = Matches lost *GF = Goals for *GA = Goals against *GD = Goal difference *GS = Group stage *PR = Preliminary round *R1 = First round *R2 = Second round *R16 = Round of 16 *QF = Quarter-finals *SF = Semi-finals


By season


By competition


By country


Finals

''Atlético Mineiro goals always listed first.''


See also

*
List of CONMEBOL club competition winners The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is the administrative and controlling body for South American association football. It currently organizes four club competitions: the Copa Libertadores, the Copa Sudamericana, the Recopa Suda ...
* Historical table of the Copa Libertadores * Historical table of the Copa Sudamericana *
Historical table of the FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship was first contested as the FIFA Club Worl ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Clube Atlético Mineiro
at
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clube Atletico Mineiro in international football International football Atletico Mineiro