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São Paulo Futebol Clube (), commonly referred to as São Paulo, is a professional football club in the Morumbi district of
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 ...
, Brazil, founded in 1930. It plays in the
Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...
(the
State of São Paulo State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...
's premier
state league The Hallyburton Johnstone Shield is the premier domestic women's one-day cricket competition in New Zealand. The tournament began in 1935–36, as a first-class competition, but is now played as a 50-over competition, with six provincial teams ...
) and Campeonato Brasileiro (the top tier of the
Brazilian football league system The Brazilian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Brazil. It consists of several independent pyramids, which are the national pyramid and the states pyramids. As these pyramids are independent, clu ...
). It is one of just three clubs to have never been relegated from the Série A, alongside
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 ...
and Santos. São Paulo is one of the most successful teams in Brazil with 22 state titles, 6 '' Brasileirão'' titles, 3 Copa Libertadores titles, 1 Copa Sudamericana, 1
Supercopa Libertadores The Supercopa Libertadores (English: ''Libertadores Supercup''), also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually between 1988 and 1997 by t ...
, 1
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 contes ...
, 1 Copa Masters CONMEBOL, 2 Recopa Sudamericanas, 2 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. São Paulo was an inaugural member of the ''
Clube dos 13 Clube dos 13 (Club of the 13) was the organization responsible for representing the interest of the most powerful football clubs of Brazil, including members from several football state federations such as Federação Paulista de Futebol, Federaç ...
'', group of Brazil's leading
football clubs A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
. The club's most consistent spell of success came in the 1990s under coach
Telê Santana Telê Santana da Silva, also known as Telê Santana (July 26, 1931 – April 21, 2006) was a Brazilian football manager and former player ( right winger). He was born in Itabirito, Minas Gerais. Telê was the manager responsible for putting ...
when it won 2 state titles, one national championship, 2 Copa Libertadores, 2 Recopa Sudamericanas, 2 Intercontinental Cups, 1 Supercopa Sudamericana, 1 Copa CONMEBOL and 1 Copa Masters CONMEBOL. Its
youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if ...
revealed many players known worldwide, including
Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
, the last Brazilian to win the
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...
. São Paulo is the third best-supported club in Brazil, with over 12 million supporters. The team's traditional home kit is a white shirt with two horizontal stripes (one red and one black), white shorts, and white socks. Its home ground is the 72,039-seater Morumbi football stadium in São Paulo, where it has played since 1960. The stadium was the venue for the Copa Libertadores finals of 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006.


History


1930–1934: Origins: "São Paulo da Floresta" ("São Paulo of the Forest")

São Paulo FC was founded on 25 January 1930 by 60 former officials, players, members, and friends of the football clubs
Club Athletico Paulistano Club Athletico Paulistano –generally known as just Paulistano– is a sports and social club from the Brazilian metropolis São Paulo located in the quarter of Jardim América, close to the city. The club was founded on 29 December 1900 for ...
and
Associação Atlética das Palmeiras Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, A. A. das Palmeiras or simply AA das Palmeiras was a football club based in São Paulo, Brazil. Founded on November 9, 1902, its colors were black and white. It was São Paulo champion of three times: 1909, 19 ...
of São Paulo. Club Athletico Paulistano, founded in 1900 and one of the oldest clubs in town and 11-time champions of São Paulo, abandoned football due to the professionalization of the sport. Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, founded in 1902 and three-time champions of São Paulo, intended after the end of the season 1929 to set up a professional team, but failed to do so. The jerseys of the new club were derived from Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, which were white and sported a black ring across the chest. To the black-and-white of Associação Atlética das Palmeiras was added the red-and-white of Club Athletico Paulistano, and the ring became red, white, and black. Club Athletico Paulistano brought to the union star players Arthur Friedenreich and
Araken Patusca Araken Patusca (17 July 1905 – 24 January 1990) was a Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. He was born in Santos. Throughout his career (1923–1937), he played for Santos FC, Club Athletico Paulistano, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo ...
. Associação Atlética das Palmeiras' contribution was the stadium Estádio da Floresta, generally known as ''Chácara da Floresta''. Internal arguments and turmoil led to financial problems. The club merged with Clube de Regatas Tietê, another sports club from the town, and the football department was disbanded on 14 May 1935.


1935–1939: The rebirth of São Paulo FC

Just after the merger with Tietê, the founders and re-founders created the Grêmio Tricolor, which formed Clube Atlético São Paulo on 4 June 1935, and, finally, São Paulo Futebol Clube on 16 December of the same year. The new club's first game was against
Portuguesa Santista Portuguesa is a Portuguese, Catalan, and Spanish feminine adjective meaning "Portuguese". It may also refer to: Places *Portuguesa (state), one of the 23 states of Venezuela * Portuguesa (Rio de Janeiro), a neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ...
on 25 January 1936. The match was almost cancelled, owing to the city's anniversary, but Porphyrio da Paz, the football director and composer of the club's anthem, obtained permission from the Board of Education Office for the game to continue. Another merger occurred in 1938, this time with Clube Atlético Estudantes Paulista, from the neighborhood of Moóca, and the club finished as runners-up in the Campeonato Paulista.


1940–1950: "The Steam Roller"

In 1940, when the
Estádio do Pacaembu Estádio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho, colloquially known as Estádio do Pacaembu (), is an Art Deco stadium in São Paulo, located in the Pacaembu neighborhood. The stadium is owned by the Municipal Prefecture of São Paulo. The stadium w ...
was inaugurated, a new era began in
São Paulo state SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...
football. São Paulo Futebol Clube finished as runners-up once again in the Campeonato Paulista in 1941, and a year later the club paid 200 and a year later the club paid 200 contos de réis (equivalent to approximately R$162,000 today) to acquire
Leônidas Leônidas da Silva (; 6 September 1913 – 24 January 2004) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. Leônidas played for Braz ...
from
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 ...
. During this period, São Paulo also acquired the
Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...
António Sastre and
Brazilians Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...
Noronha Noronha is a family name that is found among some aristocratic families in Portugal, and in areas such as Brazil, India, Mozambique, Angola and Macau that were colonized by the Portuguese. The family has its origins in the marriage of Alfonso E ...
,
José Carlos Bauer José Carlos Bauer (21 November 1925 – 4 February 2007), commonly known as Bauer, was a Brazilian football player and manager. Early life Born in São Paulo, he was the son of a Swiss man and an African-Brazilian woman. He was normally a ...
,
Zezé Procópio José Procópio Mendes, best known as ''Zezé Procópio'' (August 12, 1913 in Varginha, Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais State – February 8, 1980 in Valença, Rio de Janeiro State) was an association footballer in midfielder role. In career (1 ...
, Luizinho, Rui and Teixeirinha. With these new additions, ''Tricolor'' became known as the ''Steam Roller'', winning the Paulista championship five times, in 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949. The club sold its Canindé training ground to Portuguesa to raise money for their new stadium, the
Estádio do Morumbi Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, widely known as Morumbi (), is a football stadium located in the eponymous district in São Paulo, Brazil. It is the home of São Paulo Futebol Clube and its formal name honors Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who w ...
, for which construction began in 1952.


1951–1957: The dry spell

The run of success of the 1940s, came to an end in the early 1950s, and the club only won two state championships in the new decade, in 1953 and 1957. The 1957 championship was won with the help of the 35-year-old Brazilian international
Zizinho Thomaz Soares da Silva, also known as Zizinho (; 14 September 1921 – 8 February 2002), was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder for the Brazil national football team. He came to international prominence at the 195 ...
, and Hungarian manager Béla Guttmann, both of them becoming idols. Guttmann took charge of the team in 1957 and won the
São Paulo State Championship The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and ty ...
that year.''Contested Fields; A Global History of Modern Football''
/ref> While in Brazil he helped popularise the 4–2–4 formation, which was subsequently used by
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
as they won the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. In the years that followed, the club struggled to compete with the rise of
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
and his club, Santos. With the construction of the Morumbi stadium still ongoing, São Paulo entered its longest period without a title in its history, which was to last 13 years.


1958–1969: Just the stadium

Since São Paulo's budget planning was focused on the Estádio do Morumbi construction rather than the signing of new players, few expensive players were bought during the 1960s, although the club did acquire Brazilian internationals Roberto Dias and Jurandir. In 1960, the Estádio do Morumbi was inaugurated, named after the late Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, the club's chairman during most of the stadium construction. One of the few happy moments for the fans during this period was the 1963 Paulista Championship 4–1 victory against Pelé's Santos.


1970–1979: Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Championship)

In 1970, the Estádio do Morumbi was finally completed and the club purchased
Gérson Gérson de Oliveira Nunes, generally known as Gérson (; born 11 January 1941 in Niterói), nicknamed ''Canhotinha de ouro'' (literally: Golden left foot), is a Brazilian former association footballer who played as a midfielder. He won numerous ...
from
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 ...
, Uruguayan midfielder Pedro Rocha from
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 striker
Toninho Guerreiro Antônio Ferreira (10 August 1942 – 26 January 1990), usually known as Toninho Guerreiro, was a Brazilian footballer. He played for Santos FC with Pelé as a forward in the 1960s scoring 283 goals in 373 games (.758 goals per game) scor ...
from Santos. The club was managed by
Zezé Moreira Alfredo Moreira Júnior (16 October 1917 – 10 April 1998), usually known as Zezé Moreira, was a Brazilian football player and manager who coached Brazil at the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He has the most coaching appearances in Fluminense's history ...
, who was the manager of
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
at the
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
in
1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
, and won the Paulista Championship after beating Guarani 2–1 in the
Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
a week before the end of the competition. In 1971, the club beat
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 ...
1–0 with a goal from
Toninho Guerreiro Antônio Ferreira (10 August 1942 – 26 January 1990), usually known as Toninho Guerreiro, was a Brazilian footballer. He played for Santos FC with Pelé as a forward in the 1960s scoring 283 goals in 373 games (.758 goals per game) scor ...
in the final to capture another state title. That year saw the inaugural Campeonato Brasileiro, with the club finishing as runners-up to
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 ...
, managed by
Telê Santana Telê Santana da Silva, also known as Telê Santana (July 26, 1931 – April 21, 2006) was a Brazilian football manager and former player ( right winger). He was born in Itabirito, Minas Gerais. Telê was the manager responsible for putting ...
. In the following years, São Paulo and Palmeiras gradually overtook Pelé's Santos and
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 ...
as the dominant club sides in São Paulo state. In 1972, Palmeiras won the state championship title, only one point ahead of São Paulo, and the following year the clubs finished in the same positions in the Brazilian Championship. In 1974, São Paulo took part in 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 ...
losing in the final to Independiente in a replay. In 1975, former goalkeeper José Poy took over as manager, and São Paulo won the Paulista Championship after defeating Portuguesa in a penalty shoot-out.
Valdir Peres Waldir Peres de Arruda (January 2, 1951 – July 23, 2017), known as Waldir Peres, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, in particular with São Paulo and the Brazilian national team. Playing career Club At club level, P ...
, Chicão,
Serginho Chulapa Sérgio Bernardino (born 23 December 1953), known as Serginho Chulapa or simply Serginho, is a Brazilian football coach and retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career São Paulo Born in São Paulo, Serginho was a Sã ...
and
Zé Sérgio José Sérgio Presti (born March 8, 1957 in São Paulo), best known as ''Zé Sérgio'', is a former football (soccer) player who played as a striker. He played for clubs São Paulo (1977–1984), Santos (1984–1986), Vasco da Gama (1986–1987 ...
were the club's most influential players when São Paulo finally secured the Brazilian Championship for the first time in
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
following a penalty shoot-out victory over Atlético Mineiro 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 ...
. However, they failed to win another trophy until the reclaimed the Paulista Championship in 1980.


The 1980s: Tricolor decade

In the 1980s, São Paulo won four Paulista and one Brazilian titles, helped by the impressive central defensive pair of
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
and
Dario Pereyra Dario is a masculine given name, etymologically related to Darius. Given name *Dario Allevi (born 1965), Italian politician *Dario Argento (born 1940), Italian film director * Dario Badinelli (born 1946), Italian triple jumper *Dario Bellezza (1 ...
. 1980 and 1981, the club won the Paulista Championship in successive seasons for the first time since the 1940s. In 1985, the head coach Cilinho introduced to the world the '' Menudos of Morumbi'', a team that included
Paulo Silas Paulo Silas do Prado Pereira (born 27 August 1965), also known as Paulo Silas, Silas Pereira or simply Silas, is a Brazilian football pundit, coach, and former professional player. A former central midfielder, he is now a television pundit ...
, Müller and Sidney, and the club once again won the Paulista Championship. The main striker was
Careca Antônio de Oliveira Filho (born 5 October 1960), better known as Careca (), is a Brazilian former footballer, who was deployed as a forward. During his career, Careca played for several clubs, most notably with Italian side Napoli. He also r ...
, a centre-forward who also played for
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
in the
1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
. The midfield featured Falcão, brought in from Italian club
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
and becoming a big part in winning the Campeonato Paulista in 1985''.'' In
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
, manager
Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms * Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira ...
led the club to its second Brazilian Championship title, defeating Guarani in a penalty shoot-out. In 1987, Dario Pereyra left the club, but in that year the ''Menudos'' team won its last title, another Paulista title. The so-called ''Tricolor Decade'' ended with the 1989 Paulista Championship title and a second-place finish in the Brazilian Championship, when São Paulo lost to
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 ...
in the final match.


1990–1995: The Telê Santana Era, CONMEBOL and Intercontinental cups

In 1990, after a poor start to the campaign in Championship Paulista, Telê Santana was hired as the club's coach, and São Paulo went on to finish runners-up in the Brazilian Championship. In 1991, Santana won his first title after winning the Paulista championship. In 1991, São Paulo won the Brazilian championship after beating
Carlos Alberto Parreira Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira (born 27 February 1943) is a Brazilian former football manager who holds the record for attending the most FIFA World Cup final tournaments as manager with six appearances. He also managed five different national te ...
's
Bragantino Red Bull Bragantino, commonly known as Bragantino, is a Brazilian football club based in Bragança Paulista, São Paulo. It competes in the Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, as well as in the Campeonato Paulista ...
, and the club began a period of consistent achievement both nationally and internationally. The following year they reached the Copa Libertadores final, where they faced
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 ...
of Argentina. São Paulo lost the first leg 1–0, but reversed the scoreline in the second leg in Brazil, and then won the competition in the penalty shoot-out to take the title for the first time. In the same year, in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
the club won its first Intercontinental Cup, beating
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
's
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
2–1. After returning to Brazil, the club beat Palmeiras 2–1 to win its 18th state championship title. In 1993, São Paulo retained the Copa Libertadores, beating Universidad Católica of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
in the finals 5–3 on aggregate, including a 5–1 first leg win. After the competition, influential midfielder
Raí Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira (born 15 May 1965), known as Raí (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He spent the better part of his 15-year career with São Paulo and Paris Saint-Germain, wi ...
left the club. The Copa Libertadores win allowed the club to play 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 ...
that year, beating 1992 Supercopa Libertadores winners and fellow Brazilian side Cruzeiro. The club also won the 1993 Supercopa Libertadores, beating Flamengo on penalties in the final. The Supercopa Libertadores title meant the club has completed an unprecedented CONMEBOL treble (Copa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana, Supercopa Libertadores). São Paulo was able to defend its Intercontinental Cup title again, beating
Fabio Capello Fabio Capello (; born 18 June 1946) is an Italian former professional football manager and player. As a player, Capello represented SPAL 1907, Roma, Milan and Juventus. He played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which ...
's A.C. Milan, Milan 3–2. Müller scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match, from an assist by Toninho Cerezo. This meant the club had completed a quadruple. In 1994, the club reached the 1994 Copa Libertadores Finals, Copa Libertadores finals for the third year in a row, and faced Argentina's Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield, Vélez Sársfield. On this occasion they lost on penalties to the Argentine side at the Morumbi stadium. But by the end of this year, São Paulo won 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 contes ...
, defeating Peñarol of Uruguay in the final.


1996–2004: Post-Telê years

At the beginning of 1996, owing to health issues, Telê Santana left São Paulo, ending the club's golden era. Between 1995 and 2004, the club had fourteen managers. Among the most notable titles during those ten years were the 2000 Paulista Championship and the club's first Torneio Rio-São Paulo, Rio-São Paulo Tournament title in 2001. Rogério Ceni, Júlio Baptista, Luís Fabiano and
Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
were the club's stars. Raí briefly returned to the club between 1998 and 2000, and with him, the club won the Paulista Championship twice, in 1998 and 2000, after beating Corinthians and Santos, respectively. In 2004 São Paulo were back in the Copa Libertadores and reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by underdogs Once Caldas from Colombia. At the end of that year, Émerson Leão was hired as the club's coach. In 2003, São Paulo made a deal with Spanish amateur side Santangelo Club Aficionado that resulted in the Spanish club changing its name to ''São Paulo Madrid''.


2005–2009: Three Brazilian Championships, Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup

In 2005, with Leão as the club's manager, São Paulo won the Paulista Championship. Leão, however, would soon leave the club with Paulo Autuori de Mello, Paulo Autuori, former manager of the Peru national football team, Peru national team, hired to replace him. São Paulo won the Libertadores Cup for the third time, beating another Brazilian side, Clube Atlético Paranaense, Atlético Paranaense, in the final. Atlético switched the first leg of the final to Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, their own ground not having sufficient capacity for a final, and the match ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg, at the Morumbi, São Paulo won 4–0 to become the first Brazilian club to win three Copa Libertadores titles. In December 2005, São Paulo competed in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship, FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. After beating Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad (Jeddah), Al-Ittihad 3–2, they faced European champions Liverpool F.C., Liverpool in the final. A 1–0 victory over the English team gave São Paulo its third intercontinental title. The single goal was scored by Mineiro (footballer, born 1975), Mineiro in the first half of the match. Other players in that year's squad included centre-back Diego Lugano, full-back Cicinho, forward Márcio Amoroso, Amoroso, and the record-breaking goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, who was selected Player of the match, Man of the Match at the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship, FIFA Club World Championship title match, as well as the tournament's Most valuable player, MVP. After the success of the 2005 season, Paulo Autuori left the team to coach Kashima Antlers in the J. League Division 1, J. League. Muricy Ramalho was signed up as the new coach, having led Sport Club Internacional, Internacional to the runners-up position in the 2005 Brazilian Championship. In his first tournament as a manager, Ramalho reached second place in the Paulista Championship, losing to Santos by one point. São Paulo reached the final of the 2006 Copa Libertadores, but lost 4–3 on aggregate to Brazilian rivals Sport Club Internacional, Internacional. However, they went on to win their fourth 2006 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Campeonato Brasileiro trophy, becoming the first team to become national champions in the new league system format. After being eliminated from the 2007 Copa Libertadores, Copa Libertadores round of 16 to Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Grêmio in 2007, São Paulo won the Brazilian title for the second year in a row, fifteen points ahead of second-placed Santos. They won the title for the third season running in 2008 season, overturning an 11-point deficit behind Grêmio in the second half, to win its sixth league title. Manager Muricy Ramalho was the first manager to win three league titles in a row with the same team. Despite this feat, Muricy was sacked the following year after São Paulo was eliminated in the 2009 Copa Libertadores quarter-finals to Cruzeiro, its fourth consecutive elimination to a Brazilian side. Ricardo Gomes took over as manager. The club was very close to winning the league for the fourth time in a row, however, after struggling in the final 4 games, they ended up finishing in third.


2010–2020: Copa Sudamericana and a tough period

In 2010 São Paulo lost once again to Sport Club Internacional, Internacional in the 2010 Copa Libertadores, this time in the semifinals, ending Ricardo Gomes' spell as manager. The club finished ninth in the league, not qualifying for the international competition for the first time since 2003. In 2011, the club signed Rivaldo and brought back Luís Fabiano for a club-record €7.6 million from Sevilla FC, Sevilla. Goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, meanwhile, scored his 100th career goal, against Corinthians in the Campeonato Paulista. Despite these events, it was another very disappointing season, finishing sixth in the league and failing to qualify for the Libertadores once again. In research conducted by Brazilian sports website GloboEsporte.com, São Paulo, during the eight years between 2003 and 2011, were just the second Brazilian club to earn more money than losses in the transfer market – ''Tricolor paulista'' received brazilian real, R$287 million, behind only Internacional, which earned R$289 million. In 2012, São Paulo won the Copa Sudamericana (its only title in the 2010 decade) and qualified for next season's Libertadores, finishing fourth in the league under Ney Franco. However, after that season, the club hit a second massive dry spell and struggled to regain its dominance in the Brazilian and South American stage. For the 2013 season, after seven years wearing kits produced by Reebok, São Paulo signed with Brazilian brand Penalty (Brazilian sports manufacturer), Penalty. The contract was valid until 2015 and the club earned R$35 million per year. This contract was the second-most lucrative kit deal in Brazil, just exceeded by Flamengo and Adidas' deal of R$38 million. In May 2015 São Paulo presented its new kits, made by Under Armour. In 2018 the team became sponsored by Adidas. In 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2014, 2018 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2018 and 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2020 the club was one of the contenders for the national league title, but did not win it; São Paulo finished runners-up in 2014, fifth in 2018, and fourth in 2020, the last two being marked by massives drops of form in the second half. In contrast to this, they struggled hard in 2013 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2013 and 2017 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2017, fighting (and eventually saving themselves) against relegation to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, second tier. Continentally, in 2016 the club reached the semi-finals of the 2016 Copa Libertadores, Copa Libertadores, losing to Atlético Nacional. In the entire 2010 decade, São Paulo didn't win a single
Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional association football, football league in the Brazilian States of Brazil, state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo. Run b ...
title for the first time since 1960s.


2021–present

In 2021, São Paulo finally ended its second biggest dry spell in its history (8 years); under new manager Hernán Crespo, the club defeated
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 ...
at the 2021 Campeonato Paulista, Campeonato Paulista finals, winning the competition for the first time since 2005. However, after a continuing sequence of poor results, Crespo was sacked five months later, with the club involved in another relegation battle at the 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Campeonato Brasileiro, being replaced by the club legend Rogério Ceni. Under manager Rogério Ceni the club was runner-up at the 2022 Campeonato Paulista, reaching the third state finals in four years; a progress for the club, since São Paulo didn't reach the state finals between 2007 and 2018. The club reached the semifinals of the 2022 Copa do Brasil, being eliminated by
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 ...
. São Paulo was runner-up at the 2022 Copa Sudamericana, losing to C.S.D. Independiente del Valle from Ecuador in Córdoba, Argentina.


Colours and badge

When Club Athletico Paulistano and Associação Atlética das Palmeiras merged, their colours (red and white for CA Paulistano and black and white for AA das Palmeiras) were inherited by São Paulo. The colours match those of Flag of São Paulo (state), São Paulo's state flag, and also represents the three main races that lived in Brazil during that period: the Indigenous peoples in Brazil, Native Brazilians (represented by the red), the White Brazilians (represented by the white) and the Afro-Brazilians (represented by the black). The club's home kit is a white shirt, with two horizontal stripes at chest level, the upper one red and the lower one black, and the badge in the centre of the chest; the shorts and socks are white. The away kit consists of a shirt with red, white and black vertical stripes, black shorts and black socks. The badge, representing a heart with five points, consists of a shield with a black rectangle in the upper section bearing the initials SPFC in white; below the rectangle there's a red, white and black triangle. It was designed by the Germans, german graphic designer Walter Ostrich and one of the founders, Firmiano de Morais Pinto Filho. The badge also has five stars, two gold and three red ones: the gold ones denote Adhemar Ferreira da Silva's World and Olympic records at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City; the red ones represent each of the two Intercontinental Cup (football), Intercontinental Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup won by the club.


Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors


Stadium

São Paulo's stadium is officially named ''Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo'' (Cicero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium) and commonly known by the nickname ''Estádio do Morumbi'' (Morumbi Stadium). The first game played at the stadium was on 2 October 1960, when Milan win 1–0 in a friendly match against Sporting CP, Sporting Club from Portugal. It was inaugurated in with a maximum sitting capacity of 120,000 people, but now its maximum capacity is 72,039 seats. The club also owns two training grounds, one named ''Centro de Treinamento Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen'' (Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen Training Center), nicknamed ''Centro de Treinamento (CT) da Barra Funda'' (Barra Funda's Training Center), which is used mostly by the professional team. The other is the ''Centro de Formação de Atletas Presidente Laudo Natel'' (President Laudo Natel Athletes Formation Center), nicknamed ''Centro de Treinamento (CT) de Cotia'' (Cotia's Training Center), which is used by the youth teams.


Players


First-team squad


Youth players with first team numbers


Other players under contract


Out on loan


Retired numbers

* 01 – Rogério Ceni, Goalkeeper (association football), Goalkeeper (1990–2015)


Personnel


Current technical staff


Club rivalries


''São Paulo vs. Palmeiras''

This fixture is nicknamed the "Choque Rei", and has seen 114 wins by São Paulo, 113 wins by Palmeiras and 110 draws.


''São Paulo vs. Santos''

Also known as "San-São", this fixture was first played in 1936. Since then, São Paulo have won it 137 times, Santos 106, and there have been 75 draws.


''São Paulo vs. Corinthians''

The game between these clubs is also known as "Majestoso", a name coined by Thomas Mazzoni. The first "Majestoso" occurred on 25 May 1930. The fixture has seen 109 wins for São Paulo, 131 wins for Corinthians and 113 draws.


Honours

São Paulo FC is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil, having won a total of 30 domestic honours, in addition to their 12 international successes. It is the brazilian club with the most international titles. Major competitions


Other competitions

* Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio – São Paulo (11): 1931, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1958, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1987 * :pt:Torneio Inicio Paulista, Torneio Inicio Paulista (3): 1932, 1940, 1945 * :pt:Campeonato Paulista de Aspirantes, Campeonato Paulista de Aspirantes (18): 1933 (APEA), 1938, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958 (Extra), 1960, 1962, 1976, 1993, 1995 * :pt:Torneio dos Cinco Clubes, Torneio dos Cinco Clubes (1): 1934 * Taça Cidade de São Paulo (1): 1944 * Torneio Prefeito Lineu Prestes (1): 1950 * Taça Armando Arruda Pereira (1): 1952 * Small Club World Cup (2): 1955 Small Club World Cup, 1955, 1963 Small Club World Cup, 1963 * :pt:Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (paulista), Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1): 1956 * :pt:Taça Charles Miller, Taça Charles Miller (1): 1956 *Trofeo Colombino (1): 1969 *Torneio Nunes Freire (1): 1976 *Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy (2): 1991, 1992 *Ramón de Carranza Trophy (1): 1992 *Teresa Herrera Trophy (1): 1992 *:it:Trofeo Bortolotti, Trofeo Bortolotti (1): 1995 *Torneio Rei Dadá (1): 1995 *Copa dos Campeões Mundiais (2): 1995 Copa dos Campeões Mundiais, 1995, 1996 Copa dos Campeões Mundiais, 1996 *:pt:Copa Euro-América, Euro-America Cup (1): 1999 *:pt:Torneio Constantino Cury, Constantino Cury Tournament (1): 2000 *Eusébio Cup (1): 2013 * Florida Cup (soccer), Florida Cup (1): 2017 Florida Cup, 2017


Runners-Up

* Copa Libertadores (3): 1974 Copa Libertadores, 1974, 1994 Copa Libertadores, 1994, 2006 Copa Libertadores, 2006 *
Supercopa Libertadores The Supercopa Libertadores (English: ''Libertadores Supercup''), also known as the Supercopa Libertadores João Havelange, Supercopa João Havelange or simply Supercopa, was a football club competition contested annually between 1988 and 1997 by t ...
(1): List of Supercopa Libertadores finals, 1997 * Copa Sudamericana (1): 2022 Copa Sudamericana, 2022 * Recopa Sudamericana (2): 2006 Recopa Sudamericana, 2006, 2013 Recopa Sudamericana, 2013 *Copa de Oro (2): 1995 Copa de Oro, 1995, 1996 Copa de Oro, 1996 *J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship, Suruga Bank Cup (1): 2013 Suruga Bank Championship, 2013 * Campeonato Brasileiro (6): 1971 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 1971, 1973 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 1973, 1981 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 1981, 1989 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 1989, 1990 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 1990, 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 2014 *Copa do Brasil (1): 2000 Copa do Brasil, 2000 *Copa dos Campeões da Copa Brasil (1): 1978 *Copa dos Campeões (1): 2001 *Torneio Rio – São Paulo (5): 1933, 1962, 1966, 1998, 2002 *Campeonato Paulista de Futebol (25): 1930 Campeonato Paulista, 1930, 1932 Campeonato Paulista, 1932, 1933 Campeonato Paulista, 1933, 1934 Campeonato Paulista, 1934, 1938 Campeonato Paulista, 1938, 1941 Campeonato Paulista, 1941, 1944 Campeonato Paulista, 1944, 1950 Campeonato Paulista, 1950, 1952 Campeonato Paulista, 1952, 1956 Campeonato Paulista, 1956, 1958 Campeonato Paulista, 1958, 1962 Campeonato Paulista, 1962, 1963 Campeonato Paulista, 1963, 1967 Campeonato Paulista, 1967, 1972 Campeonato Paulista, 1972, 1978 Campeonato Paulista, 1978, 1982 Campeonato Paulista, 1982, 1983 Campeonato Paulista, 1983, 1994 Campeonato Paulista, 1994, 1996 Campeonato Paulista, 1996, 1997 Campeonato Paulista, 1997, 2003 Campeonato Paulista, 2003, 2006 Campeonato Paulista, 2006, 2019 Campeonato Paulista, 2019, 2022 Campeonato Paulista, 2022


Campeonato Brasileiro Série A record

;Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa ;Campeonato Brasileiro


Campeonato Paulista record


References


External links

*
Article that explains the difference between the dates of 1930 and 1935
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Paulo FC São Paulo FC, Football clubs in São Paulo (state) Association football clubs established in 1930 Unrelegated association football clubs FIFA Club World Cup winning clubs 1930 establishments in Brazil Copa Libertadores winning clubs Copa Sudamericana winning clubs Copa CONMEBOL winning clubs Recopa Sudamericana winning clubs Intercontinental Cup winning clubs Campeonato Brasileiro Série A winning clubs