Clube Atlético Mineiro
The Clube Atlético Mineiro (), commonly known as Atlético Mineiro and colloquially as the Galo (, "Rooster"), is a professional association football club in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Minas ...
's 107th in existence and ninth consecutive season in the top-flight of
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 an ...
. Along with the
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...
and the
Campeonato Mineiro
The Campeonato Mineiro is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. It is run by the Minas Gerais Football Federation (FMF).
The history of Campeonato Mineiro can be divided into two parts: bef ...
, the club also competed in the
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
and the
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil () 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 it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...
.
On 3 May, Atlético Mineiro won its 43rd Campeonato Mineiro title, defeating Caldense in the finals. On 13 May, the team was eliminated from Copa Libertadores in the round of 16 by Internacional, the same stage it fell in Copa do Brasil to
Figueirense
Figueirense Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as Figueirense, is a Brazilian professional club based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina founded on 12 June 1921. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third tier of Brazilian fo ...
on 26 August.
Season overview
Background and pre-season
The previous season ended with two important events for the club. On 26 November 2014 Atlético won its first Copa do Brasil by beating rivals Cruzeiro in the finals and secured a spot in the 2015 edition of the Copa Libertadores, its third consecutive participation. A change in the club's board also occurred, with successful president Alexandre Kalil's term, which had started in 2008, coming to an end. Daniel Nepomuceno was elected for the office on 3 December 2014.
On 16 December 2014 Atlético announced the signing of Argentine striker
Lucas Pratto
Lucas David Pratto (; born 4 June 1988) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker for Paraguayan Primera División club Club Olimpia, Olimpia.
Pratto has been de ...
from
Vélez Sarsfield Velez may refer to:
People
* Vélez (name), a Spanish surname, including a list of people with the name
Places
* Vélez de Benaudalla, Spain
* Vélez Sársfield (barrio), Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Vélez-Blanco, Spain
* Vélez-Málaga, Spain
* Vé ...
, elected
Footballer of the Year of Argentina
The Footballer of the Year of Argentina (in Spanish: ''Olimpia de Plata al Mejor Futbolista'', that literally translates to "Silver Olimpia to the Best Footballer) is a yearly award given by the Argentine Sports Journalists' Circle (''Círculo de ...
in the 2014 season. The pre-season, which started on 7 January, also saw the returns of
Patric Patric may refer to:
* PATRIC, the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, a bacterial infectious disease information system
* Patric (singer) (born 1947), full name Patrick Martin, French singer
* Patric (footballer, born 1987), full name Ande ...
Carlos César
Carlos Manuel Martins do Vale César, Order of Christ (Portugal), GCC (born 30 October 1956) is a Portuguese politician and former President of the Regional Government of the Portugal, Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. He currently ser ...
Réver
Réver Humberto Alves de Araújo (born 4 January 1985), simply known as Réver, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. Mainly a centre-back, he could also play as a defensive midfielder. He has won the Bola de Prata and Prêmio Craque ...
left the club on 14 January, after 4 and a half years of service, joining fellow Série A side Internacional. That day also saw Nikão, who was previously on loan at
Ceará
Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...
, leave the club and join
Atlético Paranaense
Club Athletico Paranaense (abbreviated CAP, commonly known as Athletico Paranaense and up to 2019 known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded o ...
. Despite training with the squad in the start of the pre-season,
Diego Tardelli
Diego Tardelli Martins (born 10 May 1985), known as Diego Tardelli, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He was considered a dynamic player due to his speed on attack and individual skills. ''Tardelli'' is not ...
departed the club, this time joining Chinese side
Shandong Luneng
Shandong Taishan Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Jinan, Shandong, that competes in . Shandong Taishan plays its home matches at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium, located within Lixia District. Their c ...
on 17 January 2015, for a €5.5 million fee. A number of previously loaned players also returned to the club, only to be loaned again.
The pre-season included a friendly match against
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
, part of the Ukrainian club's tour in Brazil, that was played on 21 January and won by Atlético 4–2, with Pratto scoring its first goal for the club. A training match was also played against Minas Boca and ended 3–0.
February
Campeonato Mineiro went underway on the first day of February and Atlético started the season with a 2–0 home win against Tupi, with goals by Dátolo and Pratto. On 6 February Sherman Cárdenas joined the club from
Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional S. A., best known as Atlético Nacional, is a Colombian professional football club based in Medellín. The club is one of only three clubs to have played in every first division tournament in the country's history, the other ...
, on a season-long loan deal with an option to purchase clause. The state league season seemed promising, with two more victories, 2–0 against Mamoré away and 2–1 over Democrata at home. The unbeaten run would end early, however, with three defeats happening in a single week.
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
didn't start well for Atlético, with the team failing to secure a good result against
Colo-Colo
Colo-Colo (), officially Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo, is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano, it competes in the Chilean Primera División, from which the club has never been ...
in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
, with the match ending 2–0 to the Chilean side on 18 February. Things got worse after a 2–1 defeat to rivals América in the Campeonato Mineiro on 22 February, despite Galo scoring first and América having one man sent off. The bad run continued on 25 February, with the season's first home defeat: 0–1 against Mexican club
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets.
Atlases have traditio ...
, for the second round of the Copa Libertadores second stage.
March
March saw some improvement in the team's form, with a 2–0 victory against Guarani in the state league coming on the first day of the month. On 8 March, Atlético played its first Clássico Mineiro of the season against Cruzeiro away at the
Mineirão
Mineirão (; , named after its large structure), officially known as Governador Magalhães Pinto Stadium (, ; , named after Magalhães Pinto), is an association football stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Owned by the state of Minas Gerais, it ...
, which ended 1–1. Caldense managed to defeat Atlético 1–0 and continue their good run in the Campeonato Mineiro on 12 March. Things finally improved in the following game, a 4–0 home win against
URT
Urt (; ; )AHURTI Santa Fe at El Campín 1–0, the match-winner being a header by Pratto who had returned to the squad after an injury. Two more 3–0 victories in the state league followed, on 22 March against Tombense away, and on 29 March against Villa Nova at home.
April
The first stage of Campeonato Mineiro ended for Atlético with a 2–0 away defeat to Boa Esporte on 5 April, which meant the team finished on 3rd position and would face rivals Cruzeiro in the semi-finals. On 7 April a new signing was announced, and
Thiago Ribeiro
Thiago Ribeiro Cardoso (born 24 February 1986), known as Thiago Ribeiro, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for Catanduva.
Club career Early career
Born in Pontes Gestal, São Paulo state, Thiago Ribeiro started his career at ...
joined the club on loan from
Santos
Santos may refer to:
People
*Santos (surname)
* Santos Balmori Picazo (1899–1992), Spanish-Mexican painter
* Santos Benavides (1823–1891), Confederate general in the American Civil War
Places
*Santos, São Paulo, a municipality in São Paulo ...
. The team's comeback on Group 1 of Copa Libertadores seemed to continue with a 2–0 home win against Santa Fe on 9 April, but was interrupted by a 1–0 defeat to
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets.
Atlases have traditio ...
at the
Jalisco
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
on 15 April. This meant a 2–0 victory against Colo-Colo was needed in order for the club to qualify for the knockout stage. On 10 April, after falling out of favor with manager
Levir Culpi
Levir Culpi (born 28 February 1953) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back.
Playing career
Known as Levir during his playing days, he was born in Curitiba, Paraná, and started his career with ...
, midfielder
Pierre
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
left the club after 4 years, joining
Fluminense
Fluminense Football Club () is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, being the oldest football club in the state since its foundation in 1902. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, th ...
.
Meanwhile, the two-legged semi-finals against Cruzeiro started on home soil with a 1–1 at Independência on 12 April. The following week, on 19 April, the second leg was played at the Mineirão. Atlético trailed 1–0 in halftime, but two goals by Pratto, both of them assisted by
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 ...
, were enough to secure a 2–1 victory and qualification to the finals to face Caldense. The decisive match against Colo-Colo was played on 22 April, and the needed 2–0 result came thanks to a sensational long strike by Rafael Carioca in the last minutes, which meant qualification to the round of 16. The first leg of the Mineiro finals against Caldense was Atlético's first home match of the season at the Mineirão, and ended 0–0 on 26 April.
May
On 3 May, Campeonato Mineiro came to a conclusion, and Atlético were crowned champions of the competition for the 43rd time after a 2–1 win over Caldense in
Varginha
Varginha is a municipality in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Varginha stands out as one of the major centers of commerce and coffee production in Brazil and the world. The city is a center for export of coffee draining most of the producti ...
, with goals by newcomer Thiago Ribeiro and Jô. Cesinha's loan deal with the club ended and he returned to
Bragantino
Red Bull 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 Série A1, the highest level ...
on 5 May. The round of 16 of Copa Libertadores saw Atlético face fellow Brazilian side Internacional, with the first leg being played at the Independência on 6 May, and ending 2–2, with an injury time goal by Leonardo Silva. Centre-back Emerson was loaned to
Avaí
Avaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 5,436 (2020 est.) in an area of 540 km2.
Media
In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to be serve ...
on 7 May until the end of the season. Atlético debuted in the 2015 Série A against Palmeiras at the
Allianz Parque
Allianz Parque (), also known as Arena Palmeiras or as Arena Palestra Itália, is a football stadium in Água Branca, São Paulo, Brazil, and the home of Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, Palmeiras. The stadium also serves as a multipurpose arena ...
on 9 April, in a game which also ended 2–2, this time thanks to an injury time goal by the opposing team. Atlético's Libertadores campaign ended on 13 May, after a 3–1 defeat to Internacional at the Beira-Rio.
With Campeonato Mineiro finished and out of Copa Libertadores, the club now focused only in the Série A, and had to play its first league home game of the season away from
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...
, to comply with a ban imposed by the Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva. The match happened on 17 May at the
Mané Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (28 October 1933 – 20 January 1983), nicknamed Mané Garrincha, best known as simply Garrincha (, "little bird"), was a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, righ ...
, in
Brasília
Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
, and Atlético defeated Fluminense 4–1. On 24 May the team was defeated 1–0 by Atlético Paranaense in an away match played at the
Arena da Baixada
Estádio Mario Celso Petraglia (Formerly known as Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães), also known as Ligga Arena for sponsorship reasons or Arena da Baixada, is a stadium located in Curitiba, the state capital of Paraná, Brazil. It is the h ...
, which was followed by a 3–0 home victory over
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea.
Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...
. Winger Neto Berola, who had returned in March from a loan spell to Al Wasl, left the club in a new loan deal, this time to
Santos
Santos may refer to:
People
*Santos (surname)
* Santos Balmori Picazo (1899–1992), Spanish-Mexican painter
* Santos Benavides (1823–1891), Confederate general in the American Civil War
Places
*Santos, São Paulo, a municipality in São Paulo ...
on 27 May.
June
On 3 June Atlético defeated
Avaí
Avaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 5,436 (2020 est.) in an area of 540 km2.
Media
In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia Telefônica Brasileira until 1973, when it began to be serve ...
4–1 at
Florianópolis
Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...
, the team's third consecutive victory by a 3-goal margin. The club's unbeaten run against rivals Cruzeiro, which had started in 2013 and lasted 11 games, however, came to an end on 6 June, in a 1–3 home defeat, even with Luan scoring the first goal of the game. The derby was followed by a 2–2 tie with Santos also at home on 10 June., the same day in which forward
André
André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as well in Portugal ...
left the club to join
Sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
on loan, and
Marion Marion or MARION may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Marion (band), a British alternative rock group
* ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries
* ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film
* ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short
People a ...
Joinville
Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the Southern Brazil, Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitib ...
. Série A resumed on 20 June, with a 2–0 win over
Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; ), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo n ...
at the Maracanã, followed by a 1–0 home victory over Joinville at the Mineirão.
July
The team kept its good run in the Série A with a 2–0 win against
Coritiba
Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba and colloquially referred to as heCoxa, is a Brazilian football club from Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. Founded in 1909 by German immigrants, it is the olde ...
at the Independência on 1 July. Atlético returned to the Beira-Rio to face Internacional, this time achieving a 3–1 victory on 5 July, after which the team reached the top of the table. The winning streak went on with a 2–1 victory over then title contenders Sport at the Mineirão, on 8 July, the same day Jô left the club to join Al Shabab, and a 2–0 away win against Ponte Preta at the Moisés Lucarelli on 11 July. The unbeaten run ended on 18 July, when Atlético lost 1–0 to title contenders Corinthians at their
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
. A comeback followed on 25 July, in the form of a 1–0 victory over
Figueirense
Figueirense Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as Figueirense, is a Brazilian professional club based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina founded on 12 June 1921. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third tier of Brazilian fo ...
at the Independência, and continued with a 3–1 win against
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
at the Mineirão, courtesy of a sensational first-half hat-trick by Pratto on 29 July. Midfielder Maicosuel, who had joined the club in 2014, was loaned out for a year to Al Sharjah on 27 July.
August
The following month didn't start well for Galo, with a 0–0 away tie with
Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian States of Brazil, state located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Ge ...
on 9 July, and a 0–2 home defeat to Grêmio at the Mineirão on 14 July, which meant Corinthians surpassed the team in the league table. The bad run continued with a 2–1 away defeat against Chapecoense at
Arena Condá
Arena Condá is a stadium in Chapecó, Brazil. It has a capacity of 20,089 spectators. It is the home of Brazilian Série B club Associação Chapecoense de Futebol
Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, commonly known as Chapecoense, is a Br ...
, in a match with questionable refereeing decisions. Atlético debuted in the
Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil () 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 it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, ...
with a 1–1 home draw against Figueirense at the Independência, with a Leonardo Silva equaliser coming at injury time, again. On 20 August, left-back
Mansur
Mansour (, Manṣūr); also spelled Mounsor, Monsur (Bengali), Mansoor, Manser, Mansur, Mansyur (Indonesian) or Mensur (Turkish), is a male Arabic name that means "He who is victorious", from the Arabic root ''nasr (disambiguation), naṣr'' (ن ...
joined the club on loan from Vitória. The team seemed to get back on track with a 2–1 comeback against Palmeiras for the 19th round of the Série A, thanks to a brace by Pratto in what was the 100th match of the club at the "new" Independência. Guilherme was released by the club on 25 August, eventually joining
Antalyaspor
Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional multi-sport club based in Antalya, southern Turkey. The club's colours are red and white.
The association football, football side play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the cl ...
. A setback occurred in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 against Figueirense, in which despite scoring first, the team allowed a comeback by the opposition in the last minutes and was eliminated from the competition. A 2–1 away Brasileirão victory over Fluminense at the Maracanã followed on 30 August.
September
2 September saw yet another game with controversial refereeing, in which the team lost by Atlético Paranaense at home 0–1. Atlético then traveled to Rio de Janeiro again, this time to face Vasco da Gama, and won 2–1, which meant all three clubs from the state were defeated at the Maracanã. A home match against Avaí was the next, which the team won 2–0. The second Clássico Mineiro of the Série A season happened on 13 September at the Mineirão with the rivals as the home team, and ended 1–1, as Victor made a mistake in Cruzeiro's goal but ended up saving a penalty in
injury time
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the ga ...
, right after Atlético's equaliser. On 16 September the team visited Santos and had its worst result of the season, being defeated 4–0 at
Vila Belmiro
Vila may refer to:
People
*Vila (surname)
Places
Andorra
* Vila, Andorra, a town in the parish of Encamp
Brazil
* Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, a municipality in the State of Mato Grosso
* Vila Boa, Goiás, a municipality in the State of ...
. A comeback of sorts came in the following matchday, in which the team defeated interstate rivals Flamengo 4–1 at the Independência, with a fine display by
Jesús Dátolo
Jesús Alberto Dátolo (born 19 May 1984) is an Argentine professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Tristán Suárez.
Club career
Dátolo started his career in 2000 at Cañuelas in Primera C Metropolitana, Argentina's fourth ...
, completing six victories out of six possible against Rio's clubs in the season. One week later, Atlético failed to defeat last-placed Joinville at Arena Joinville, as the match finished 2–2 on 27 September.
October
October started with another away game, this one a 3–0 victory against Coritiba in
Curitiba
Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...
with a good performance by Pratto, on the third day of the month. After a ten-day break, the club defeated Internacional 2–1 at home on 14 October, with goals by Pratto and Marcos Rocha.
MRV Engenharia
MRV is the biggest Brazilian homebuilder and real estate company. The company was founded in 1979 by Mário Lúcio Pinheiro Menin, Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza and Vega Engenharia Ltda and is headquartered in Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizo ...
Players and squad numbers last updated on 19 September 2015. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under
FIFA eligibility rules
In association football, the FIFA eligibility rules are the eligibility criteria established by FIFA (International Association Football Federation), the sport's governing body, to facilitate the selection of representative teams for internationa ...
. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.