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The Estádio Presidente Antônio Carlos, commonly known as Estádio de Lourdes and colloquially as Estadinho da Colina ("Hill's Small Stadium"), was a
In 1925 Atlético Mineiro reached an agreement with the municipality of Belo Horizonte to exchange the ground where its former stadium was located, at Paraopeba Avenue, to a new land in the Lourdes bairro. Three years later construction began, helped by state governor Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada, and the stadium opened on 30 May 30, 1929, in a friendly against Corinthians won by Atlético 4–2. The following year, the stadium was visited by then
stadium
A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
located in 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 ...
, Brazil, owned by Atlético Mineiro. The ground, opened in the Lourdes neighborhood on 30 May 1929, had an estimated capacity of 5,000 and was Atlético's home until 1950. It remained largely unused by the first squad until its demolition in 1994, when a shopping mall was built on the site.
History
In its early days, Atlético Mineiro first played its matches at the Municipal Park of Belo Horizonte, before moving in 1909 to a ground at Guajajaras Street, in downtown Belo Horizonte. Atlético eventually received from the Belo Horizonte municipal government a property at Paraopeba Avenue (later Augusto de Lima Avenue), in which it built its first official home ground. Rival club América had its first stadium across the street.
In 1925 Atlético Mineiro reached an agreement with the municipality of Belo Horizonte to exchange the ground where its former stadium was located, at Paraopeba Avenue, to a new land in the Lourdes bairro. Three years later construction began, helped by state governor Antônio Carlos Ribeiro de Andrada, and the stadium opened on 30 May 30, 1929, in a friendly against Corinthians won by Atlético 4–2. The following year, the stadium was visited by then FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
president Jules Rimet
Jules Rimet (; 14 October 1873 – 16 October 1956) was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He is FIFA's longest-serving president, in office for 33 years. He also served as the pres ...
, who for the first time watched a night game, a 10–2 victory by Atlético over Sport which marked the inauguration of the ground's floodlights. The stadium was responsible for a rise in the population and people circulation of the neighborhood.
In the Antônio Carlos, Atlético Mineiro won its first competition at national level, the 1937 Copa dos Campeões Estaduais, after defeating Espírito Santo's Rio Branco 5–1. The stadium was Atlético's home from 1929 to 1950, when the larger Independência was built in Belo Horizonte to host matches of the 1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...
, and the older and smaller stadium fell out of favor, the stands being used as youth academies sleeping quarters. The ground was sold to the Belo Horizonte municipality by the club in the 1960s to placate a financial crisis, and closed in 1969. After decades of legal disputes, property of the estate eventually returned to Atlético Mineiro in 1991, which then leased it to a shopping mall, built on the site where the stadium once was and inaugurated in 1996.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estadio Presidente Antonio Carlos Clube Atlético Mineiro Presidente Antonio Carlos Sports venues in Belo Horizonte Football venues in Minas Gerais Sports venues completed in 1929