São Paulo Futebol Clube, usually called São Paulo FC or just São Paulo, is a traditional Brazilian football team from São Paulo, founded on January 25, 1930, and re-founded on December 16, 1935. Their home stadium is Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, better known as Morumbi. They play in a white shirt with two horizontal stripes—one red and one black, white shorts and socks. They are the third most popular football club in Brazil, with over 17 million supporters.

São Paulo is the most successful club in Brazil, holding the most national league and international titles of any Brazilian club. They are the current Série A holders, having won the past three-in-a-row and six overall (both are records). They have also won the Campeonato Paulista 21 times. Internationally they are sixth overall with the most international titles won by a club, tied with Juventus and Liverpool at 11. Their international trophy hall includes three World Club titles (two as Intercontinental Cup, and one as FIFA Club World Championship), three Copa Libertadores, two Recopa Sudamericanas, one Copa Conmebol, one Supercopa Sudamericana, and one Copa Masters Conmebol. In the case of the Copa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana, Intercontinental Cup, and FIFA Club World Championship, they are either the most successful Brazilian club in those competitions or tied as one.

History

1900 - 1934: From Paulistano to São Paulo da Floresta

In 1900, the Clube Atlético Paulistano was founded. After winning several championships, due to the football professionalization, they decided to end their activities in this sport, as did Associação Atlética das Palmeiras. Then, the players and the supporters of both teams founded the São Paulo Futebol Clube on January 25, 1930. São Paulo's stadium at that time was called Floresta (Forest), so the team was known as São Paulo da Floresta. In this year, the team was runner-up on the Paulista Championship, and in 1931 São Paulo won a championship for the first time. In 1933, São Paulo played the first professional football match in Brazil: 5-1 against Santos.

Due to many mistakes made by the club's board, the team was deeply in debt. So, they merged with Clube de Regatas Tietê. The football department was closed on May 14, 1935.

1935 - 1939: The rebirth of São Paulo FC

Just after the merge with Tietê that buried São Paulo da Floresta, the founders and re-founders created the Grêmio Tricolor, which originated Clube Atlético São Paulo, on June 4, 1935, and, finally, São Paulo Futebol Clube, founded on December 16 of the same year.

The first game was against Portuguesa Santista on January 25, 1936. The match was almost cancelled, due to the city's anniversary. Porphyrio da Paz, football director and composer of the club's anthem, pleaded the Board of Education Office and obtained the permission.

Another merge happened in 1938, this time with Estudantes Paulista, from Moóca neighborhood. With this new merge, they reached the second place on 1938s Paulista Championship.

1940 - 1950: The Steam Roller

In 1940, when the Pacaembu stadium was inaugurated, a new era began in the São Paulo state football. São Paulo was the club which better took advantage of the moment. In 1941, the club was again Paulista Championship runner-up. In 1942, after paying 200 contos de réis (with today is the equivalent of R$ 162,000), São Paulo acquired Leônidas da Silva, from Flamengo, who was one of the greatest players of that time. As it was already a major club, São Paulo brought other great players, like the Argentinian António Sastre, and the Brazilians Noronha, José Carlos Bauer, Zezé Procópio, Luizinho, Rui and Teixeirinha. With them, the Tricolor formed the famous team known as the Steam Roller, five times Paulista champions in the 1940s (1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949). At this time, the club already had Canindé, used as a training field. This groundplot was later sold to Portuguesa to raise money to the Morumbi stadium construction.

1951 - 1957: The Drought

São Paulo was not very successful in the beginning of the 1950s. São Paulo won the state championship in 1953.

São Paulo won again the state championship only in 1957. At that time the club was helped by the experience of the Carioca player Zizinho, who was 35 years old, and the Hungarian manager Béla Guttmann. From this moment upwards, with the uprising of Pelé's Santos and the construction of Morumbi stadium consuming all the efforts and resources, São Paulo had their largest titleless period in its history.

1958 - 1969: Just the Stadium

The club's planning was focused on the Estádio do Morumbi construction, and for this reason, few players were hired by the club, most of them inexpressive ones, but Roberto Dias and Jurandir were exceptions to this rule. During the twelve years after the 1957 Paulista Championship title, the club did not win any important title. In 1960, Morumbi stadium was inaugurated, and named after the late Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, who was the club's chairman during most of the stadium construction. One of the few happy moments during this period was the 1963 Paulista Championship 4-1 victory against Pelé's Santos.

1970 - 1975: The Glory Again

In 1970 the Morumbi stadium construction was concluded, and players like Gérson, of Botafogo, the Uruguayan midfielder Pedro Rocha, of Peñarol; and the Santos' goalscorer Toninho Guerreiro were hired. The club, managed by Zezé Moreira, who was the 1954 FIFA World Cup Brazil national football team manager, won the Paulista Championship one week before the end of the competition, after beating Guarani 2-1 in Campinas.

In 1971, the club won again the state championship, and most of the club's players were the same of the previous year. The club beat Palmeiras 1-0 in the final. The goal was scored by Toninho Guerreiro. In the same season, the club was the runner-up of the first Brazilian Championship ever, staying only behind Atlético Mineiro, which was managed by Telê Santana.

In the following years, Pelé's Santos and Corinthians declined, and São Paulo and Palmeiras dominated the football of São Paulo state. In 1972, Palmeiras won the state championship title with only a point of advantage over São Paulo. In 1973, Palmeiras won the Brazilian Championship and São Paulo was the runner-up. In 1974, São Paulo disputed Libertadores Cup being defeated in the final by Argentina's Independiente, after losing in the final match replay.

In 1975, the club was managed by the former goalkeeper José Poy, winning the Paulista Championship after defeating Portuguesa in the penalty shootout.

1976 - 1979: Affirmation Times

Valdir Peres, Chicão and Serginho were the best club players during the successful 1977 Brazilian Championship campaign, won at Mineirão, against Atlético Mineiro in the penalty shootout. The club did not win any relevant title until 1980. Among the player who played for the club during this period were Zé Sérgio and Serginho Chulapa, who is still the club's top goalscorer in history.

The 1980s: Tricolor Decade

In the 1980s São Paulo won an impressive amount of titles. The club's central defenders were the talented Oscar and Dario Pereyra. Those players helped the club win the Paulista Championship in 1980 and in 1981.

In 1985, the manager Cilinho introduced to the world the Menudos of Morumbi: Silas, Müller and Sidney. In the same year, the club won the Paulista Championship. The club's striker was Careca, a centre forward who played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup Careca then went on to join forces with Maradona and Giordano at Napoli, the "MaGiCa" (magic) later Maradona would refer to Careca as the best player he had ever played with. In the midfield there was Falcão, who came from Italy's AS Roma, nicknamed the King of Rome.

In 1986, the manager Pepe lead the club to its second Brazilian Championship title, defeating Guarani in the penalty shootout, a final regarded to this day as one of the most exhilarating matches in Brazilian Football History. In 1987, Dario Pereyra left the club. In this year, the Menudos team won its last title. The Tricolor Decade ended with the 1989 Paulista Championship title and with the Brazilian Championship second place, after losing to Vasco da Gama in the final.

1990 - 1995: The Telê Era

In 1990, the club, after a poor campaign, was relegated to the Paulista Championship "yellow group" division, formed by the weaker teams of the state. Telê Santana was hired as the club's coach. São Paulo was the Brazilian Championship runner-up, behind his main rival Corinthians. In the following year, the club won the Paulista Championship and Corinthians was the runner-up.

In 1991, after being two times in a row Brazilian Championship runner-up, São Paulo won its third competition title, after beating Carlos Alberto Parreira's Bragantino.

In 1992, the São Paulo of Telê, Zetti and Raí qualified to the Libertadores Cup final, against Newell's Old Boys of Argentina. In the first leg, in Rosario, Newell's Old Boys won 1-0. In the second leg, São Paulo beat the other side 1-0, and won the competition in the penalty shootout.

In the same year, in Tokyo the club won its first Intercontinental Cup, beating Johann Cruyff's "Dream Team" FC Barcelona 2-1, after reversing the score. After returning to Brazil, the club beat Palmeiras 2-1 and achieved its 18th state championship title (since 1930).

In 1993, São Paulo won again the Libertadores Cup, after beating Universidad Católica of Chile. After the competition ended, Raí left the club. São Paulo won the Intercontinental Cup again, in Tokyo, after beating Fabio Capello's and "Gli Invicibili" AC Milan 3-2. Müller scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match from a Toninho Cerezo assist. The São Paulo vs Milan clash has gone down in the annals of the game as one of the most spectacular matches in history.

In 1994, the club again reached the Libertadores Cup final, this time against Argentina's Vélez Sarsfield, but it was defeated by the Argentine side in the penalty shootout, at Morumbi stadium.

But by the end of this year, São Paulo won the Conmebol Cup (its current equivalent is the South American Cup) defeating Peñarol of Uruguay, one of the most important clubs of the continent, in the final of the tournament.

1996 - 2004: Post-Telê Traumatic Shock?

In the beginning of 1996, due to health issues, Telê Santana left São Paulo, ending the club's golden era. After him, between 1995 and 2004, 14 managers worked on the club without staying long. Among the most notable titles during those 10 years were the 2000 Paulista Championship and the club's first Rio-São Paulo Tournament title in 2001. Rogério Ceni, Julio Baptista, Luís Fabiano and Kaká were the club's stars. The club's idol, Raí briefly played for 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 was back in Libertadores Cup after 10 years since its last final against Vélez. The team reached the semifinals but it was surprisingly eliminated by the underdogs Once Caldas, from Colombia. In the end of that year Émerson Leão was hired as the club's coach, after the club's unsuccessful campaign in winning the Libertadores Cup again.

In 2003, São Paulo FC made a deal with Santangelo Club Aficionado, from the Spanish amateur league, and since then, the Spanish club changed its name to São Paulo Madrid.

2005: Once Again, the Best in the World

In 2005, with Leão as the club's manager, São Paulo easily won the Paulista Championship. However, he soon left the club, and Paulo Autuori, which was previously the Peru national football team's manager, was hired to replace Leão. São Paulo won the Libertadores Cup, beating another Brazilian team, Atlético Paranaense, in the final. Atlético had to play at a different site because its own stadium, Kyocera Arena, has a maximum capacity below the minimum capacity allowed by CONMEBOL in Libertadores Cup final matches. The first leg, at Estádio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second leg, at Estádio do Morumbi, São Paulo beat Atlético Paranaense 4-0. São Paulo became the first Brazilian club to win three Libertadores Cup titles.

In December, 2005, São Paulo played the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. After beating Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad 3-2, the Brazilian team faced the giant Liverpool, from England, on the final match. A 1-0 scoreline against the "unbeatables" was enough to give São Paulo its third Intercontinental title, in a memorable match by Rogerio Ceni. The single goal was scored by Mineiro in the first half of the match.

2006: A Good year

After the almost perfect 2005 season, São Paulo experienced some changes. Paulo Autuori left the team to coach the Kashima Antlers squad. Muricy Ramalho was signed, being the coach who led Internacional to the runners-up position in 2005 National Championship. In his first tournament as manager Ramalho reached 2nd place in Paulista Championship, losing the title to Santos.

During that period, São Paulo began playing the 2006 Libertadores Cup, reaching once again the finals, but this time against another Brazilian team, Internacional. They lost the first match 1-2 and tied the second 2-2, which was not enough to assure its fourth title.

After the end of the Libertadores Cup the squad focused only on the National Championship. In the 12th round they grabbed the leading position and kept it all the way 'till the end of the season, celebrating their 4th Brazilian Championship trophy in the 36th round (of a total of 38) on November 19, 2006 with a 1-1 tie against Atlético Paranaense. São Paulo also broke some records, such as reaching 28 rounds leading the National Championship in a row (the former record was 18 rounds). Also, they became the 1st team to become National Champions in the league system with most victories, the best offense and defense among all teams.

2007: Undisputed Best

Again after not showing good results in 2007 Libertadores Cup, São Paulo won the Brazilian Title for the second year in a row. Hence, becoming the first team in Brazil to have officially won the national title 5 times. The team was 15 points ahead of the second place Santos Futebol Clube.

2008: Six titles, three in a row

In the middle of the season, São Paulo was 11 points behind the league leaders, Gremio, and almost gave up fighting for the title. But in the end, the team won the championship for the third year in a row, becoming the first team in Brazil to have won the national title six times. Manager Muricy Ramalho was also the first manager in Brazilian soccer to win three Brazilian titles in a row with the same team.

2009: The end of the Muricy era and the rise of "Jason"

After losing the semifinals of the Campeonato Paulista 2009 to eventual champions Corinthians, manager Muricy Ramalho was being under pressure from the beginning of the year, when the squad did not perform well. The dissatisfaction from the board of directors led to his being fired from the manager post, following a defeat in the home leg of the 2009 Libertadores Cup to Cruzeiro. That was São Paulo FC's fourth consecutive Copa Libertadores elimination to a team from Brazil. Ricardo Gomes took over the position from Ramalho.Then, São Paulo had a hard time before recovering its breath to compete again against the big dogs. The crowd and press brought again an old São Paulo nickname: "Jason" (as per the fictional character Jason Voorhees), because he never dies and always returns stronger than ever. Just like the club, which usually becomes strong when everyone thinks it gave up.

Colours and badge

When Paulistano and Palmeiras merged, their colors (red and white for Paulistano and black and white for Palmeiras) were inherited by São Paulo. Not only the colors match the ones in São Paulo's state flag, it also represents the three main races that lived in Brazil during that period: the native Americans (represented by the red), the caucasians (represented by the white) and the Africans (represented by the black).

The home uniform is a white shirt, with two horizontal stripes at chest's level, the upper one being red and the lower one being black, with the badge in the center of the chest. The shorts and socks are all-white.

The away uniform consists in a red shirt with red, black and white vertical stripes (the white stripes are narrow than the others), black shorts and socks. The badge, which was designed by Walter Ostrich in the early days of São Paulo, consists in a shield with a black retangle in the upper section with the initials SPFC in white. Below the rectangle it shows a triangle with three colors: red, white and black). The badge also shows five stars, two gold and three red ones. The gold ones pay homage to Adhemar Ferreira da Silva's world and olympic records and the red ones represents the world championships won by São Paulo.

Stadium

São Paulo's stadium is officially named Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo (Cicero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium), although most people refer to it by its nickname Estádio do Morumbi (Morumbi Stadium).It was inaugurated in 1960, with a maximum sitting capacity of 80,000 people.

The club also owns two training grounds, one named Centro de Treinamento Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen (Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen Training Center), and 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.

Current squad

As of August 19, 2009

Out on loan

Notable former players

Notable managers

Titles

International

World championships

FIFA Club World Cup

* Winners (1): 2005

Intercontinental Cup

* Winners (2): 1992, 1993

Continental championships

Copa Libertadores

* Winners (3): 1992, 1993, 2005

* Runners-up (3): 1974, 1994, 2006

Copa Conmebol

* Winners (1): 1994

Recopa Sudamericana

* Winners (2): 1993, 1994

* Runners-up (1): 2006

Supercopa Sudamericana

* Winners (1): 1993

* Runners-up (1): 1997

Copa Masters Conmebol

* Winners (1): 1996

National competitions

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

* Winners (6): 1977, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007, 2008

* Runners-up (5): 1971, 1973, 1981, 1989, 1990

Copa do Brasil

* Runners-up (1): 2000

Copa dos Campeões

* Runners-up (1): 2001

Torneio Rio-São Paulo

* Winners (1): 2001

* Runners-up (5): 1933, 1962, 1966, 1998, 2002

Campeonato Paulista

* Winners (21): 1931, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2005

* Runners-up (19): 1938, 1941, 1944, 1950, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1972, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2006

Supercampeonato Paulista

* Winners (1): 2002

Records