Clube Atlético Mineiro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atlético Mineiro
Full name	Clube Atlético Mineiro
Nickname(s)	Galo (The Rooster)
Founded	1908
Ground	Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Capacity	76.500
Chairman	Ricardo Annes Guimarães
Manager	Levir Culpi
League	Brazilian Série A
2006	Brazilian Série B, 1st
Image:Kit body whitestripes4.png 　 Home colours 　 Away colours

Clube Atlético Mineiro, usually known as Atlético Mineiro is a Brazilian football team from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, founded on March 25, 1908. Atlético is one of the most traditional teams of Brazil. The first official match was played on March 21, 1909, against Sport Club Futebol. The team plays in black and white vertical striped shirts, black shorts and white socks.

The team is known nationwide as Galo, due to its mascot, a rooster, and was the first official Brazilian champion,in 1971.

[edit] History

Clube Atlético Mineiro was founded on March 25, 1908 by 22 middle-class boys from Belo Horizonte. The founding players were: Aleixanor Alves Pereira, Antônio Antunes Filho, Augusto Soares, Benjamin Moss Filho, Carlos Marciel, Eurico Catão, Horácio Machado, Hugo Francarolli, Humberto Moreira, João Barbosa Sobrinho, José Soares Alves, Júlio Menezes Melo, Leônidas Fulgêncio, Margival Mendes Leal, Mário Hermanson Lott, Mário Neves, Mário Toledo, Raul Fracarolli and Sinval Moreira. 3 other boys who were not in the founding meeting, but are considered as founders too are: Francisco Monteiro, Jorge Dias Pena and Mauro Brochado.

The boys decided that the club's name would be Athletico Mineiro Foot Ball Club, and the kit would be a white shirt with a green horizontal strip on the chest. Soon after, they decided to change the kit to the black/white stripped shirt which is used nowadays.

Atlético´s first match was against Sport Club Foot Ball, the biggest and oldest club Belo Horizonte of the time. The match was played on Match 21, 1909, and Atlético won 3-0. Furious, Sport's board demanded that Atlético play a rematch the following week to get revenge, to which Atlético agreed. Atlético won again, but this time the score was 4-0. From that day on, Atlético became a respected club in the city.

In 1913, the club officially changed its name from 'Athletico Mineiro Foot Ball Club' to 'Clube Atlético Mineiro'. The following year, in 1914, Atlético won their first championship, the Taça Bueno Brandão, a tournament between Atlético, América and Yale. In 1915, the club won the first Minas Gerais State Championship in history, which was organized by the Liga Mineira de Esportes Terrestres.

After 11 years without winning another championship, Atlético broke the record winning sequence of 10 State Championships won by América (from 1916 to 1925). From then on, Atlético's team consisted of 3 of the club's best players in history: Said, Jairo and Mário de Castro. They scored a combined total of 459 goals: 122 from Jairo, 142 from Said and 195 from Mário de Castro. In the 1930's, the club won the state championships of 1931, 1932, 1936, 1938 and 1939. In 1937, Atlético won the first national championship of its history: the Brazilian Champions Tournament.

Atlético dominated the football scene of Minas Gerais State in the 1940's and 1950's, winnning no less than 12 state championships between 1940 and 1960, including 5 championships in a row sequence, from 1952 to 1956. In 1950, Atlético accomplished one of the club's best achievements in its history by winning the symbolic title of Ice Champion, after a successful tour in Europe, where the team played against top clubs of the continent, winning most of the matches.

The 1960's was known as the decade in which the Mineirão Stadium was built, but they were difficult times for the club. During this period, they only managed to win the state champions of 1962 and 1963. It was in the mid 1960's that the rivalry with Cruzeiro became strong, after the blue club won 5 state championships in a row (the first 5 championships of Mineirão era). In October 1969, Atlético beat the Brazilian National Team 2-1 at Mineirão Stadium.

It was only in 1970 that Atlético won its first championship in Mineirão Stadium, breaking Cruzeiro's 5 titles sequence. In 1971, the club won the first Brazilian Championship in history; the club's biggest title ever. In 1976, Atlético won the State Championship again and also finished in third place in the 1976 Brazilian Championship. They also finished runners-up in the 1977 championship, despite not being defeated for the entire season. The following decade, the 1980's, would be one of the best in Atlético's history. The club won the state championship 6 times in a row, from 1978 to 1983, winning also in 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989. Atlético also had good performances in the Brazilian Championship, finishing runner-up in 1980 (when the club did not win because of bad refereeing), third placed in 1983, 1986 and in 1987 and fourth placed in 1987. It was in this decade too that the club saw some of the best players in history, like Reinaldo, Toninho Cerezo, Éder and João Leite.

In the 1990's, Atlético won the state championships in 1991, 1995 and in 1999 and had some good performances in Brazilian Championships, finishing runner-up in 1999, third placed in 1996 and fourth placed in 1994 and 1997. In 1992, Atlético won the CONMEBOL Cup, the club's first official international title; one which they won again in 1997.

The 2000's did not start well for Atlético, and the club has suffered serious crisis. Atlético won only the state champioship in 2000, and was runner-up in 2001 and in 2004. In 2000, it reached the Copa libertadores quarter final, and was fourth placed in the Brazilian Championship in 2001. In 2004, Atlético almost got relegation to Série B. 2005 started disastrously, and was the worst year in its history; the club was relegated to Brazilian Second Division.

In 2006 the club won the Brazilian League Série B after an extraordinary campaign, qualifying to play the Brazilian League Série A in 2007.

[edit] Titles

[edit] International titles

• 1950 - "Ice Champion" (symbolical title given to the club due to a successful tour in Europe)
• 1976 - Torneo Conde de Fenosa (La Coruña, Spain)
• 1977 - Trofeo Ciudad de Vigo (Spain)
• 1980 - Trofeo Costa do Sol (Málaga, Spain)
• 1982 - Tournoi International de Paris
• 1982 - Trofeo Villa de Bilbao (Spain)
• 1983 - Philips Cup Tournament of Berna (Switzerland)
• 1984 - Amsterdam Toernooi (Holland)
• 1990 - Tournament of Cadiz (Spain)
• 1990 - Trofeo Ramón de Carranza
• 1992 - CONMEBOL Champion
• 1997 - Belo Horizonte City 100 Years Cup
• 1997 - CONMEBOL Champion

[edit] National titles

• 1937 - "Campeão dos Campeões" (FBF) ("Champion of the Champions", first official Brazilian tournament, with the champions of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, State of Guanabara, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo)
• 1971 - Brazilian League
• 1978 - Campeão dos Campeões do Brasil (Champion of the Champions of Brazilian League)
• 2006 - Brazilian League Série B

[edit] State titles

• 38 State Championships (1915, 1926, 1927, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2000).

Atlético is the biggest winner of Minas Gerais State Championship, also being runner-up 32 times.

[edit] Youth titles

• 2006 - Santiago Youth Cup

[edit] Futsal

• 1997 - Brazilian Champions
• 1998 - World Champions(InterContinental Cup)
• 1999 - Brazilian Champions

[edit] Performances in Brazilian Championship

• Atlético's performances in the Brazilian Championship year by year:

* Atlético was relegated to play the Brazilian League Série B in the next year.

** Atlético played and won the Brazilian League Série B, qualifying to play the Série A in 2007.

Note: Had the current points system prevailed since the first Campeonato Brasileiro edition in 1971, Atletico would be the biggest winner of the tournament with 5 titles: 1971, 1977, 1980, 1983 and 1987, when Atletico qualified in 1st place among all other competitors in Serie A. Nevertheless, Campeonato Brasileiro had a playoffs system from 1971 to 2002.

[edit] Current squad

As of August 2006

[edit] Greatest and Famous Players

[edit] Football

• Reinaldo - Average 1.55 goal per match in 1977 (The best average in Brazilian League ever). 28 goals in 18 matches. 255 goals (best scorer for Atlético ever). Played in World Cup 78 (one goal, against Sweden). And scored the goal that put the Brazilian Team through World Cup 82. Nicknamed the king, Reinaldo is still remembered by the club supporters and received significant support from both the club and the fans when he faced prosecution for taking drugs in 1998.
• Dario - also known as "Dadá Maravilha". World Champion in 1970, Brazilian's League Scorer in 71 (Brazilian Champion, 15 goals), 72 (17 goals) and 76 (16 goals, Brazilian Champion playing in Internacional/RS).
• Taffarel - World Cup 1994 Champion.
• Gilberto Silva - World Cup Champion 2002 - currently at Arsenal, England
• Cicinho - Former Atlético youth, played for Atlético until 2003. Now at Real Madrid.
• Mancini - Midfielder from Atlético's youth system. Played for the club from 1999 to 2003. His best season was in 2002, when he scored 15 goals in the Brazilian League. He was sold to A.S. Roma in 2003.
• Toninho Cerezo - World Cup 82, Roma and Sampdoria player.
• Eder - World Cup 1982, nicknamed O Canhão ("The Cannon") supposedly had one of the mightiest shots in the world and scored a goal against Soviet Union in the World Cup.
• Edivaldo - World Cup 1986, died tragically at the age of 30.
• Luizinho - World Cup 1982.
• Murilo Silva - Won the Belfort Duarte Trophy. He went 10 years without receiving a red card.
• Lincoln - Best Player in Bundesliga Nov/04 (according to Kicker magazine) - currently at Schalke 04
• Ladislao Mazurkiewicz - Uruguay's National Team goalkeeper in World Cup 1970.
• Dedé - currently plays for Borussia Dortmund.
• Cláudio Caçapa - currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais.
• Juliano Belletti - currently plays for Barça.
• Zé do Monte - a midfield player in the 1950's.
• Paulo Isidoro
• Marques
• Mário de Castro
• Said
• Jairo
• Cincunegui
• Ubaldo
• William
• Nívio Gabrich
• Marcelo Oliveira
• Grapete
• Oldair
• Lola
• Spencer
• Elzo

[edit] Top scorers

[edit] Futsal

• Manoel Tobias
• Jackson
• Falcão
• Lenísio
• Rogério
• Vânder Carioca
• Piu
• Índio
• Ronaldo
• Paulinho Tenaz
• Euler
• Neto

[edit] Coaches

Atlético Mineiro's most famous soccer coach is Telê Santana.

The coaches with most matches in Atlético´s history are:

• Telê Santana - 434 matches

• Procópio Cardoso - 328

• Barbatana - 227

• Ricardo Díez - 168

• Levir Culpi (current coach) - 152

[edit] Fans

Atlético's fan base is known in Brazil as one of the most passionate in the country. The nickname of the fan base is "Massa Atleticana" or simply, "Massa" (meaning masses of lower class people), which is known all over the country because of the club's high popularity in the Minas Gerais State. The club is traditionally known as the most popular club in Minas Gerais, even after the recent growth of Cruzeiro's fan base in the 1990's.

Atlético usually has one of the highest average attendances of the country. Since the Brazilian Championship began in 1971, Atlético was the first team to bring more than 10 million people to its matches. Since 1971, 11,743,767 people have watched Atlético play. The club is placed 3rd in the overall average home attendance of the Brazilian Championship, from 1972 to 2005, with 23,521 people per match; just behind Flamengo (on 25,898) and Bahia (on 24,218).

• Atlético´s average attendances per year in Brazilian Championship:

* Atletico played the Serie B in 2006.

Atlético is also the club which brought more people to Mineirão; as of 2002, 20,887,391 people in 1,011 matches. Even with 51 less games than the second placed Cruzeiro, Atlético brought 1,542,884 people more. These stats do not include derbies.

Some ultra groups are:

• Galoucura
• Galo Metal
• Uniformizada (TUA)
• Esquadrão Atleticano
• Netg@lo
• Galosampa/SP
• Candangalo/DF
• Gargalo
• Dragões da FAO
• Máfia Atleticana Organizada (MAO)
• Força Jovem Atleticana
• Galo Prates
• Galo Elite
• Galodum
• Super Força Viva
• Galos de Porão
• Medgalo
• Eficigalo
• Desempregalo
• Movimento Galo 105'

[edit] Derbies

Atlético plays two derbies in Belo Horizonte City: Atlético vs. América and Atlético vs. Cruzeiro. Until the 1950's and early 1960's, the biggest derby of Minas Gerais State was Atlético vs. América, but from the mid 1960's on, Atlético vs. Cruzeiro became the biggest.

The Atlético vs. Cruzeiro derby has been played 447 times, with 184 wins for Atlético, 143 wins for Cruzeiro and 120 draws.

Atlético vs. América has been played 376 times, with 186 wins for Atlético, 100 wins for América and 90 draws.

[edit] The Rooster (Galo)

The team's mascot, the rooster, is one of the most well-known mascots in the country. It was created in the 1940's by Fernando Pierucetti, a cartoonist for "A Folha de Minas" newspaper. He was designated to design a mascot for each of the three greatest clubs in Belo Horizonte. According to Pierucetti, the symbol of Atlético was the rooster because the team used to play with plenty of passion, and would never give up until the end of each match, just like roosters used in cockfights.

[edit] Presidents

• 1908 to 1910 - Margival Mendes Leal
• 1911 to 1911 - Aleixanor Alves Pereira
• 1912 to 1913 - Jair Pinto dos Reis
• 1914 to 1914 - João Luiz Morethzon
• 1915 to 1916 - Roberto Xavier Azevedo
• 1917 to 1917 - Nilo Rosemburg
• 1918 (6 months) - Jorge Dias Pena
• 1919 (6 months) - Antônio Antunes
• 1920 to 1920 - Alvaro Felicíssimo
• 1921 to 1922 - Alfredo Felicíssimo de Paula Furtado
• 1923 to 1923 - Roberto Xavier de Azevedo
• 1924 to 1925 - Alfredo Furtado
• 1926 to 1930 - Leandro Castilho de Moura Costa
• 1931 to 1931 - Anibal Matos
• 1932 to 1932 - Afonso Ferreira Paulino
• 1933 to 1938 - Tomáz Naves
• 1939 to 1939 - Casildo Quintino dos Santos
• 1940 (5 months) - Sálvio Noronha
• 1940 to 1941 (2 months) - Hélio Soares de Moura
• 1942 to 1942 - Olímpyo Mourão de Miranda
• 1943 to 1944 - Alberto Pinheiro
• 1945 to 1945 - Edward Nogueira
• 1946 to 1949 - Gregoriano Canedo
• 1949 (3 months) - Geraldo Vasconcelos
• 1949 (6 meses) - Osvaldo Silva
• 1950 to 1951 - José Cabral
• 1952 to 1953 - José Francisco de Paula Júnior
• 1954 to 1955 - Mário de Andrade Gomes
• 1956 to 1957 - José Francisco de Paula Júnior
• 1958 to 1959 - Nelson Campos
• 1960 to 1960 - Antônio Álvares da Silva
• 1961 - Edgard Neves
• 1962 to 1963 - Fábio Fonseca e Silva
• 1964 (4 months) - José Ramos Filho
• 1964 (8 months) - Lauro Pires de Carvalho
• 1966 to 1967 (8 months) - Eduardo Catão Magalhães Pinto
• 1967 (4 months) - Fábio Fonseca e Silva
• 1968 to 1969 - Carlos Alberto de Vasconcellos Naves
• 1970 to 1973 - Nelson Campos
• 1973 (6 months) - Rubens Silveira
• 1974 to 1975 - Nelson Campos
• 1976 to 1979 - Walmir Pereira da Silva
• 1980 to 1985 - Elias Kalil
• 1986 - Marum
• 1986 to 1988 - Nelson Campos
• 1989 to 1994 - Afonso Araújo Paulino (Aníbal Goulart for sometime)
• 1995 to 1998 - Paulo Curi
• 1999 to 2001 - Nélio Brant
• 2001 to 2003 - Ricardo Guimarães(during the license of Nélio Brant)
• 2004 to ... - Ricardo Guimarães

[edit] Current Board

• President - Ricardo Annes Guimarães

• Football Department Vice-President - Sérgio Batista Coelho

• Financens Vice-President - Renato Moraes Salvador Silva

• Professional Football Team Department Coordinator - Luís Otávio "Ziza" Valadares

• Amateur Football Team Coordinator - Geraldo Magela Dolabela

• Physyo Department Coordinator - Dr.Euller Pace Lasmar

• Legal Department Coordinator - Roberto Soares de Vasconcellos Paes

• Patrimony Department Coordinator - Geraldo Leite

[edit] External links

• Official Web Site

Categories: Clube Atlético Mineiro | Football (soccer) clubs established in 1908 | Brazilian football clubs | Sports in Minas Gerais