Clube Atlético Mineiro

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Coordinates: 19°55′38.58″S, 43°56′48.21″W

Atlético Mineiro
Atlético Mineiro
Full name Clube Atlético Mineiro
Nickname(s) Galo (The Rooster)
Founded 25 March 1908
Ground Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
(Capacity 71,860)
Chairman Flag of Brazil Luiz Otávio "Ziza" Valadares
Manager Flag of Brazil Alexandre Gallo
League Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
2007 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 8th
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Away colours

Clube Atlético Mineiro, usually known as Atlético is a football club based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Founded in March 25, 1908, Atlético is one of the most traditional clubs in Brazilian football. 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, Portuguese for rooster, its mascot, and was the first official Brazilian Champion, in 1971. Other trophies include two CONMEBOL Cups (the precursor of the current Copa Sudamericana) in 1992 and 1997, two Brazilian Champions Cup (Copa dos Campeões, in 1937 and 1978), and the 2nd Division Brazilian Champions in 2006. Besides that, it's the most stable team in national competitions, participating in 14 finals or semifinals in Brazilian Championship.

The club is also known for having the biggest support of Minas Gerais State, with the second biggest stadium crowd in Brazil. Galo plays its home games at the Mineirão stadium, which is shared with fierce rivals Cruzeiro.

Contents

[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 in Belo Horizonte at the time. The match was played on March 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 its 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 1930s, 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, which included the champions of four states: Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro), Portuguesa (São Paulo), Rio Branco (Espírito Santo), and Atlético.

Atlético dominated the football scene of Minas Gerais State in the 1940s and 1950s, winning 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 that continent, winning most of the matches.

The 1960s 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 1960s 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. In 1978, Atlético won the Copa dos Campeões, a tournament between the past winners of the Brazilian Championship, defeating São Paulo in the final.

The following decade, the 1980s, 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 a consistent streak of defeats to Flamengo began), third placed in 1983, 1986 and in 1987 (after being defeated again by Flamengo on semifinals). 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 1990s, 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, which was won again in 1997.

Financial situation turned worse in late 90's, with a scandal envolving the then Atlético's president Paulo Curi and, the 2000s did not start well for Atlético, as the club had 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 a good campaign, qualifying to play the Brazilian League Série A in 2007. After its promotion, the club managed to finish 8th in the Brasileirão, earning a spot at the 2008 Copa Sudamericana.

Atlético currently has ties to D.C. United in the Major League Soccer and Queensland Roar in the Australian A-League.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Domestic

  • Brazilian Championship
    • Winners (1): 1971
    • Runners-up (3): 1977, 1980, 1999
  • Cup of State Champions
    • Winners (1): 1937
  • Cup of Brazilian Champions
    • Winners (1): 1978
  • State Championship of Minas Gerais
    • Winners (39 - record): 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, 2000, 2007.
  • Brazilian Championship Série B
    • Winners (1): 2006

[edit] International

  • CONMEBOL Cup
    • Winners (2): 1992, 1997
    • Runners-up (1): 1995.

[edit] Futsal

[edit] Performances in Brazilian Championship

Year Position Year Position Year Position Year Position
1971 1st 1981 14th 1991 3rd 2001 4th
1972 11th 1982 19th 1992 13th 2002 8th
1973 11th 1983 3rd 1993 32nd 2003 7th
1974 7th 1984 19th 1994 4th 2004 20th
1975 19th 1985 4th 1995 7th 2005 19th *
1976 3rd 1986 3rd 1996 3rd 2006 1st (Série B) **
1977 2nd 1987 3rd 1997 4th 2007 8th
1978 34th 1988 10th 1998 9th 2008
1979 8th 1989 8th 1999 2nd 2009
1980 2nd 1990 5th 2000 24th 2010

* 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.


[edit] Current squad

[edit] Players

[edit] Current squad

As of April 13, 2008.
No. Position Player
-- Flag of Brazil GK Juninho
-- Flag of Brazil GK Edson
-- Flag of Brazil DF Coelho
-- Flag of Brazil DF Cláudio
-- Flag of Brazil DF Marcos
-- Flag of Brazil DF Leandro Almeida
-- Flag of Brazil DF Vinícius
-- Flag of Brazil DF Thiago Feltri
-- Flag of Brazil DF Bruno Barros
-- Flag of Brazil MF Rafael Miranda
-- Flag of Brazil MF Márcio Araujo
-- Flag of Brazil MF Renan
No. Position Player
-- Flag of Brazil MF Thiago Carpini
-- Flag of Brazil MF Danilinho
-- Flag of Brazil MF Tchô
-- Flag of Brazil MF Sidnei
-- Flag of Serbia MF Dejan Petkovic
-- Flag of Brazil MF Almir
-- Flag of Brazil FW Marinho
-- Flag of Brazil FW Marques
-- Flag of Bolivia FW Castillo
-- Flag of Brazil FW Eduardo
-- Flag of Brazil FW Marcelo Nicácio
-- Flag of Brazil FW Renan Oliveira

[edit] Out on loan

[edit] Notable players

[edit] Football

[edit] Futsal

[edit] All-time top 10 goalscorers

Name Goals
1 Reinaldo 255
2 Dadá Maravilha 211
3 Mário de Castro 195
4 Guará 168
6 Lucas Miranda 152
5 Said 142
7 Guilherme 139
8 Ubaldo 138
9 Marques 127
10 Nívio 126

[edit] Notable managers

Atlético Mineiro's most famous coach is Telê Santana.

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

[edit] Supporters

Atlético's fan base is the biggest in the state of Minas Gerais, ahead of América and Cruzeiro.

Atlético's average attendances per year in Brazilian Championship:

Year Attendance Year Attendance Year Attendance Year Attendance
1971 - 1981 - 1991 26,763 2001 30,679
1972 20,396 1982 26,693 1992 17,310 2002 22,248
1973 17,813 1983 39,249 1993 5,650 2003 14,034
1974 12,727 1984 21,199 1994 22,673 2004 10,222
1975 27,087 1985 29,668 1995 21,072 2005 21,889
1976 46,581 1986 36,150 1996 25,449 2006 31,922¹
1977 55,664 1987 34,879 1997 23,342 2007 17,145
1978 14,958 1988 8,330 1998 19,562 2008
1979 18,965 1989 14,136 1999 42,322 2009
1980 48,252 1990 26,748 2000 13,657 2010

¹ In 2006 Atletico played Serie B

Atlético is also the club which attracted the most 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/SPCandangalo/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 1950s and early 1960s, the biggest derby of Minas Gerais State was Atlético vs América, but from the mid-1960s on, Atlético vs. Cruzeiro became the biggest.

The Atlético vs Cruzeiro derby has been played 450 times, with 185 wins for Atlético, 144 wins for Cruzeiro and 121 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 1940s 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. Another reason is that the most popular hen breed raised in Brazil has mostly black-and-white feathers, thus making the rooster suitable.

[edit] Presidential History

  • 1908-1910 - Margival Mendes Leal
  • 1911 - Aleixanor Alves Pereira
  • 1912-1913 - Jair Pinto dos Reis
  • 1914 - João Luiz Morethzon
  • 1915-1916 - Roberto Xavier Azevedo
  • 1917 - Nilo Rosemburg
  • 1918 (6 months) - Jorge Dias Pena
  • 1919 (6 months) - Antônio Antunes
  • 1920 - Alvaro Felicíssimo
  • 1921-1922 - Alfredo Felicíssimo de Paula Furtado
  • 1923 - Roberto Xavier de Azevedo
  • 1924-1925 - Alfredo Furtado
  • 1926-1930 - Leandro Castilho de Moura Costa
  • 1931 - Anibal Matos
  • 1932-1932 - Afonso Ferreira Paulino
  • 1933-1938 - Tomáz Naves
  • 1939 - Casildo Quintino dos Santos
  • 1940 (5 months) - Sálvio Noronha
  • 1940-1941 (2 months) - Hélio Soares de Moura
  • 1942 - Olímpyo Mourão de Miranda
  • 1943-1944 - Alberto Pinheiro
  • 1945 - Edward Nogueira
  • 1946-1949 - Gregoriano Canedo
  • 1949 (3 months) - Geraldo Vasconcelos
  • 1949 (6 months) - Osvaldo Silva
  • 1950-1951 - José Cabral
  • 1952-1953 - José Francisco de Paula Júnior
  • 1954-1955 - Mário de Andrade Gomes
  • 1956-1957 - José Francisco de Paula Júnior
  • 1958-1959 - Nelson Campos
  • 1960 - Antônio Álvares da Silva
  • 1961 - Edgard Neves
  • 1962-1963 - Fábio Fonseca e Silva
  • 1964 (4 months) - José Ramos Filho
  • 1964 (8 months) - Lauro Pires de Carvalho
  • 1966-1967 (8 months) - Eduardo Catão Magalhães Pinto
  • 1967 (4 months) - Fábio Fonseca e Silva
  • 1968-1969 - Carlos Alberto de Vasconcellos Naves
  • 1970-1973 - Nelson Campos
  • 1973 (6 months) - Rubens Silveira
  • 1974-1975 - Nelson Campos
  • 1976-1979 - Walmir Pereira da Silva
  • 1980-1985 - Elias Kalil
  • 1986 - Marum
  • 1986-1988 - Nelson Campos
  • 1989-1994 - Afonso Araújo Paulino (Aníbal Goulart for some time)
  • 1995-1998 - Paulo Curi
  • 1999-2001 - Nélio Brant
  • 2001-2003 - Ricardo Annes Guimarães (during the license of Nélio Brant)
  • 2004-2006 - Ricardo Annes Guimarães
  • 2007-current - Luiz Otávio Ziza Valadares


[edit] External links


Clube Atlético Mineiro
Preceded by
First holders
Champions
1971
Succeeded by
Palmeiras