Full name | Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname(s) | Gigante da Colina (Hill's Giant), Bacalhau (Cod) |
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Founded | 1898 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ground | São Januário, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Capacity: 36,273) |
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Chairman | ![]() |
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Head coach | ![]() |
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League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007 | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, 10th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, usually known as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, (after the famous Portuguese explorer of the same name) is a Brazilian sports club from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898 (although the football department started on November 5, 1915[1]). It was founded by Portuguese immigrants, and it is still the team traditionally supported by the Portuguese community of Rio de Janeiro and one of the most popular in Brazil, with more than 10 million supporters.[2]
Its statute defines the club as a "sportive, recreative, educational, assistant and philanthropic non-profit organization of public utility".[3]
Their home stadium is the São Januário, capacity 36,273, but some matches (especially the city derbies) are played at the Maracanã (capacity 95,000). They play in white shirts with a black diagonal sash that contains an Order of Christ cross, white shorts and white socks.
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In the late 19th century rowing was the most important sport in Rio de Janeiro. At this time, four young men - Henrique Ferreira Monteiro, Luís Antônio Rodrigues, José Alexandre d `Avelar Rodrigues and Manuel Teixeira de Souza Júnior - who did not want to travel to Niterói to row with the boats of Gragoatá Club decided to found a rowing club.
On August 21, 1898 in a room of the Sons of Talma Dramatic Society, with 62 members (mostly Portuguese immigrants), the Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Rowing Club) was born.
Inspired by the celebrations of the 4th centenary of the first sail from Europe to India, the founders chose the name of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama to baptise the new club.
Between 1947 and 1952, the club was nicknamed Expresso da Vitória (Victory Express), as Vasco won several competitions in that period, such as the Rio de Janeiro championship in 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1952, besides the South American Club Championship, in 1948. Players such as Ademir, Moacyr Barbosa, Bellini and Ipojucan defended Vasco's colors during that period.
After winning the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1997, beating Palmeiras in the final, Vasco started its Tokyo Project, and invested US$ 10 million to win the Copa Libertadores 1998, and thus be eligible to play in the Intercontinental Cup in Japan. Vasco successfully won the Copa Libertadores, beating Barcelona of Ecuador in the final, but the club was defeated by Real Madrid of Spain 2-1 in the Intercontinental Cup.
Although best known as a football club, Vasco da Gama is actually a comprehensive sports club. Its basketball section (twice Brazilian champion and twice South-American champion) produced current NBA player Nenê. The club is also the first Brazilian club to play against a NBA team. In 1999, the club played the McDonald's Championship final against San Antonio Spurs. Its rowing team is one of the best of Brazil. Its swimmers constantly represent Brazil in international competitions. And Vasco da Gama is present in many other sports.
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Year | Position | Year | Position | Year | Position | Year | Position |
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1971 | 10th | 1981 | 5th | 1991 | 11th | 2001 | 11th |
1972 | 5th | 1982 | 9th | 1992 | 3rd | 2002 | 15th |
1973 | 13th | 1983 | 5th | 1993 | 11th | 2003 | 17th |
1974 | 1st | 1984 | 2nd | 1994 | 13th | 2004 | 16th |
1975 | 19th | 1985 | 9th | 1995 | 20th | 2005 | 12th |
1976 | 7th | 1986 | 9th | 1996 | 18th | 2006 | 6th |
1977 | 5th | 1987 | 11th | 1997 | 1st | 2007 | 10th |
1978 | 3rd | 1988 | 5th | 1998 | 10th | 2008 | |
1979 | 2nd | 1989 | 1st | 1999 | 5th | 2009 | |
1980 | 5th | 1990 | 14th | 2000 | 1st | 2010 |
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Vasco da Gama's stadium is Estádio São Januário, inaugurated in 1927, with a maximum capacity of 36,273 people.
Vasco's biggest rivals are from the same city: América, Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo, with the latter being its biggest rival. The games between Vasco and Flamengo ("Millions Derby") are the most watched in Brazil. The matches are usually played in the Maracanã, and reunite the two biggest crowds of Rio de Janeiro.[4]
Vasco da Gama is one of the oldest Brazilian clubs, so, the club have had in his history several different kits.
Vasco da Gama's first kit, used in rowing, was created in 1898, and was completely black, with a left diagonal sash.
Vasco da Gama's first football kit, created in 1916, was completely black, and was easily identified because of the presence of a white tie and a belt.
In 1929, the club's kit was changed. The tie and the belt were removed. However, the kit remained all-black.
In the 1930s, the home kit's color was changed again. The kit became black with a white right diagonal sash.
In 1945, the away kit's color was changed to white, and a black diagonal sash was introduced. The sash was introduced because the club's manager at the time, the Uruguayan Ondino Viera liked the sash used in his previous club's kit, River Plate, of Argentina, and adopted this pattern in Vasco da Gama's away kit. So, both kits had a right diagonal sash.[5]
In 1988, the sash located on the back of the shirt was removed.
In 1998, the kit design was changed again. This kit became very similar to the 1945 one. However, a thin red line was placed around the sash.
Vasco has currently three kits. The home shirt's main color is white, with a black sash. The short and the socks are white. The away kit is similar to the home kit, but the main color is black, the sash is white, and the shorts and socks are black. The third kit is similar to the one used in 1929, being all-black, without the sash. The color of the player names and numbers is gold.
Currently, Reebok is the maker of all three Vasco da Gama's shirts.
The eight stars on the crest and flag signify: 1- South American Club Championship: 1948; 2- Libertadores Cup: 1998; 3- Mercosur Cup: 2000; 4- Brazilian National Championship: 1974; 5- 1989; 6- 1997; 7- 2000; 8- The Unbeaten Championship of Earth-and-sea of 1945.
Vasco's official anthem was composed in 1918, by Joaquim Barros Ferreira da Silva. There is another official anthem, created in the 1930s, called Meu Pavilhão (meaning My Pavilion), of which lyrics was composed by João de Freitas and the music by Hernani Correia. This anthem replaced the previous anthem.
The club's most popular anthem, however, is an unofficial anthem composed by Lamartine Babo in 1942:
Due to Vasco's tradition, several clubs are named after it, including Associação Desportiva Vasco da Gama, of Acre state, founded in 1952, Vasco Esporte Clube, of Sergipe state, founded in 1931, Esporte Clube Vasco da Gama, of Americana, São Paulo state, founded in 1958, Vasco Sports Club, which is an Indian football club founded in 1951 and CR Vasco da Gama Football Club, which is a South African football club founded in 1980. Tomazinho Futebol Clube, from São João de Meriti, Rio de Janeiro state, founded in 1930, has a logo strongly inspired by Vasco's logo, and share the same colors.
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