São Paulo FC

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São Paulo
The emblem is composed by an isosceles triangle with a bigger superior side and a rectangle at the top, with an equivalent height of half’s the triangles lateral side, a black background with the letters SPFC in “courier” font. At the aforementioned triangle’s interior, a central white stripe with ¼ smaller lateral side, contoured by an escalene triangle in red and followed by another one in black, in this specific order.
Full nameSão Paulo Futebol Clube
Nickname(s)Tricolor Paulista (Paulista Tricolour)
O Clube da Fé (The Faith Team)
Soberano (Sovereign) [1] Campeão de Tudo (Champions of Everything)
Short nameSão Paulo FC, SPFC
Founded25 January 1930; 94 years ago (1930-01-25)
StadiumMorumBIS Stadium, Morumbi, São Paulo.
Capacity72,039[2]
Coordinates-23°36'0.26" S -46°43'7.53" W
PresidentJulio Casares
Head coachThiago Carpini
LeagueCampeonato Brasileiro Série A
Campeonato Paulista
2023
2023
Série A, 11th of 20
Paulista, 6th of 16
WebsiteClub website
Red, white and black
      colors
Red, white and black
      colors
Current season

São Paulo Futebol Clube (Brazilian Portuguese: [sɐ̃w ˈpawlu futʃiˈbɔw ˈklubi] ), more commonly referred to as simply São Paulo, is a professional football club in the affluent Morumbi district of São Paulo, Brazil. It plays in Campeonato Paulista, São Paulo's premier state league and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of Brazilian football. Despite being primarily a football club, São Paulo competes in a wide variety of sports. Its home ground is the multipurpose 72,039-seater MorumBIS Stadium, the biggest private-owned field in Brazil and considered one of the temples of South American football. São Paulo is Brazil’s biggest worldwide champion and also one of the only two clubs that have never been relegated from the top division, the other being Flamengo.

Founded in 1930 as merge between Club Athletico Paulistano and Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, the club has used its traditional home kit of a white shirt with two horizontal stripes (one red and one black), white shorts, and white socks[3] since its inception, the collor choice was made in honour of its parent-clubs primary collors, and also to represent the collors of the state of São Paulo. Although its main affiliation is with the state and city where it was founded, São Paulo is a national team and the third best-supported club in Brazil, with over 22 million supporters, covering around 9.9% of its population. Their supporters are called São-paulinos and are often nicknamed Torcida que conduz (Supporters who lead), due to their importance in maintaining São Paulo’s long lasting relevance in South America’s football. São Paulo ranked fifth in Brazil with a market value of R$ 2.214 billion in 2023. [4]

Consistently being ranked amongst South America’s biggest football clubs, São Paulo is Brazil’s most international team, winning a total of 12 top-tier international competitions in its history, making it the most successful Brazilian club overseas. The club is the only Brazilian team with three worldwide titles, 2 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup. Making São Paulo the only domestic club to win on all participations, with a 100% success rate, São Paulo is the only club that has never lost a worldwide top-tier title, while also being the only club in South America with a Intercontinental Cup title to win a FIFA Club World Cup title. They are the only club in the country to win all available titles, earning the nickname “Champions of Everything”, an honour achieved after winning the 2024 Supercopa do Brasil. [5]

São Paulo is one of the most successful teams in Brazil with 56 official titles, that includes 24 state titles, 12 inter-state titles, 6 Campeonato Brasileiro titles, 1 Copa do Brasil title, 1 Supercopa do Brasil title, 3 Copa Libertadores titles, 1 Copa Sudamericana, 1 Supercopa Libertadores, 1 Copa CONMEBOL, 1 Copa Masters CONMEBOL, 2 Recopa Sudamericanas, 2 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.[6][7][8][9]

São Paulo was honored with a Triple Crown two times in its history, in 1992 and 2005, after winning three competitions in the same year. The club is also the first of its kind in the country to win an International Quadruple Crown, feat achieved in 1993 after winning four international titles in the same year, Supercopa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup, as of 2024, São Paulo remais the only club in the country with such a feat.

Being the youngest and newest addition to Brazil’s pantheon of leading clubs, with only 94 years, São Paulo is the domestic team with the most amount of accolades in the least amount of time, with a variation of 11 different competitions won, the most amongst Brazilian clubs. São Paulo was also an inaugural member of the Clube dos 13, a group of Brazil's leading football clubs. The club's most consistent spell of success came in the 1990s when it won two state titles, one national championship, two Copa Libertadores, two Recopa Sudamericanas, two Intercontinental Cups, one Supercopa Sudamericana, one Copa CONMEBOL and one Copa Masters CONMEBOL.

São Paulo was coached by some of the best professionals in Brazil, including Muricy Ramalho, Paulo Autuori and Telê Santana, considered the best head coach in Brazilian football history and responsible for winning 2 Copa Libertadores and 2 Intercontinental Cup in a row along with several national and international titles throughout the 1990's, in honour of that, a statue of Telê was raised in MorumBIS Stadium.

Its youth system is considered one of the best in South America, with a multi-champion talent league, the club has produced many well-known players, including Rogério Ceni, the best goalkeeper in the country, Casemiro, Lucas Moura, Éder Militão, Antony, Gabriel Sara, Lucas Beraldo, Pablo Maia, Fábio Santos, Denílson, Júlio Baptista, Cafu and Kaká, the last Brazilian to win the Ballon d'Or. Another important players include: Raí, Diego Lugano, Luis Fabiano, Zetti, Pedro Rocha, Waldir Peres, Aloísio Chulapa, Serginho Chulapa, Dagoberto, Hernanes, Leônidas and Arthur Friedenreich. São Paulo's current players include: James Rodríguez, Lucas Moura, Jonathan Calleri, Rafinha, Giuliano Galoppo, Rodrigo Nestor and Luiz Gustavo.

All five FIFA World Cups won by Brazil contained at least one São Paulo player, an honour shared with cross-city rivals Palmeiras.[10]

History[edit]

1930–1934: Origins: "São Paulo da Floresta" ("São Paulo of the Forest")[edit]

The foundations of the team in 1930 and 1935 at the memorial Cássio Luiz dos Santos Werneck.
The championship team of 1931

The São Paulo Futebol Clube was founded on 25 January 1930 by 60 former officials, players, members, and friends of the football clubs Club Athletico Paulistano and Associação Atlética das Palmeiras of São Paulo. Club Athletico Paulistano, founded in 1900 and one of the oldest clubs in town and 11-time champions of São Paulo, abandoned football due to the professionalization of the sport. Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, founded in 1902 and three-time champions of São Paulo, intended after the end of the season 1929 to set up a professional team, but failed to do so.[11]

The jerseys of the new club were derived from Associação Atlética das Palmeiras, which were white and sported a black ring across the chest. To the black-and-white of Associação Atlética das Palmeiras was added the red-and-white of Club Athletico Paulistano, and the ring became red, white, and black.[12]

The Club Athletico Paulistano brought to the union star players Arthur Friedenreich[13] and Araken Patusca.[14] Associação Atlética das Palmeiras' contribution was the stadium Estádio da Floresta, generally known as Chácara da Floresta.[15]

Internal arguments and turmoil led to financial problems. The club merged with Clube de Regatas Tietê, another sports club from the town, and the football department was disbanded on 14 May 1935.[15]

1935–1939: The rebirth of São Paulo FC[edit]

Just after the merger with Tietê, the founders and re-founders created the Grêmio Tricolor, which formed Clube Atlético São Paulo on 4 June 1935, and, finally, São Paulo Futebol Clube on 16 December of the same year.[16]

The new club's first game was against Portuguesa Santista on 25 January 1936. The match was almost cancelled, owing to the city's anniversary, but Porphyrio da Paz, the football director and composer of the club's anthem, obtained permission from the Board of Education Office for the game to continue.[17]

Another merger occurred in 1938, this time with Clube Atlético Estudantes Paulista, from the neighborhood of Moóca, and the club finished as runners-up in the Campeonato Paulista.

1940–1950: "The Steam Roller"[edit]

In 1940, when the Estádio do Pacaembu was inaugurated, a new era began in São Paulo state football. São Paulo Futebol Clube finished as runners-up once again in the Campeonato Paulista in 1941, and a year later the club paid 200 and a year later the club paid 200 contos de réis (equivalent to approximately R$162,000 today) to acquire Leônidas from Flamengo. During this period, São Paulo also acquired the Argentinian António Sastre and Brazilians Noronha, José Carlos Bauer, Zezé Procópio, Luizinho, Rui and Teixeirinha. With these new additions, Tricolor became known as the Steam Roller, winning the Paulista championship five times, in 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1949. The club sold its Canindé training ground to Portuguesa to raise money for their new stadium, the Estádio do Morumbi, for which construction began in 1952.

New team after being reformed in 1936

1951–1957: The dry spell[edit]

The run of success of the 1940s, came to an end in the early 1950s, and the club only won two state championships in the new decade, in 1953 and 1957. The 1957 championship was won with the help of the 35-year-old Brazilian international Zizinho, and Hungarian manager Béla Guttmann, both of them becoming idols. Guttmann took charge of the team in 1957 and won the São Paulo State Championship that year.[18][19] While in Brazil he helped popularise the 4–2–4 formation, which was subsequently used by Brazil as they won the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

In the years that followed, the club struggled to compete with the rise of Pelé and his club, Santos. With the construction of the Morumbi stadium still ongoing, São Paulo entered its longest period without a title in its history, which was to last 13 years.

Leônidas with another Tricolor legend, Arthur Friedenreich

1958–1969: Just the stadium[edit]

Since São Paulo's budget planning was focused on the Estádio do Morumbi construction rather than the signing of new players, few expensive players were bought during the 1960s, although the club did acquire Brazilian internationals Roberto Dias and Jurandir. In 1960, the Estádio do Morumbi was inaugurated, named after the late Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, the club's chairman during most of the stadium construction.[20] One of the few happy moments for the fans during this period was the 1963 Paulista Championship 4–1 victory against Pelé's Santos.

1970–1979: Campeonato Brasileiro (Brazilian Championship)[edit]

In 1970, the Estádio do Morumbi was finally completed and the club purchased Gérson from Botafogo, Uruguayan midfielder Pedro Rocha from Peñarol and striker Toninho Guerreiro from Santos. The club was managed by Zezé Moreira, who was the manager of Brazil at the World Cup in 1954, and won the Paulista Championship after beating Guarani 2–1 in the Campinas a week before the end of the competition.

View of the Morumbi Stadium, January 23, 1970. National Archives of Brazil.

In 1971, the club beat Palmeiras 1–0 with a goal from Toninho Guerreiro in the final to capture another state title. That year saw the inaugural Campeonato Brasileiro, with the club finishing as runners-up to Atlético Mineiro, managed by Telê Santana.

In the following years, São Paulo and Palmeiras gradually overtook Pelé's Santos and Corinthians as the dominant club sides in São Paulo state. In 1972, Palmeiras won the state championship title, only one point ahead of São Paulo, and the following year the clubs finished in the same positions in the Brazilian Championship. In 1974, São Paulo took part in the Copa Libertadores losing in the final to Independiente in a replay.

In 1975, former goalkeeper José Poy took over as manager, and São Paulo won the Paulista Championship after defeating Portuguesa in a penalty shoot-out.

Valdir Peres, Chicão, Serginho Chulapa and Zé Sérgio were the club's most influential players when São Paulo finally secured the Brazilian Championship for the first time in 1977 following a penalty shoot-out victory over Atlético Mineiro at the Mineirão. However, they failed to win another trophy until the reclaimed the Paulista Championship in 1980.

The 1980s: Tricolor decade[edit]

In the 1980s, São Paulo won four Paulista and one Brazilian titles, helped by the impressive central defensive pair of Oscar and Dario Pereyra. 1980 and 1981, the club won the Paulista Championship in successive seasons for the first time since the 1940s.[21]

In 1985, the head coach Cilinho introduced to the world the Menudos of Morumbi, a team that included Paulo Silas, Müller and Sidney, and the club once again won the Paulista Championship. The main striker was Careca, a centre-forward who also played for Brazil in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. The midfield featured Falcão, brought in from Italian club Roma and becoming a big part in winning the Campeonato Paulista in 1985. In 1986, manager Pepe led the club to its second Brazilian Championship title, defeating Guarani in a penalty shoot-out. In 1987, Dario Pereyra left the club, but in that year the Menudos team won its last title, another Paulista title. The so-called Tricolor Decade ended with the 1989 Paulista Championship title and a second-place finish in the Brazilian Championship, when São Paulo lost to Vasco da Gama in the final match.[21]

1990–1995: The Telê Santana Era, CONMEBOL and Intercontinental cups[edit]

Telê Santana, won two Copa Libertadores and two Club World Cups with São Paulo.

In 1990, after a poor start to the campaign in Championship Paulista, Telê Santana was hired as the club's coach, and São Paulo went on to finish runners-up in the Brazilian Championship.[22] In 1991, Santana won his first title after winning the Paulista championship.

In 1991, São Paulo won the Brazilian championship after beating Carlos Alberto Parreira's Bragantino, and the club began a period of consistent achievement both nationally and internationally. The following year they reached the Copa Libertadores final, where they faced Newell's Old Boys of Argentina. São Paulo lost the first leg 1–0, but reversed the scoreline in the second leg in Brazil, and then won the competition in the penalty shoot-out to take the title for the first time.[23]

Raí, São Paulo's midfielder in the 1990s.

In the same year, in Tokyo the club won its first Intercontinental Cup, beating Johan Cruyff's Barcelona 2–1. After returning to Brazil, the club beat Palmeiras 2–1 to win its 18th state championship title.

In 1993, São Paulo retained the Copa Libertadores, beating Universidad Católica of Chile in the finals 5–3 on aggregate, including a 5–1 first leg win. After the competition, influential midfielder Raí left the club. The Copa Libertadores win allowed the club to play the Recopa Sudamericana that year, beating 1992 Supercopa Libertadores winners and fellow Brazilian side Cruzeiro. The club also won the 1993 Supercopa Libertadores, beating Flamengo on penalties in the final. The Supercopa Libertadores title meant the club has completed an unprecedented CONMEBOL treble (Copa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana, Supercopa Libertadores).

São Paulo was able to defend its Intercontinental Cup title again, beating Fabio Capello's Milan 3–2. Müller scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the match, from an assist by Toninho Cerezo.[24] This meant the club had completed a quadruple.

In 1994, the club reached the Copa Libertadores finals for the third year in a row, and faced Argentina's Vélez Sársfield. On this occasion they lost on penalties to the Argentine side at the Morumbi stadium. But by the end of this year, São Paulo won the Copa CONMEBOL, defeating Peñarol of Uruguay in the final.

1996–2004: Post-Telê years[edit]

Rogério Ceni, São Paulo's former goalkeeper, he is the highest scoring goalkeeper of all time.

At the beginning of 1996, owing to health issues, Telê Santana left São Paulo, ending the club's golden era. Between 1995 and 2004, the club had fourteen managers. Among the most notable titles during those ten years were the 2000 Paulista Championship and the club's first Rio-São Paulo Tournament title in 2001. Rogério Ceni, Júlio Baptista, Luís Fabiano and Kaká were the club's stars. Raí briefly returned to 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 were back in the Copa Libertadores and reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by underdogs Once Caldas from Colombia. At the end of that year, Émerson Leão was hired as the club's coach.

In 2003, São Paulo made a deal with Spanish amateur side Santangelo Club Aficionado that resulted in the Spanish club changing its name to São Paulo Madrid.[25]

2005–2009: Three Brazilian Championships, Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup[edit]

In 2005, with Leão as the club's manager, São Paulo won the Paulista Championship. Leão, however, would soon leave the club with Paulo Autuori, former manager of the Peru national team, hired to replace him. São Paulo won the Libertadores Cup for the third time, beating another Brazilian side, Atlético Paranaense, in the final. Atlético switched the first leg of the final to Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, their own ground not having sufficient capacity for a final, and the match ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg, at the Morumbi, São Paulo won 4–0 to become the first Brazilian club to win three Copa Libertadores titles.

In December 2005, São Paulo competed in the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. After beating Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad 3–2, they faced European champions Liverpool in the final. A 1–0 victory over the English team gave São Paulo its third intercontinental title. The single goal was scored by Mineiro in the first half of the match.[26][27] Other players in that year's squad included centre-back Diego Lugano, full-back Cicinho, forward Amoroso, and the record-breaking goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, who was selected Man of the Match at the FIFA Club World Championship title match, as well as the tournament's MVP.[28]

Tribute received from the Paulista Football Federation and President Lula for winning the first FIFA Club World Cup.

After the success of the 2005 season, Paulo Autuori left the team to coach Kashima Antlers in the J. League. Muricy Ramalho was signed up as the new coach, having led Internacional to the runners-up position in the 2005 Brazilian Championship. In his first tournament as a manager, Ramalho reached second place in the Paulista Championship, losing to Santos by one point. São Paulo reached the final of the 2006 Copa Libertadores, but lost 4–3 on aggregate to Brazilian rivals Internacional. However, they went on to win their fourth Campeonato Brasileiro trophy, becoming the first team to become national champions in the new league system format.

São Paulo against Bayern Munich in 2007.

After being eliminated from the Copa Libertadores round of 16 to Grêmio in 2007, São Paulo won the Brazilian title for the second year in a row, fifteen points ahead of second-placed Santos. They won the title for the third season running in 2008 season, overturning an 11-point deficit behind Grêmio in the second half, to win its sixth league title. Manager Muricy Ramalho was the first manager to win three league titles in a row with the same team.

Despite this feat, Muricy was sacked the following year after São Paulo was eliminated in the 2009 Copa Libertadores quarter-finals to Cruzeiro, its fourth consecutive elimination to a Brazilian side. Ricardo Gomes took over as manager. The club was very close to winning the league for the fourth time in a row, however, after struggling in the final 4 games, they ended up finishing in third.

2010–2020: Copa Sudamericana and a tough period[edit]

In 2010 São Paulo lost once again to Internacional in the 2010 Copa Libertadores, this time in the semifinals, ending Ricardo Gomes' spell as manager. The club finished ninth in the league, not qualifying for the international competition for the first time since 2003.

In 2011, the club signed Rivaldo and brought back Luís Fabiano for a club-record €7.6 million from Sevilla.[citation needed] Goalkeeper Rogério Ceni, meanwhile, scored his 100th career goal, against Corinthians in the Campeonato Paulista. Despite these events, it was another very disappointing season, finishing sixth in the league and failing to qualify for the Libertadores once again.

In research conducted by Brazilian sports website GloboEsporte.com, São Paulo, during the eight years between 2003 and 2011, were just the second Brazilian club to earn more money than losses in the transfer market – Tricolor paulista received R$287 million, behind only Internacional, which earned R$289 million.[29]

In 2012, São Paulo won the Copa Sudamericana (its only title in the 2010 decade) and qualified for next season's Libertadores, finishing fourth in the league under Ney Franco. However, after that season, the club hit a second massive dry spell and struggled to regain its dominance in the Brazilian and South American stage.

For the 2013 season, after seven years wearing kits produced by Reebok, São Paulo signed with Brazilian brand Penalty. The contract was valid until 2015 and the club earned R$35 million per year.[30] This contract was the second-most lucrative kit deal in Brazil, just exceeded by Flamengo and Adidas' deal of R$38 million.[31] In May 2015 São Paulo presented its new kits, made by Under Armour. In 2018 the team became sponsored by Adidas.[32]

In 2014, 2018 and 2020 the club was one of the contenders for the national league title, but did not win it; São Paulo finished runners-up in 2014, fifth in 2018, and fourth in 2020, the last two being marked by massives drops of form in the second half. In contrast to this, they struggled hard in 2013 and 2017, fighting (and eventually saving themselves) against relegation to the second tier.

Continentally, in 2016 the club reached the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, losing to Atlético Nacional.

During the 2010s, São Paulo did not win a single Campeonato Paulista title, the first time since the 1960s.

2021–present: Copa do Brasil win[edit]

In 2021, São Paulo finally ended its second biggest dry spell in its history (8 years); under new manager Hernán Crespo, the club defeated Palmeiras at the Campeonato Paulista finals, winning the competition for the first time since 2005. However, after a continuing sequence of poor results, which included quarter-final exits in the Copa Libertadores and in the Copa do Brasil to Palmeiras and Fortaleza, respectively, Crespo was sacked in October, with the club being involved in another relegation battle at the Campeonato Brasileiro, eventually finishing 13th, after Crespo was replaced by club legend Rogério Ceni in his second managerial spell.

In 2022, under Ceni, the club reached once again the Campeonato Paulista finals, reaching their third state finals in four years; a progress, since São Paulo didn't reach the state finals between 2007 (when the knock-out second phase was re-established) and 2018. São Paulo ended the competition as runners-up to Palmeiras; despite winning the first leg 3–1 at the Morumbi, they suffered a heavy 4–0 comeback defeat at Allianz Parque. Also in 2022, the club reached the semifinals of the 2022 Copa do Brasil, being eliminated by eventual winners Flamengo,[33] and suffered another final defeat, this time in the Copa Sudamericana, losing to Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle in Córdoba, Argentina;[34] It was the first time since 2005 the club reached two finals in the same year. In the Campeonato Brasileiro, however, São Paulo finished in 9th place, one position outside Copa Libertadores qualification.

In 2023, just like six years before, Rogério Ceni was sacked and replaced by Dorival Júnior after getting eliminated in the quarter-final of the Campeonato Paulista to underdogs and eventual runners-up Água Santa. Under the guidance of Dorival, São Paulo won its first Copa do Brasil title in a memorable run, defeating along the way Ituano, Sport Recife and, most notably, city rivals Palmeiras and Corinthians and defending champions Flamengo in the finals, winning the first leg 1–0 in the Maracanã and drawing 1–1 at the second leg in the Morumbi.[35] The club finished 11th in the Campeonato Brasileiro and reached the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, being eliminated by eventual champions L.D.U. Quito.

After a successful year, Dorival Júnior left São Paulo in January 2024 to manage the Brazil national team; it was the third time the club lost their manager to a national team in more than eight years (the others being Juan Carlos Osorio to Mexico in 2015 and in the following year, Edgardo Bauza to Argentina).[36] Juventude manager Thiago Carpini was appointed as Dorival's replacement,[37] guiding the club to the 2024 Supercopa Rei defeating Palmeiras on penalties at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte.[38]

Colors and badge[edit]

Associação Atlética das Palmeiras's badge.

When the Club Athletico Paulistano and the Associação Atlética das Palmeiras merged, their colours (red and white for CA Paulistano and black and white for AA das Palmeiras) were inherited by São Paulo. The colours match those of São Paulo's state flag,[39] and also represents the three main races that lived in Brazil during that period: the Native Brazilians (represented by the red), the White Brazilians (represented by the white) and the Afro-Brazilians (represented by the black).[40]

The club's home kit is a white shirt, with two horizontal stripes at chest level, the upper one red and the lower one black, and the badge in the centre of the chest; the shorts and socks are white. The away kit consists of a shirt with red, white and black vertical stripes, black shorts and black socks.

The badge, representing a heart with five points, consists of a shield with a black rectangle in the upper section bearing the initials SPFC in white; below the rectangle there's a red, white and black triangle. It was designed by the german graphic designer Walter Ostrich and one of the founders, Firmiano de Morais Pinto Filho.[41] The badge also has five stars, two gold and three red ones: the gold ones denote Adhemar Ferreira da Silva's World and Olympic records at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki and at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City; the red ones represent each of the two Intercontinental Cups and the FIFA Club World Cup won by the club.[42]

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors[edit]

The traditional three stars in São Paulo’s crest, representing the three worldwide championships won by the club.

Although São Paulo's kit has been supplied by severel different manufacturers, the club's traditional home and away kit suffered very few changes and variations throughout the years, making it one the most recognizable kits in Brazil.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1930–67
1968–72 HerinGol
1972–73 Scratch
1974–77 Penalty
1977 Terres
1978–79 Dell'erba
1980–82 Le Coq Sportif
1983 BCN
1984 Perdigão
Ovomaltine
Sorte Já: Carnê Tricolor
Promad
1985–86 Adidas Cruzeiro do Sul Seguros
1986 VASP
1986–87 Nugget
1987–88 Bic
1988–90 Coca-Cola
1991 Penalty
1991–93 IBF
1993–95 TAM
1996 Adidas
1997 Data Control
1997–99 Cirio
1999 Penalty
2000–01 Motorola
2001–02 LG Electronics
2003–05 Topper
2006–09 Reebok
2010–11 Banco BMG
2012–13 Semp
2013–14 Penalty
2014–15
2015 Under Armour
2016 Prevent Senior
2017–18 Banco Inter
2018–21 Adidas
2021–23 Sportsbet.io
2024–27 New Balance Superbet

Stadium[edit]

Aerial view of the Morumbi Stadium.
Aerial view of the Morumbi Stadium.

São Paulo's iconic 72,039 seater stadium is officially named Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo (Cicero Pompeu de Toledo Stadium) and commonly known by the nickname Estádio do Morumbi (Morumbi Stadium). It was designed by architect Vilanova Artigas and it’s considered a monument in Brazilian modernism. Due to its significant cultural and architectural importance, São Paulo‘s administration chose to include the stadium in its cultural preservation list, effectively eliminating any chance of modification and modernization in the stadium.

MorumBIS has been on the list since 2018, but after the signature of a multi-million refurbishment deal with W-torre, São Paulo’s prefecture agreed to withdraw the stadium’s name for the list, paving the way for a R$800 million modernization to be complete by 2030.

In late 2023, Mondelez bought the Naming rights to the stadium for a record R$25 million a year, on a 5-year contract, temporarily changing the stadium’s name to ''MorumBIS''. Also in 2023, Live Nation Entertainment signed a R$ 60 million 5-year deal with the club for concerts and events in the Stadium, the deal being the most expensive of its kind.

The first game played at the stadium was on 2 October 1960, when São Paulo win 1–0 in a friendly match against Sporting Club from Portugal. It was inaugurated in with a maximum sitting capacity of 120,000 people, but now its maximum capacity is 72,039 seats.[43]

The club also owns two training grounds, one named Centro de Treinamento Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen (Frederico Antônio Germano Menzen Training Center), nicknamed Centro de Treinamento (CT) da Barra Funda (Barra Funda's Training Center), which is used mostly by the professional team.[44] 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.[45]

Players[edit]

First-team squad[edit]

As of 15 March 2024[46][47]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Brazil BRA Igor Vinícius
3 DF Venezuela VEN Nahuel Ferraresi
4 DF Brazil BRA Diego Costa
5 DF Ecuador ECU Robert Arboleda
6 DF Brazil BRA Welington
7 FW Brazil BRA Lucas Moura
9 FW Argentina ARG Jonathan Calleri (vice-captain)
10 FW Brazil BRA Luciano
11 MF Brazil BRA Rodrigo Nestor
13 DF Brazil BRA Rafinha (captain)
14 MF Argentina ARG Giuliano Galoppo
15 MF Uruguay URU Michel Araújo (on loan from Fluminense)
16 MF Brazil BRA Luiz Gustavo
17 FW Brazil BRA André Silva
18 MF Brazil BRA Rodriguinho
21 MF Paraguay PAR Damián Bobadilla
23 GK Brazil BRA Rafael
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 MF Brazil BRA Alisson
27 MF Brazil BRA Wellington Rato
28 DF Argentina ARG Alan Franco
29 MF Brazil BRA Pablo Maia
30 DF Brazil BRA João Moreira
31 FW Brazil BRA Juan
33 FW Brazil BRA Erick
35 DF Brazil BRA Sabino
36 DF Brazil BRA Patryck Lanza
39 FW Brazil BRA William Gomes
43 MF Brazil BRA Nikão
44 DF Brazil BRA Matheus Belém
46 MF Brazil BRA Felipe Negrucci
47 FW Brazil BRA Ferreira
50 GK Brazil BRA Young
55 MF Colombia COL James Rodríguez
93 GK Brazil BRA Jandrei

Youth players with first team numbers[edit]

As of 7 March 2024[48][47]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Brazil BRA Leandro Mathias
40 GK Brazil BRA Felipe Preis
42 DF Brazil BRA Igor Felisberto
DF Brazil BRA Kaiky Carvalho
DF Brazil BRA Luis Felipe
MF Brazil BRA Enzo Boer
37 MF Brazil BRA Henrique
No. Pos. Nation Player
41 MF Senegal SEN Iba Ly
MF Brazil BRA Luiz Henrique
MF Brazil BRA Palmberg
FW Brazil BRA Caio Matheus
FW Brazil BRA Henrique Carmo
FW Ghana GHA King Faisal
FW Brazil BRA Ryan Francisco

Out on loan[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK Brazil BRA Arthur Doria (at Botafogo-SP until 31 December 2024)
GK Brazil BRA Roberto (at Coritiba until 31 January 2025)
DF Colombia COL Luis Manuel Orejuela (at Independiente Medellín until 31 December 2024)
DF Brazil BRA Raí Ramos (at Ceará until 30 November 2024)
DF Brazil BRA Ythallo (at Toronto FC II until 31 December 2024)
MF Brazil BRA Gabriel Falcão (at Ituano until 31 December 2024)
MF Uruguay URU Gabriel Neves (at Independiente until 31 December 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF Ecuador ECU Jhegson Méndez (at Elche until 30 June 2024)
MF Brazil BRA Léo Silva (at Volta Redonda until 31 October 2024)
MF Brazil BRA Liziero (at Yverdon-Sport until 30 June 2025)
MF Brazil BRA Luan (at Vitória until 31 December 2024)
MF Brazil BRA Pedrinho Vilhena (at Sport Recife until 31 December 2024)
FW Brazil BRA Gabriel Stevanato (at Hercílio Luz until 31 December 2024)

Retired numbers[edit]

Notable players[edit]

The most famous and beloved players that have played for the club since its foundation in 1930.[50][51][52][53]

Personnel[edit]

Current technical staff[edit]

Position Staff
Manager Thiago Carpini
General Manager Rui Costa
Coordinator Muricy Ramalho
Director of Football Carlos Belmonte
Assistant Managers Estephano Djian
Milton Cruz
Fitness Coaches Caio Gilli
Adriano Titton
Goalkeeping Coaches Octávio Ohl
Márcio Aguiar
Market Manager Vacant
Analysts Luis Felipe Batista
Luis Hoenen
Marcelo de Souza
Medical management José Sanchez
Medical Staff Ricardo Galotti
Youth Sector Coordinator Eduardo Biasotto
U20 Manager Menta
U17 Manager Allan Barcellos

Last updated: 11 January 2024
Source: Official website [1]

Club rivalries[edit]

São Paulo vs. Corinthians[edit]

The game between these clubs is also known as "Majestoso", a name coined by Thomas Mazzoni. The first "Majestoso" occurred on 25 May 1930. The fixture has seen 110 wins for São Paulo, 131 wins for Corinthians and 114 draws.[54]

São Paulo vs. Palmeiras[edit]

First Choque-Rei in Allianz Parque in March 2015

This fixture is nicknamed the "Choque Rei", and has seen 114 wins by São Paulo, 113 wins by Palmeiras and 110 draws.[55]

São Paulo vs. Santos[edit]

San-São between Santos and São Paulo played in Vila Belmiro in 2017 for Campeonato Brasileiro

Also known as "San-São", this fixture was first played in 1936. Since then, São Paulo have won it 137 times, Santos 106, and there have been 75 draws.[56]

Honours[edit]

São Paulo FC is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil, having won a total of 36 domestic honours, in addition to their 12 international successes. It is the Brazilian club with the most international titles. By winning the 2024 Supercopa do Brasil, São Paulo became the first Brazilian club to win all available trophies.[5]

Major competitions

WORLDWIDE
Competitions Titles Seasons
FIFA Club World Cup 1 2005
Intercontinental Cup 2 1992, 1993
CONTINENTAL
Competitions Titles Seasons
Copa Libertadores 3 1992, 1993, 2005
Copa Sudamericana 1 2012
Recopa Sudamericana 2 1993, 1994
Supercopa Libertadores 1 1993
Copa CONMEBOL 1 1994
Copa Masters CONMEBOL 1 1996
NATIONAL
Competitions Titles Seasons
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 6 1977, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007, 2008
Copa do Brasil 1 2023
Supercopa do Brasil 1 2024
STATE
Competitions Titles Seasons
Campeonato Paulista 22 1931, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2021
Supercampeonato Paulista 1 2002
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa 1 1956
INTER-STATE
Competitions Titles Seasons
Torneio Rio–São Paulo 1 2001
Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio–São Paulo 11 1931, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1958, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1987
TOTAL
Official Titles 56 3 Worldwides, 9 Continentals, 8 Nationals, 24 States, 12 Inter-States

Undefeated title

Other competitions[edit]

Some trophies in Luiz Cássio dos Santos Werneck memorial.

Runners-Up[edit]

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A record[edit]

Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa
1967 1968 1969 1970
10° 10° 13° 14°
Campeonato Brasileiro
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
10° 25° 19° 17° 22° 11° 12° 11° 12° 15° 11°
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
11° 10° 13° 13° 11°

Campeonato Paulista record[edit]

1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
15°
2020 2021 2022 2023

See also[edit]

References[edit]

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External links[edit]