Recognized as a club of masses, Atlético has one of the most glorious stories in Brazilian Football 

On March 25th 1908, a group of students gathered at the bandstand of Municipal Park in Belo Horizonte, and funded Clube Atlético Mineiro, a team that would go beyond the borders of Minas Gerais and Brazil on its way to become one of the greatest football clubs in the world. Throughout its existence, “Galo” was considered a team of the people, which explains the amazing growth of the Team’s supporters over the years. 

As a sign of its glorious journey, Atlético won its very first game. On March 21st 1909, the team beat Sport Club Futebol by 3 to 0, on the rival’s stadium. The first goal was scored by Aníbal Machado, who would then, become a great Brazillian writer. The rivals couldn't’t accept the defeat, so on the rematch they were again beaten by 2 to 0. On a third match between the teams, Atlético outscored the rivals by wining 4 to 0, a result that lead to the extinction of the Sport Club. 

Pioneering

Atleico’s 103 years of history are filled with pioneering on and off the Field. The team was the first in Minas to use leather footballs as a replacement for the the old “sox-made" footballs.

Six years later, the team won the first football tournament in Minas Gerais, the Bueno Brandão Trophy. In 1915, they won the first official football championship, organized by the Liga Mineira de Esportes Terrestres, later known as the Federação Mineira de Futebol (FMF).

In 1929, Galo won the first international match of a Minas team, beating the Portuguese champions’ Victória de Setúbal, by 3 to 1. The goals were scored by Mario de Castro(2), and Said (1). The game took place at the Antonio Carlos Stadium, which had been inaugurated on May 30th, and was one of the first stadiums in Brazil to install light reflectors. The inauguration game was played against Corinthians, and Galo won by 4 to 2 with goals by Mário de Castro (3) and Said (1)). On August 17th the following year, the stadium was visited by Fifa’s legendary president, Jules Rimet on his first night game. 

Still in 1930, Galo had the first player, from outside Rio and São Paulo, to be drafted to the National Team: Mario de Castro. At the time, he refused the invite, claiming he would never wear a jersey other than the “Black and White”. He scored 195 goals in a 100 games, probably one of the highest ratings in Football history. 

A Glorious Team 

On January 1937, Atlético was the Champion of the Champions of Brazil Tournament, the first interstate tournament in the country. It was organized by the Federação Brasileira de Futebol (FBF), and gathered the champions of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Espírito Santo. Soon after, FBF merged with Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD), known today as the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF). 

In 1950, Galo went on a tour across Europe. Between November 2nd and December 7th, the team played 10 games against teams from Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxemburg and France. Winning 6 games, with only two ties and two losses. The outstanding performance in the Old Land, playing in fields covered with snow, coined Galo the symbolic title of “Ice Champions” and opened the gates of Europe to Brazilian Football. 

Another great achievement occurred in 1969, when Atlético became the only team in the world to defeat the Brazil National Team. A year later, that same team, with Pelé, Rivelino, Gerson, Carlos Alberto and others, won the World Cup in Mexico. Playing in Mineirão, Galo defeated Brazil by 2 to 1, with goals from Amaury and Dada Maravilha, with Pelé scoring for Brazil. 

In 1971, Atlético became the first Brazilian National Championship champions, with victories over São Paulo and Botafogo in the final round. The tradition kept on, when the team won the first ever Conmebol Cup, against teams from across South America in 1992. 

The players

Throughout its history, Atlético had some of the most important players in Brazilian Football history. Reinaldo is the greatest striker in team’s history. Along with him, Atlético had players like Toninho Cerezo, Eder Aleixo and Luisinho, all of whom played in the National Team during the late 1970’s and 1980’s. 

Recently, famous players marked Atlético’s history like Taffarel, Beletti, Dede, Marques, Euller, Guilherme, Gilberto Silva (world champions in 2002) and Diego Tardelli.

The fans 

Atlético is known to have one the most fanatical and loyal fans in Brazil. The team had the highest stadium attendance average on home games, ten times since the Brazilian Championship was created in 1971. 

The club’s long tradition was celebrated in 2008, when the team had its 100th anniversary. Today, the team maintains its place as one of the top clubs in Brazil, lead by President Alexandre Kalil, and one of the best coaches in the country: Dorival Júnior. 

Contact 

If you have any doubts or want to know more about Atlético, feel free to get in touch with our International Affairs department through e-mail. We’d be glad to help you. 

contact@atletico.com.br