Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, commonly referred to as Corinthians or simply Timão, is one of the most iconic and successful football clubs in Brazil. Founded in 1910, the club is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and plays its home matches at the famous Arena Corinthians Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 49,000.
Corinthians has a rich history, boasting 7 Brazilian Serie A titles, 3 FIFA Club World Cup titles, and numerous other domestic and international trophies. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary manager Tite, who led Corinthians to multiple Serie A titles and a FIFA Club World Cup victory in 2012.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Sócrates, Rivelino, Roberto Rivellino, and Casagrande. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Corinthians remains one of Brazil’s most valuable football clubs, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence Brazilian and world football.
Corinthians is one of the most popular football clubs in Brazil, with one of the highest average home attendances in South America. The club states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Corinthians Supporters Club, in at least 24 countries. The club takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Corinthians has 30 million fans worldwide. The club has the third highest social media following in Brazil among sports teams (after Flamengo and São Paulo), with over 20 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Corinthians had the loudest fans in the Brasileirão Serié A.
Corinthians was formed in 1910 as Sport Club Corinthians Paulista by a group of labourers hoping to create a popular football team for the city's working class. The team initially played games against local sides, but on 10 September 1910, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the city—white and black—they achieved a 1–0 victory over União Lapa.
In October 1945, the impending resumption of football after the war led to the managerial appointment of Osvaldo Brandão, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Brandão led the team to State Championship victories in 1947 and 1948, and to Rio-São Paulo Tournament victory in 1953. In 1954, the club won the State Championship, its first league title in 9 years.
On 8 May 2007, Carlos Tevez announced that he was to leave Corinthians at the end of the football season, but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. He left as the most decorated player in the club's history. The club announced the next day that Internacional manager Abel Braga would replace him from 1 July, having signed a two-year contract. Mano Menezes took over as interim manager 10 months later, on 22 April 2008, when Braga was sacked after a poor season in which the club failed to defend their Brasileirão Serié A title and failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 2000.
Originally funded by the Liga Paulista de Futebol, Corinthians became a limited company in 1910 and sold shares to local supporters for 1$R via an application form. In 1913, majority ownership passed to four local businessmen who invested 500$R to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Miguel Bataglia. After his death in 1927, the club faced bankruptcy yet again but was saved in December 1931 by Alfredo Schurig, who assumed control of the club after an investment of 2,000$R. Schurig promoted his son, Pedro, to the board in 1948, but died three years later; the Schurig family retained ownership of the club through Alfredo's wife, Rosita, but the position of chairman passed to former player Vicente Matheus.
Promoted to the board a few days after the Copa Libertadores bus crash, Alberto Dualib, a friend of Ademir de Barros, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately 40,000$R, he accumulated a 54 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1974. When Rosita Schurig died in January 1971, her shares passed to Pedro Schurig, who sold a percentage of his shares to Alberto Dualib's son, Nesi, in 1978; Nesi Dualib went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 1980. Media tycoon Roberto Marinho attempted to buy the club in 1984, but did not meet Dualib's asking price. In 1989, chairman Nesi Dualib attempted to sell the club to Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) for 20 million$R, but the sale fell through and Pelé joined the board of directors instead.
Corinthians is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil in terms of trophies won. The club's first significant trophy was the Campeonato Paulista, which they won in 1914. In 1990, the club won their first Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title and won the Copa do Brasil for the first time in 1995. Since then, they have gone on to win a total of 7 top-division titles—including a record 2 FIFA Club World Cup titles—and their total of 3 Copa do Brasil is impressive. Those titles have meant the club has appeared multiple times in the Supercopa do Brasil; of those appearances, Corinthians have won once.
Domestic
Continental
Worldwide
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista: Detailed history and information about the Brazilian football club, covering from its establishment in 1910 to its recent achievements. http://www.corinthians.com.br/
FIFA Club World Cup: Information about the tournament and the victories of Corinthians in 2000 and 2012. https://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup/
Becoming a leading global provider of digital solutions and services for the sports industry, enabling our clients to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
We aspire to be a trusted partner and advisor to our clients, leveraging our expertise and passion for sports to help them succeed in a rapidly changing market.
