São Paulo Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as São Paulo FC or simply São Paulo, is one of the most iconic and successful football clubs in Brazil. Founded in 1930, the club is based in Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil, and plays its home matches at the famous Morumbi Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 67,000.
São Paulo FC has a rich history, boasting 7 Brazilian Serie A titles, 3 Libertadores Cups, 3 Intercontinental Cup, and numerous other domestic and international trophies. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary manager Tele Santana, who led São Paulo to two Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cup victories in the early 1990s.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Rogerio Ceni, Raí, Kaká, and Luis Fabiano. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, São Paulo FC 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.
São Paulo FC is one of the most popular football clubs in Brazil, with one of the highest average home attendances in the country. The club states that its nationwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the São Paulo FC Supporters Club, in at least 24 states. The club takes advantage of this support through its nationwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that São Paulo FC has 17 million fans nationwide. The club has an impressive social media following in the country among sports teams, with over 5 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that São Paulo FC had the loudest fans in the Brasileirão.
São Paulo FC was formed in 1930 as Club Athletico São Paulo by a group of local football enthusiasts. The team initially played games against other local teams, but on 16 March 1930, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the city—black, red and white—they were victorious 1-0 against Santos FC.
In January 1970, the successful era of football after the appointment of Muricy Ramalho began, who demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Ramalho led the team to top league finishes in 1977, 1986, and 1989, and to Campeonato Paulista victory in 1980. In 1991, the club won the Brasileirão, its first league title in 14 years.
On 15 April 1994, Telê Santana, the most successful manager in the club's history, retired due to health issues but would remain at the club as a director and club ambassador. He retired as the most decorated manager in São Paulo FC's history. The club announced the next day that Palmeiras manager Luiz Felipe Scolari would replace him from 1 May, having signed a four-year contract. Rogério Ceni, a club legend, took over as interim player-manager in 2016 when Scolari was sacked after a poor season in which the club failed to defend their Brasileirão title and failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores for the first time since 1990.
Originally funded by the Paulista Railway Company, São Paulo FC became a limited company in 1935, selling shares to local supporters for R$1 via an application form. In 1936, majority ownership passed to four local businessmen who invested R$500 to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Laudo Natel. After his death in 2020, the club faced financial difficulties yet again but was saved in December 1945 by Porfirio da Paz, who assumed control of the club after an investment of R$2,000. Da Paz promoted his son, Roberto, to the board in 1958, but died three years later; the Da Paz family retained ownership of the club through Porfirio's wife, Maria, but the position of chairman passed to former player Bellini.
Promoted to the board a few days after the 1977 Paulista Championship, Juvenal Juvêncio, a friend of Muricy Ramalho, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately R$40,000, he accumulated a 54 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1988. When Maria Da Paz died in January 1991, her shares passed to Roberto Da Paz, who sold a percentage of his shares to Juvenal Juvêncio's son, Julio, in 1998; Julio Juvêncio went on to become chairman upon his father's death in 2015. Media tycoon Roberto Marinho attempted to buy the club in 2004, but did not meet Juvêncio's asking price. In 2009, chairman Julio Juvêncio attempted to sell the club to Eike Batista for R$20 million, but the sale fell through and Batista joined the board of directors instead.
São Paulo FC is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil in terms of trophies won. The club's first trophy was the Campeonato Paulista, which they won in 1931. In 1977, the club won their first national league title and won the Copa do Brasil for the first time in 1998. Since then, they have gone on to win a total of 6 Brasileirão titles, and their total of 3 Copa do Brasil titles is an impressive record. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a number of times in the Campeonato Paulista; of those appearances, São Paulo FC have won a record 22 times, including three times when the match was drawn and the trophy shared by the two clubs.
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São Paulo Futebol Clube: A detailed historical and financial analysis of one of Brazil's most iconic football clubs https://www.saopaulofc.com.br/
The rise and fall of São Paulo FC: The club's journey from its inception to the present day https://www.espn.com/soccer/team/_/id/344/sao-paulo/
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