CR Vasco da Gama


Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighbourhood of Vasco da Gama, that was founded on August 21, 1898, by Portuguese immigrants, and still has a strong fanbase among the Portuguese community of Rio de Janeiro. It is one of the most popular clubs in Brazil, with more than 23 million supporters. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Vasco is mostly known for its football team. It plays in the Campeonato Carioca, the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league and in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football league system.
Its statute defines the club as a "sportive, recreative, educational, assistant and philanthropic non-profit organization of public utility".
Their home stadium is São Januário, with a capacity of 21,880, the third biggest in Rio de Janeiro, but some matches are played at the Maracanã. They play in black shirts with a white diagonal sash that contains a Portuguese Cross, black shorts and black socks.
The club became worldly famous for forming two of the greatest world teams ever in 40's and 50's decades. And after for playing two World Club championships in 90's.

History

Foundation

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, the Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama 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.
Football was included only with the fusion with Lusitania Clube, other mostly Portuguese immigrants club. Beginning in the smaller leagues, Vasco became champion of the league B in 1922 and ascended to league A. In its first championship in League A – in 1923, Vasco became champion with a team formed by whites, blacks and "mulatto" players of different social classes.

Fight and victory against racism

Football in Brazil back then was a sport for the elites, and Vasco da Gama's racially diverse squad didn't appease them. In 1924 Vasco da Gama was pressured by the Metropolitan League to ban some players that were not considered adequate to play in the aristocratic league, notably because they were black or mulato and/or poor. After Vasco refused to comply with such a ban, the other big teams, Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo, among others, created the Metropolitan Athletic Association and prohibited Vasco from participating unless it complied with the racist demands.
The former President of Vasco, José Augusto Prestes, responded with a letter that became known as the Historic Response, which revolutionized the practice of sports in Brazil. After a few years, the racism barriers fell. Vasco da Gama had led the move toward a more inclusive football culture, forward-thinking not employed by leaders from Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo.
Even though the club was not the first to field black players, it was the first one to win a league with them, which led to an outcry to ban "blue-collar workers" from playing in the league - a move that in practice meant barring blacks from playing.
In 1925 Vasco was readmitted into the "elite" league, with its black and mulatto players. By 1933, when football became professional in Brazil, most of the big clubs had black players in them.

Sporting Achievements

The Victory Express and the South American Club championship

Between 1944 and 1953, the club was nicknamed Expresso da Vitória, as Vasco won several competitions in that period, such as the Rio de Janeiro championship in 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1952, and the South American Club Championship in 1948. Players such as Ademir, Moacyr Barbosa, Bellini and Ipojucan starred in Vasco's colors during that period.

The Super-Superchampions Generation(56-59)

In 1956, the vascaínos became Rio de Janeiro champions and Little World Cup runner-up, losing the title for Di Stefano's Real Madrid, which Vasco would win in a friendly shortly after the end of the tournament, becoming the first non-european club to win a European Champion. In 1957, this generation went on a tour of Europe, where they won 10 consecutive matches, including yet another victory against European champion Real Madrid, who sealed the Paris Tournament title - this match was the first ever, at a competitive level, between two continental champions. It also was the only international tournament Real couldn't win between 1955 and 1960. Vasco would still beat Athletic Bilbao by winning the traditional Teresa Herrera Trophy, and Barcelona inside Les Corts, with a historic placard of 2-7, the second biggest defeat ever suffered at home by the Catalan team at all times, the biggest in international matches. Benfica was also a victim of Vasco on this tour, another impressive placard, 5-2, in Lisbon.
In early 1958, just before the World Cup, Vasco won the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, the most important championship in Brazil at the time, which in this edition included teams such as Santos of Pelé, Botafogo of Garrincha, Flamengo of Zagallo and Fluminense of Telê Santana. After this memorable title, three Vasco players took important part in the campaign for the first Brazil World Cup title, they were Vavá and the defending pair Orlando and Bellini. After the World Cup, the team still won the greatest Carioca Championship of all time. In an epic dispute against Flamengo of Zagallo and Botafogo of Garrincha and Nilton Santos, Vasco became the carioca "super-superchampion" of 1958.
In 1959, the team went on to beat great European teams like the Italian champion Milan and the Atletico de Madrid European Cup semi-finalist on that year, in the Metropolitano. Vasco would also become Rio-São Tournament runner-up this year, only behind Santos of Pelé. Still in 1959, five Vasco players were called up for the 1959 Copa America, they were Paulinho, Orlando, Bellini and Coronel and Almir. Brazil would end the tournament unbeaten with almost always four Vasco players as starters. Despite the good campaign, Argentina would keep the title, for ending the tournament with an extra victory.
Vasco, together with Botafogo, was the club that most gave players to the Brazilian team in that period. Most of football lovers think this Vasco was one of the best clubs of the world at the time, and maybe the best in 1957-1958.

1969 Pelé's 1,000th Goal

Pelé scored his 1,000th professional goal against Vasco on November 19, 1969, in front of 65,157 spectators. The goal, popularly named O Milésimo, occurred in a match against Vasco, when Pelé scored from a penalty at the Maracanã Stadium.

1998 Copa Libertadores

After winning the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1997, beating Palmeiras in the final, Vasco started its Projeto Tóquio, and invested US$10 million to win the 1998 Copa Libertadores. Vasco won the Copa Libertadores, beating Barcelona of Ecuador in the final.

1998 Toyota Intercontinental Cup

By winning 1998 Copa Libertadores, Vasco da Gama faced the UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid at 1998 Intercontinental Cup, in Tokyo, Japan. They lost the game 2–1.

2000 FIFA Club World Championship

By winning the 1998 Copa Libertadores, Vasco entered the inaugural 2000 FIFA Club World Championship held in Brazil. They beat Manchester United of England, Necaxa of Mexico, and South Melbourne of Australia in the group stage to reach the final, it finished 0–0 after extra time in an all-Brazilian clash with Corinthians but lost 3–4 in the penalty shootout.

Copa Mercosul

Also in 2000, Vasco won the Copa Mercosur against Palmeiras in a historic match. Trailing 3–0 at the end of first-half, with Palmeiras scoring 2 goals in less than a minute, Vasco managed to score 3 goals to level the match at 3–3, with 10 players after one of the players got a red card. In the 93rd minute, Romário scored a decisive goal and Vasco won the match. The match is still considered one of the best games in Brazilian history.

2000 Copa João Havelange

Vasco won the Copa João Havelange in 2000. Seen as a controversial competition organized by Clube dos 13 rather than CBF, Vasco took on São Caetano and drew the game 1–1 when disaster struck in São Januário Stadium. Vasco won the second leg 3–1 to lift the trophy.

2008 Campeonato Brasileiro

The team finished the championship in a disastrous 18th place and was relegated to the second division for the first time since its foundation, 110 years before. Up until the relegation, it was one of the only six clubs to have never been relegated from the first division, along with Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Santos and São Paulo,

2009 Campeonato Brasileiro

Vasco secured their return to Serie A in their first attempt, sealing promotion on November 7 with a 2–1 victory over Juventude at Maracanã.

2011: The Redemption Year

After failing to win the Copa do Brasil, Vasco da Gama found success in 2011, lifting that year's trophy. Victory came against Coritiba in the 2011 Copa do Brasil final. Vasco came second in the 2011 Brazilian Série A, enjoying an excellent campaign. The club also ended the year as semifinalists in the Copa Sudamericana, a competition that saw the club defeat Palmeiras, Aurora and Universitario in historic fashion before being eliminated by Universidad de Chile. The season was dubbed the "Redemption Year of Vasco da Gama", with many lauding Vasco as one of Brazilian football's elite teams once again.

2012: Campeonato Brasileiro and Libertadores

In 2012, Vasco was a finalist in the two final rounds of the Campeonato Carioca, after beating Flamengo in the two semifinals. Vasco saved their best performances in that year for the Copa Libertadores. After a good campaign the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Corinthians, who landed an 88th-minute goal to snatch victory. In the Brazilian Championship, the team set the record for 54 consecutive rounds in the G4, although they did ultimately did not qualify for the Libertadores the following year.

2013-present, mixed results

After a good season in 2012, Vasco started their 2013 poorly and were hampered by financial issues. By the end of the year, the club had been relegated for the second time. After one season in the Serie B, the team gained promotion. That didn't last long, as they were relegated again in the 2015 edition, placing eighteenth. Once again, they were promoted after one season in the B-level league, and today, they provide mixed results in the Serie A.

Other sports

Although best known as a football, rowing and swimming club, Vasco da Gama is actually a comprehensive sports club. Its basketball section, CR Vasco da Gama Basquete produced current NBA player Nenê. The club is also the first Brazilian club to play against an NBA team, against San Antonio Spurs, in 1999, in the McDonald's Championship final. Its rowing team is one of the best of Brazil and of the continent, which swimmers regularly represent Brazil in international competitions. Vasco da Gama also has a four-times National Champion women's soccer team as well. Vasco's beach soccer team is one of the best in the world, being once World Champion, three times South-American Champion and many times National Champion. In addition to these, Vasco has many other sports with World, South Americans and Brazilians titles.

Players

First team squad

Reserve team

Out on loan

Personnel

Technical staff

Honours

Unbeaten champions

Statistics

Explanation:
Year197119721973197419751976197719781979-
Position12th7th14th1st19th12th19th4th2nd16th
Year1980198119821983198419851986198719881989-
Position8th5th10th6th2nd11th15th10th5th1st-
Year1990199119921993199419951996199719981999-
Position14th11th3rd15th12th20th18th1st10th7th-
Year2000200120022003200420052006200720082009-
Position1st11th15th17th16th12th6th10th18th1st-
Year2010201120122013201420152016201720182019-
Position11th2nd5th18th3rd18th3rd7th16th-

Year19511952:pt:Torneio Octogonal Rivadavia Corrêa Meyer|1953
Position3rd—1st

Year195719591966197719811989
Position1st3rd4th4th3rd3rd

Year1998
Position2nd

Year2000
Position2nd

Year195919651967196819691970
Position4th2nd12th3rd17th17th

Year1989
Position12th
Year1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
Position—10th12th3rd3rd4th16th14th4th10th
Year2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
Position13th—8th8th19th10th2nd17th3rd3rd
Year2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Position6th1st—5th11th6th12th23rd14th17th

Year197519801985199019981999200120122018
Position16th8th18th6th1st16th6th7th26th

Year1948
Position1st

Former head coaches

Updated November 2015
Top scorers--
Pos.PlayerGoals
1 Roberto Dinamite,,, 702
2 Romario,,, 326
3 Ademir Menezes, 301
4 Pinga 250
5 Russinho 225
5 Ipojucan 225
7 Vavá 191
8 Sabará 165
9 Lelé 147
10 Valdir Bigode, 143
11 Edmundo,,,, 138
12 Maneca 137

Most goals in a season

  1. Romário – 70 goals in 2000
  2. Roberto Dinamite – 61 goals in 1981

    Stadium

Vasco da Gama's stadium is Estádio São Januário, inaugurated in 1927, with a maximum capacity of 35.000 people. The National Championship games have a maximum capacity of 21.880 people, for security reasons.

Rivals

Vasco's biggest rivals are from the same city: Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo, with the latter being its biggest rival. The games between Vasco and Flamengo are the most watched in Brazil. The matches are usually played in the Maracanã, and reunite two of the biggest crowds of Rio de Janeiro.

Kit evolution

Vasco da Gama is one of the oldest Brazilian clubs and has had several different kits in its history. 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 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.
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 black with a white sash. The short and the socks are black. The away kit is similar to the home kit, but the main color is white, the sash is black, and the shorts and socks are white. In 2009–10 the third kit was all white, with a red "cross of the Knights Templar". In 2010, the away kit changed to black in honor of 1923's team, which gave up playing for having black players, which were not allowed to play with white players at that time. This was one of the most important steps in the club's history, the fight against racism and discrimination. The current, third kit brings the symbol of an open hand with "Respect & Equality" in the left chest, and "Democracy and Equality" in the shirt collar.
Since July 2009, after breaking the partnership with Champs, the official jerseys are produced by Penalty.

Logo and flag

The eight stars on the badge and flag signify: 1- South American Championship of Champions: 1948; 2- Copa Libertadores: 1998; 3- Copa Mercosur: 2000; 4- Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1974; 5- 1989; 6- 1997; 7- 2000; 8- The Unbeaten Championship of Earth-and-sea of 1945.

Anthems

Vasco's official anthem was composed in 1918, by Joaquim Barros Ferreira da Silva, it was the club's first anthem. There is another official anthem, created in the 1930s, called "Meu Pavilhão", whose lyrics were composed by João de Freitas and music by Hernani Correia. This anthem replaced the previous one. The club's most popular anthem, however, is an unofficial anthem composed by Lamartine Babo in 1942.

Supporters

Vasco da Gama is the second most supported football club in Rio de Janeiro, and varies between the third and fifth most supported in Brazil. The club's support is very diverse stretching across social class lines, however the core of most Vasco da Gama support lies within the working class of the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro and Rio outskirt cities like Niterói. Vasco da Gama have significant support in other regions in Brazil notably the Northeastern and North regions as well as strongholds in southern Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and in Santa Catarina. Vasco also have a huge support in Distrito Federal.
Vasco da Gama have many celebrity supporters, including :pt:Fátima Bernardes|Fátima Bernardes, Rodrigo Santoro, :pt:Eri Johnson|Eri Johnson, Marcos Palmeira, Juliana Paes, :pt:Sérgio Loroza|Sérgio Loroza, Paulinho da Viola, Roberto Carlos, Erasmo Carlos, Martinho da Vila, Fernanda Abreu, :pt:Viviane Araújo|Viviane Araújo, :pt:Renata Santos|Renata Santos, Sergio Cabral Filho, Eduardo Paes, Nelson Piquet, amongst others.
Vasco da Gama's torcidas organizadas have a strong friendship with torcidas organizadas of Atlético Mineiro, Palmeiras, Grêmio and Bahia. This alliance, having the 25 year friendship of torcidas Força Jovem Vasco, Mancha Verde do Palmeiras and Galoucura do Atlético Mineiro, utilize the code name D.P.A. – Dedos Para o Alto.
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.