Clube Atlético Mineiro

Atlético Mineiro

Full name	Clube Atlético Mineiro
Nickname(s)	Galo (Rooster)
Founded	March 25, 1908 (1908-03-25) (103 years ago)
Stadium	Mineirão, Belo Horizonte (Capacity: 75,783)
President	Alexandre Kalil
Manager	Cuca
League	Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
2010	13th
Website	Club home page
Home colors Away colors

Clube Atlético Mineiro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklubi aˈtlɛʧi̥ku miˈnejɾu] Mineiro Athletic Club), are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and state cup champions five times, a record they share with cross-town rivals, Cruzeiro. They have also been successful in South America, winning the Copa CONMEBOL twice.

The club had their first major success in 1971, when they won the national championship. The 1990s has been the most successful period in Atlético Mineiro’s history, capped by winning Copa CONMEBOL titles in 1992 and 1997. Atlético Mineiro's best campaigns in the Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores were in 2010 and 2000, respectively, when they reached the quarterfinals of those editions.

They have a fierce local rivalry with Cruzeiro. The second city derby between Atlético Mineiro and América Mineiro has been played since 1913. The club's traditional kit colours are black and white vertical striped shirts, with black shorts, accompanied by black and white socks. Their traditional crest is of a black and white Escutcheon with the letters "CAM" on top.

History

Foundation and early wins

Clube Atlético Mineiro was founded on March 25, 1908 by 22 low-class boys from Belo Horizonte.^[1] The founding players were: Aleixanor Alves Pereira, Antônio Antunes Filho, Augusto Soares, Benjamin Moss Filho, Carlos Marciel, Eurico Catão, Horácio Machado, Hugo Francarolli, Humberto Moreira, João Barbosa Sobrinho, José Soares Alves, Júlio Menezes Melo, Leônidas Fulgêncio, Margival Mendes Leal, Mário Hermanson Lott, Mário Neves, Mário Toledo, Raul Fracarolli and Sinval Moreira. 3 other boys who were not in the founding meeting, but are considered as founders too are: Francisco Monteiro, Jorge Dias Pena and Mauro Brochado.^[2]

The boys decided that the club's name would be Athletico Mineiro Foot Ball Club, and the kit would be a white shirt with a green horizontal strip on the chest. Soon after, they decided to change the kit to the black/white stripped shirt which is used nowadays.

EUROPE TRIP 1950

1/11. TSV 1860 München 4-3 4/11 Hamburger SV 4-0 5/11 Werder Bremen 1-3 12/11 FC Schalke 04 3-1 16/11 SK Rapid Wien 0-3 20/11 1. FC Saarbrücken 2-0 22/11 RSC Anderlecht 2-2 26/11 Eintr. Braunschweig 3-3 5/12 Luxembourg 3-3 7/12 Stade Français 2-1

Atlético's first match was against Sport Club Foot Ball, the biggest and oldest club in Belo Horizonte at the time. The match was played on March 21, 1909, and Atlético won 3–0. Furious, Sport's board demanded that Atlético play a rematch the following week to get revenge, to which Atlético agreed. Atlético won again, but this time the score was 4–0. In 1913, the club officially changed its name from Athletico Mineiro Foot Ball Club to Clube Atlético Mineiro. The following year, in 1914, Atlético won its first championship, the Taça Bueno Brandão, a tournament between Atlético, América and Yale. In 1915, the club won the first Minas Gerais State Championship in history, which was organized by the Liga Mineira de Esportes Terrestres. From then on, Atlético's team consisted of 3 of the club's best players in history: Said, Jairo and Mário de Castro. They scored a combined total of 4 goals: 1 from Jairo, 1 from Said and 2 from Mário de Castro. In the 1930s, the club won the state championships of 1931, 1932, 1936, 1938 and 1939. In 1937, Atlético won the first national championship of its history: the Brazilian Champions Tournament, which included the champions of four states: Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro), Portuguesa (São Paulo), Rio Branco (Espírito Santo), and Atlético.

Atlético dominated the football scene of Minas Gerais State in the 1940s and 1950s, winning no less than 12 state championships between 1940 and 1960, including 5 championships in a row sequence, from 1952 to 1956. In 1950, Atlético accomplished one of the most celebrated achievements in its history by winning the symbolic title of Ice Champion (Campeão do Gelo) after a successful tour in Europe, where the team played against clubs like Schalke 04, Hamburger SV, and RSC Anderlecht.

The 1960s were known as the decade in which the Mineirão Stadium was built, but they were difficult times for the club. During this period, they only managed to win the state champions of 1962 and 1963. It was in the mid 1960s that the rivalry with Cruzeiro became strong, after the blue club won 5 state championships in a row (the first 5 championships of Mineirão era). In October 1969, Atlético beat the Brazilian National Team that would become champions of the 1970 FIFA World Cup by 2–1 at the Mineirão.

Brazilian champions

It was only in 1970 that Atlético won its first championship in Mineirão Stadium, breaking Cruzeiro's five titles sequence. In 1971, the club won its first and only Brazilian Championship in history; the club's biggest title ever. In 1976, Atlético won the State Championship again and also finished in third place in the 1976 Brazilian Championship. They also finished runners-up in the 1977 championship, despite not being defeated for the entire season. In 1978, Atlético won the Copa dos Campeões, a tournament between the past winners of the Brazilian Championship, defeating São Paulo Futebol Clube in the final.

Since 1977 Atlético made a great team, that would last until middle of 80's, one of the best in its history. This team that had players like Reinaldo, Toninho Cerezo, Éder, Luisinho, Paulo Isidoro, João Leite won the state championship 6 times in a row, from 1978 to 1983, winning also in 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989. Atlético also had good performances in the Brazilian Championship, having the best campaign for four times 77, 80, 83, 85. Politicals and arbitration scandals prevented Atlético to win. In 1977, Reinaldo, the historical scorer of Brazilian championship in that year was forbidden to play the final, supposedly by his insistence in celebrating his goals raising his fist, in a symbol of left politics opposed to Brasil military regimen of the time. Atletico got the 2º place with the best campaign of Brazilian championship ever, finishing with 17 victories and 4 draws. In 1980, a scandal of arbitration would eliminate Atletico in the final, with Reinaldo receiving red card after scoring twice. In the next year Atletico would be eliminated from Copa Libertadores without losing a match, after having 5 players receiving red card in a game known as "the big stickup". Atlético was also third placed in 1983, 1986 and in the gold cup of 1987.

The 1990s onwards

In the 1990s, Atlético won the state championships in 1991, 1995 and in 1999 and had some good performances in Brazilian Championships, finishing runner-up in 1999, third placed in 1996 and fourth placed in 1994 and 1997. In 1992, Atlético won the CONMEBOL Cup, the club's first official international title, which was won again in 1997. Twice the team had the top goalscorer of Brasileirão, in 1996 with Renaldo (tied with Paulo Nunes) and in 1999 with Guilherme.

The financial situation turned worse in the late 1990s, with a scandal involving the then Atlético's president Paulo Curi and, the 2000s did not start well for Atlético, as the club had suffered serious crisis. Atlético won only the state championship in 2000, and was runner-up in 2001 and in 2004. In 2000, it reached the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals, and was fourth placed in the Brazilian Championship in 2001. In 2004, Atlético almost got relegation to Série B. 2005 started disastrously, and was the worst year in its history; the club was relegated to Brazilian Second Division.

In 2006 the club won the Brazilian League Série B after a good campaign, qualifying to play the Brazilian League Série A in 2007. That year, Atlético won the Campeonato Mineiro again, defeating their rivals Cruzeiro in the final. After its promotion, the club managed to finish 8th in the 2007 Brasileirão, earning a spot at the Copa Sudamericana 2008.

In 2009, Atlético led the Brasileirão in eight of the thirty-eight rounds, and finished in seventh place. Striker Diego Tardelli was the top goalscorer of the championship (18, alongside Flamengo's Adriano), and the biggest overall of the year in Brazilian football, with 57. In 2010, the team won his 40th Campeonato Mineiro.

Atlético currently has ties to D.C. United in the Major League Soccer and Brisbane Roar in the Australian A-League.

Achievements

International

• CONMEBOL Cup: 2

1992, 1997

Runners-up (1): 1995

Domestic

• Brazilian Championship: 1

1971

Runners-up (3): 1977, 1980, 1999

Record of Semi-Finals, 15. And also the best campaign for 5 times, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1985.

• Brazilian Championship Série B: 1

2006

• Copa dos Campeões Estaduais (Cup of State Champions): 1

1937

• Copa dos Campeões Brasileiros (Cup of Brazilian Champions): 1

1978

• State Championship of Minas Gerais: 40

1915, 1926, 1927, 1931, 1932, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960,1962, 1963, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2010

Futsal

• Brazilian Champions: 2

1997, 1999

• Intercontinental Cup: 1

1998

Performances in Brazilian Championship

• Atlético's performances in the Brazilian Championship year by year:

Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position	Year	Position
1971	1st	1981	14th	1991	3rd	2001	4th
1972	11th	1982	19th	1992	13th	2002	8th
1973	11th	1983	3rd	1993	32nd	2003	7th
1974	7th	1984	19th	1994	4th	2004	20th
1975	19th	1985	4th	1995	7th	2005	19th**
1976	3rd	1986	3rd	1996	3rd	2006	1st (Série B)***
1977	2nd	1987	5th/3rd*	1997	4th	2007	8th
1978	34th	1988	10th	1998	9th	2008	12th
1979	8th	1989	8th	1999	2nd	2009	7th
1980	2nd	1990	5th	2000	24th	2010	13th

*Officially, for CBF, the 5th. Sometimes considered the 3rd. See: Copa União

** Atlético was relegated to play the Brazilian League Série B in the next year.

*** Atlético played and won the Brazilian League Série B, qualifying to play the Série A in 2007.

Football

Current squad

As of August 19, 2011.^[3]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Giovanni 4 DF Leonardo Silva 5 DF Réver (captain) 6 DF Lima (on loan from Real Betis) 7 MF Serginho 8 MF Dudu 9 FW Guilherme 10 MF Renan Oliveira 11 FW Magno Alves 14 DF Triguinho 15 MF Wesley 16 DF Leandro 18 FW Marquinhos Cambalhota 20 MF Richarlyson

No. Position Player 22 DF Werley 23 GK Lee 26 DF Carlos César (on loan from Boa) 29 MF Gilberto 30 GK Renan Ribeiro 31 DF Luiz Eduardo 34 MF Didira (on loan from ASA) 35 GK Paulo Victor 36 FW Jônatas Obina 40 FW Neto Berola 55 MF Pierre (on loan from Palmeiras) 80 FW Mancini 83 MF Daniel Carvalho 90 FW André (on loan from Dynamo Kyiv) TBA MF Jackson

Players with Dual Nationality

• Lima
• Mancini

Professional players able to play in the youth team

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

No. Position Player 17 MF Bernard 25 MF Soutto 27 MF Wendel

No. Position Player 32 DF Roger 33 MF Leleu 39 DF Eron

Youth & reserve players with first team experience

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

No. Position Player — GK Fábio Costa — DF Sidimar — DF Samuel — DF Felipe

No. Position Player — MF Diney — MF Paulinho — FW Hudson — FW Wescley

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player — DF Jairo Campos (loan to Deportivo Quito) — DF Sheslon (loan to América-MG) — DF Marcos Rocha (loan to América-MG) — DF Rafael Cruz (loan to Atlético Goianiense) — DF Welton Felipe (loan to Avaí) — MF Alê (loan to Americana) — MF Denílson (loan to Tupi) — MF Rafael Jataí (loan to Ipatinga)

No. Position Player — MF Chiquinho (loan to Ipatinga) — MF Nikão (loan to Bahia) — MF Giovanni Augusto (loan to Grêmio Barueri) — MF Caio (loan to Ponte Preta) — FW Raphael Aguiar (loan to Guarani) — FW Pedro Paulo (loan to Duque de Caxias) — FW Jheimy (loan to Boa) — FW Cristiano (loan to Ipatinga)

For recent transfers, see List of Atlético Mineiro transfers 2011.

For recent transfers, see List of Brazilian football transfers 2008.

First-team staff

As of August 21, 2011.

Position	Name	Nationality
Head Coach	Cuca	Brazilian
Assistant Coach	Cuquinha	Brazilian
	Eudes Pedro	Brazilian
Goalkeeping Coach	William de Castro	Brazilian
Fitness coaches	Carlinhos Neves	Brazilian
	Manoel Santos	Brazilian
	Luis Otávio Kalil	Brazilian
Physiologist	Roberto Chiari	Brazilian
Physiotherapists	Rômulo Frank	Brazilian
	Guilherme Fialho	Brazilian
Masseurs	Belmiro Oliveira	Brazilian
	Eduardo Vasconcelos	Brazilian
	Hélio Gomes	Brazilian

Kit 2011

• 1º - Black with white vertical stripes;
• 2º - White with black numbers and details.

1º Kit

2º Kit

other kit

• 2010

1º Kit

2º Kit

• 2009

1º Kit

2º Kit

• 2008

1º Kit

2º Kit

3º Kit

Retired numbers

Main article: Retired numbers in association football

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man) Atlético Mineiro announced in 2006 that the number 12 would not be used in respect of its fans.

Notable managers

Atlético Mineiro's most famous coach is Telê Santana.

The coaches with most matches in Atlético's history are:

• Telê Santana (434)
• Procópio Cardoso (328)
• Barbatana (227)
• Levir Culpi (174)
• Ricardo Diéz (168)

Supporters

Atlético is the club which attracted most people to Mineirão; as of 2002, 20,887,391 people in 1,011 matches. Even with 51 less games than the second placed Cruzeiro, Atlético brought 1,542,884 people more. These stats do not include derbies.

Atlético's average attendances per year in Brazilian Championship:

Year	Attendance	Year	Attendance	Year	Attendance	Year	Attendance
1971	-	1981	-	1991	26,763	2001	30,679
1972	20,396	1982	26,693	1992	17,310	2002	22,248
1973	17,813	1983	39,249	1993	5,650	2003	14,034
1974	12,727	1984	21,199	1994	22,673	2004	10,222
1975	27,087	1985	29,668	1995	21,072	2005	21,889
1976	46,581	1986	36,150	1996	25,449	2006	31,922¹
1977	55,664	1987	34,879	1997	23,342	2007	23,199
1978	14,958	1988	8,330	1998	19,562	2008	18,638
1979	18,965	1989	14,136	1999	42,322	2009	38.761
1980	48,252	1990	26,748	2000	13,657	2010

¹ In 2006 Atletico competed in the Série B

Derbies

Atlético plays two derbies in Belo Horizonte city: Atlético vs. América and Atlético vs. Cruzeiro. Until the 1950s and early 1960s, the biggest derby of Minas Gerais State was Atlético vs América, but from the mid-1960s on, Atlético vs. Cruzeiro became the biggest.

The Atlético vs Cruzeiro derby has been played 434 times, with 169 wins for Atlético, 144 wins for Cruzeiro and 121 draws. Atlético vs América has been played 376 times, with 186 wins for Atlético, 100 wins for América and 90 draws.

The Rooster (Galo)

The team's mascot, the rooster, is one of the most well-known mascots in the country. It was created in the 1940s by Fernando Pierucetti, a cartoonist for "A Folha de Minas" newspaper. He was designated to design a mascot for each of the three greatest clubs in Belo Horizonte. According to Pierucetti, the symbol of Atlético was the rooster because the team used to play with plenty of passion, and would never give up until the end of each match, just like roosters used in cockfights. Another reason is that the most popular hen breed raised in Brazil has mostly black-and-white feathers, thus making the rooster suitable.

Presidents

Margival Mendes Leal - (1908–10) Aleixanor Alves Pereira - (1911) Jair Pinto dos Reis - (1912–13) João Luiz Morethzon - (1914) Roberto Xavier Azevedo - (1915–16) Nilo Rosemburg - (1917) Jorge Dias Pena - (1918) Antônio Antunes - (1919) Alvaro Felicíssimo - (1920) Alfredo Felicíssimo de Paula Furtado - (1921–22) Roberto Xavier de Azevedo - (1923) Alfredo Furtado - (1924–25) Leandro Castilho de Moura Costa - (1926–30) Anibal Matos - (1931) Afonso Ferreira Paulino - (1932) Tomáz Naves - (1933–38) Casildo Quintino dos Santos - (1939)

Sálvio Noronha - (1940) Hélio Soares de Moura - (1940–41) Olímpyo Mourão de Miranda - (1942) Alberto Pinheiro - (1943–44) Edward Nogueira - (1945) Gregoriano Canedo - (1946–49) Geraldo Vasconcelos/Osvaldo Silva - (1949) José Cabral - (1950–51) José Francisco de Paula Júnior - (1952–53) Mário de Andrade Gomes - (1954–55) José Francisco de Paula Júnior - (1956–57) Nelson Campos - (1958–59) Antônio Álvares da Silva - (1960) Edgard Neves - (1961) Fábio Fonseca e Silva - (1962–63) José Ramos Filho - (1964) Lauro Pires de Carvalho - (1965)

Eduardo Catão Magalhães Pinto - (1966) Fábio Fonseca e Silva - (1967) Carlos Alberto de Vasconcellos Naves - (1968–69) Nelson Campos - (1970–72) Rubens Silveira - (1973) Nelson Campos - (1974–75) Walmir Pereira da Silva - (1976–79) Elias Kalil - (1980–85) Marum - (1986) Nelson Campos - (1987–88) Afonso Araújo Paulino/Aníbal Goulart - (1989–94) Paulo Curi - (1995–98) Nélio Brant - (1999–01) Ricardo Annes Guimarães - (2001–06) Luiz Otávio Ziza Valadares - (2007–08) Alexandre Kalil - (2008–)

References

1. ^ "Atlético Mineiro, 100 años de grandeza" (in Spanish). FIFA. 2008-04-04. http://es.fifa.com/classicfootball/news/newsid=732231.html. Retrieved 2008-09-28. 
2. ^ "Atlético: 100 anos honrando o nome de Minas" (in Portuguese). Gazeta Esportiva. 2008-03-25. Archived from the original on 2008-03-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080331050451/http://www.gazetaesportiva.net/almanaque/futebol/atletico_100_anos/abertura.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
3. ^ Clube Atlético Mineiro official website (Portuguese)

External links

• Official WebSite