Santos FC

This article is about the Brazilian club from Santos, São Paulo. For other association football clubs, see Santos FC (disambiguation).
For other uses, see Santos and Santos (surname).

Santos
Full nameSantos Futebol Clube
Nickname(s)Peixe (Fish)
Alvinegro (Black-and-White)
Alvinegro Praiano (Black-and-White from the Beach)
Santástico (Fantastic Santos)
Founded14 April 1912; 112 years ago (1912-04-14)
GroundVila Belmiro
Capacity16,068
PresidentMarcelo Teixeira
Head coachLeandro Zago (caretaker)
LeagueCampeonato Brasileiro Série B
Campeonato Paulista
2023
2023		Série A, 17th of 20 (relegated)
Paulista, 12th of 16
Websitesantosfc.com.br
Current season
Active departments of
Santos FC
Football
(Men's)		Football
(Youth)		Football
(Women's)
Karate
(Mixed)		Judo
(Mixed)		Goalball
(Mixed)
American
football
(Men's)		Handball
(Mixed)		Wheelchair
basketball
(Mixed)
Closed departments of
Santos FC
Santos BBeach soccer
(Men's)		Futsal
(Men's)
Table tennis
(Mixed)		Skateboarding
(Mixed)		e-Sports

Santos Futebol Clube (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈsɐ̃tus futʃiˈbɔw ˈklubi] ⓘ) is a Brazilian sports club based in Vila Belmiro, a bairro in the city of Santos. It plays in the Campeonato Paulista, the state of São Paulo's premier state league, as well as the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, the second tier of the Brazilian football league system, after getting relegated in the 2023 season for the first time in the club's history.

The club was founded in 1912 by three sports enthusiasts from Santos: Raimundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos, and Argemiro de Souza Júnior. The initiative was a response to the lack of representation the city had in football. Since then, Santos has become one of Brazil's most successful clubs, becoming a symbol of Joga Bonito (English: The Beautiful Game) in football culture, hence the motto "Técnica e Disciplina" (technique and discipline). This was largely thanks to the club's golden generation of the 1960s, with players like Gilmar, Mauro Ramos, Mengálvio, Coutinho, Pepe, and most notable of all, Pelé, named the "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee,[1] and widely regarded as the best and most accomplished footballer in the game's history. Os Santásticos, considered by some the best club team of all times,[2] won a total of 24 titles during that decade including five consecutive league titles, a feat that remains unequaled today. Os Santásticos won four competitions in 1962, thus completing a quadruple, comprising the Campeonato Paulista, the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the Copa Libertadores, and the European/South American Cup.[3]

Santos is one of the most successful clubs in the Brasileirão, becoming national champions on eight occasions. It has also won 22 Paulistão titles, three Copa Libertadores, two Intercontinental Cups, one Supercopa de Campeones Intercontinentales, one Copa CONMEBOL (the precursor of current Copa Sudamericana),[4][5][6][7][8][9][10] one Copa do Brasil, and one Recopa Sudamericana. On 20 January 1998, Santos became the first team, in any category in the world, to reach the milestone of 10,000 goals in the entire history of football[11] and was voted by FIFA as one of the most successful clubs of the 20th century. Santos also holds a record as the club with the most goals in football history.[12]

The team plays their home games at the Vila Belmiro, which currently holds up to 20,120 spectators. Santos' regular kit is white shirts, with white shorts, accompanied by white socks. Santos is nicknamed the Peixe (pronounced [ˈpejʃi]; "fish"), in reference to significance of the city's port. The most recognized Santista anthem is the "Leão do Mar" written by Mangeri Neto. In 2013, the club is the 2nd most valuable club in Brazil and South America, and 38th most valuable club in the world according to Brand Finance, worth over $65 million.[13] In terms of revenue, Santos is Brazil's fourth-richest sports club and one of the biggest football clubs in the world, generating an annual turnover of over $114 million in 2012.[14] Santos has many long-standing rivalries, most notably against Corinthians, Palmeiras, and São Paulo.

  1. ^ "Pelé still in global demand". CNN Sports Illustrated. 29 May 2002. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
  2. ^ Cunha, Odir (2003). Time dos Sonhos [Dream Teams] (in Portuguese). ISBN 978-85-7594-020-4.
  3. ^ "Intercontinental Club Cup 1962". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  4. ^ Rsssf.com Archived 2010-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Diario On Line "Edición Nacional"
  6. ^ "Copa Sudamericana". Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Fútbol: Copa CONMEBOL, Resumen y Datos". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. ^ "GloboEsporte.com > Futebol > Santos - NOTÍCIAS - Libertadores 2008 tem novidades 'históricas'". Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Em 94, Expressinho salvou temporada com precursora da Sul-Americana". Terra. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Comienza la Copa Sudamericana... - Fútbol Santander - Noticias". Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  11. ^ "Santos: 100 anos" (in Portuguese). Papo de Bola. 14 April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  12. ^ DF, Pelo Mundo. "Santos é o time com mais gols no futebol mundial, totalizando 12.691". Pelo Mundo DF (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 14 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  13. ^ "Football 50 2013 | the Annual Brand Value Ranking | Brandirectory". Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Confira quais são os 10 clubes mais ricos do Brasil". 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.