CR Vasco da Gama

Overview

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklubi dʒi ʁeˈɡatɐz ˈvasku dɐ ˈɡɐ̃mɐ]; English: Vasco da Gama Club of Rowing), commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Vasco is mostly known for its men's football team, which currently competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the Campeonato Carioca, the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league. Named after Vasco da Gama 400 years after his European–Asian sea route in 1498, the club was founded in 1898 as a rowing club by Brazilian workers, Portuguese Brazilians and newly arrived Portuguese immigrants. Vasco created its football department in 1915, with professionalism officially adopted in 1933 – pioneer in Brazil. In addition to its main departments of football and rowing, Vasco has other sports departments since the 1910s. Its youth academy, which has brought up international footballers such as Romário, Philippe Coutinho, Hilderaldo Bellini, Roberto Dinamite and Edmundo, is well known for its socio-educational methodology. The club is recognized as the first continental champion of the world, having won the South American Championship of Champions in 1948, on its 50th anniversary. They defeated Real Madrid, then European champions, in the 1957 Tournoi de Paris, considered by FIFA as "the most notable encounter between teams from two continents before 1960". They won the Copa Libertadores in 1998, on their 100th anniversary. At the national level, Vasco da Gama has won four Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, one Copa do Brasil title and three Torneio Rio–São Paulo titles. At the state level, the club has also won 24 Campeonato Carioca titles. The golden generation of Vasco da Gama is dubbed the Expresso da Vitória, and is considered by many to be one of the best football teams in the world in the 1940s and 50s, which included Moacir Barbosa, Ademir de Menezes, Albino Friaça, Danilo Alvim, Augusto da Costa, Chico, among others. With fans worldwide, Vasco da Gama is one of the most widely supported clubs in Brazil, the Rio de Janeiro state and the Americas. Vasco plays its home matches in São Januário stadium since its inauguration in 1927. Occasionally, the club has also played their home matches in Maracanã stadium since its inauguration in 1950. Vasco holds long-standings rivalries with Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo. The Vasco–Flamengo rivalry, known as Clássico dos Milhões (Derby of the Millions), is considered one of the main rivalries of Brazilian sports and one of the most prominent football rivalries in the world.