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| Full name | Santa Cruz Futebol Clube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Cobra Coral (Coral Snake) Terror Do Nordeste (Terror of the Northeastern Region) O Mais Querido (The most dear) Time de Guerreiros (Team of Warriors) Time do Povo (People's Team) Clube da Multidão (Crowd Club) | |||
| Founded | 3 February 1914; 112 years ago (1914-02-03) | |||
| Stadium | Estádio do Arruda | |||
| Capacity | 60,044 | |||
| Owner(s) | Cobra Coral Participações S/A (90%) Associação civil Santa Cruz Futebol Clube (10%) | |||
| President | Bruno Rodrigues | |||
| Head coach | Marcelo Cabo | |||
| League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série C Campeonato Pernambucano | |||
| 2025 2025 | Série D, 2nd of 64 (promoted) Pernambucano, 3rd of 10 | |||
| Website | santacruzpe.com.br | |||
 Current season | ||||
Santa Cruz Futebol Clube, better known asSanta Cruz, and sometimes justSanta, is a Brazilian multisport club based in the city ofRecife. Founded on 3 February 1914, it is nicknamed "O Mais Querido das Multidões" (The Most Beloved of the Crowds)
Among its main achievements are aCampeonato Brasileiro – Série C and aCopa do Nordeste. Among its state titles, 29Campeonato Pernambucano stand out, including three editions designated asSupercampeonato Pernambucano, making it the only three-time Pernambuco Super Champion. It also has five wins in the now defunctCopa Pernambuco. In addition to its main titles, Santa Cruz also won the 1979Fita Azul, a soccer honor given to Brazilian clubs that went on friendly tours abroad and returned undefeated. At the official international level, it has participated in a CONMEBOL competition, the 2016Copa Sudamericana.
In theCampeonato Brasileiro – Série A, its best finish was in 1960 and 1975, when it came in fourth place. Between 1969 and 1983, Santa Cruz won nine state titles out of fifteen contested. During this fruitful period for the club, considered the best in its history, players such as Givanildo, Nunes, Fumanchu, and Ramón shone. In 1972, in the midst of its golden age, theEstádio do Arruda was inaugurated.
With many outstanding strikers in its history, seven with over 100 goals,[1] Santa Cruz was the first club in theNortheast Region, of Brazil and the twelfth in Brazil to reach the milestone of 10,000 goals scored.
Its official colors are black, white and red. It usually plays its matches at itsEstádio do Arruda, the sixth largest in Brazil and the second largest privately owned stadium. As the second most popular club inPernambuco, its two biggest sporting rivals areSport Club do Recife, with whom it plays theClássico das Multidões (Derby of the Multitudes), andClube Náutico Capibaribe, with whom it plays theClássico das Emoções (Derby of Emotions).
On 3 February 1914, eleven young men aging from 14 to 16 years founded a football society. Because the boys used to play football on the streets by the yard of theSanta Cruz Church, the club was named after that church, which is situated on Santa Cruz Street in Recife. At the first meeting, they decided the position of each member, the name of the club "Santa Cruz Foot-Ball Club", and the society's colors.
The original colors were black and white. Some time after, the color pattern was changed because another local team (Sport Club Flamengo) already had those colors. Therefore, the club included the red color by suggestion of Teófilo Batista de Carvalho, also known asLacraia.Lacraia has participated in all major early events of Santa Cruz's history, except the foundation.
Many people came to see the first match atDerby plains. The "team of boys" as Santa Cruz was called at the time beatRio Negro (Black River) by 7–0.Rio Negro demanded revenge in another match. Curiously, the terms of the revenge stated that Sílvio Machado (he scored five goals in the first match) could not play. Despite that, Santa Cruz accepted the challenge. Carlindo, who substituted Sílvio Machado, scored six goals and Santa Cruz won again by 9–0. A subsequent victory over theWestern Telegraph Company team, very famous at the time, made the popularity of Santa Cruz increase even more.The club was almost closed in its very first year. Some members proposed to use the club funds to buy asugarcane juice extractor. Alexandre Carvalho (see members above) violently disapproved of such an offensive proposal and effectively saved the club. In early 20th century Recife, football was regarded as an elite sport. It was played mostly by upper-class boys and by the workers of English companies that operated in Recife. At that time racism was common and Afro-Brazilians were not allowed to play football. Santa Cruz, however, was the first team in Pernambuco to accept them.Lacraia, was the first one. This fact contributed to the popularity of the team, as black people are numerous inBrazilian population.Campeonato Pernambucano
In 1915, there was Brazilian football's greatest comeback.[citation needed] AtAflitos stadium, Santa Cruz was trailingAmérica (Pernambuco), 5–1, but in the bottom 15 minutes of the match the score changed, 6–5. In 1917, the club was accepted into the Pernambucan Sport League, the precursor name of thePernambucan Football Federation.
On 30 January 1919, Santa Cruz beatBotafogo 3–2 on the Malaquias field.Alberto Santos-Dumont, the airplane pioneer, was inRecife, but was unnoticed: Santa Cruz's victory took everyone's attention. On 31 January, theJornal Pequeno (Small Newspaper) printed in the headlines: "Botafogo Futebol Clube is beaten by the homeboys by 3–2." It was the first time that a northern-northeastern team beat a team from the south-eastern region of Brazil.
On 13 December 1931, Santa Cruz with Tará and Sherlock as the most important contributors successfully pursued its firstCampeonato Pernambucano against Torre, 2–0. On 10 October 1934, theBrazil national team, newly home from the1934 World Cup in Italy, played somefriendlies against the major teams of Pernambuco:Sport Recife was defeated 4–2;Náutico was beaten 8–3, and Santa Cruz was defeated 3–1. A ship delay on return toRio de Janeiro enabled Santa Cruz to equalize the initial loss, 3–2.
In 1943, faced with financial hardship, the club arranged for 5 friendly matches against local-clubTransviário Esporte Clube inBelém, Pará to promote Santa Cruz's image and a payday of five millionBrazilian réis. Their travel to Belém was marked by fears of attacks by GermanU-boats, as the tour began during World War II. This resulted in their steamboat,Pará, being escorted by twoBrazilian Naval ships and the steamboat having to sail with its lights off.
After the five friendly matches, the club was invited to extend their club tour intoAmazonas byOlímpico Clube. This resulted in the team traveling bysteamboat up theAmazon River at a speed of tennautical miles per day, resulting in a two-week travel time to reachManaus. During their stint in Amazonas, the head of the delegation and six players contracteddysentery after their match againstRio Negro, to which those effected recovered before their next matches.
After the matches in Amazonas, the delegation aimed for an international stint inPeru andGuyana, but was blocked by theBrazilian Sports Federation at the request of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs for clubs to not leave the country duringWorld War II. Facing a 90-day suspension if they continued on, the delegation gave up and returned to Belém via steamboat. During this return, two of the players, Goalkeeper King and striker Papeira, were diagnosed withtyphoid fever, resulting in hospitalization and, eventually, their deaths.
In total, at least 26[a] matches were played over the course of a 4-month tour, which left two players dead and the club broke again, after paying travel costs and funeral expenses. From this, the club tour became known as the "Suicidal Tour" due to the deaths, difficulties faced, financial hardship, andthe threat of German submarine attacks.
During the late 1960s and the 1970s, Santa Cruz achieved greater popularity.Much of that was due to the 5 times state championship title achievement (State Penta-championship) of Santa Cruz.Santa Cruz's impressive performances in the National championship, expanded awareness of the club's talent beyond the state of Pernambuco.Santa Cruz in Série A increased awareness about its abilities outside of the state when the club out performedFlamengo in 1965 atMaracanã Stadium, 3–1. The club were having great performances and obtained first place in the National Championship's first stage.
In 1972,Pelé played his 1000th match against Santa Cruz.
In1975, Santa Cruz reached the semi-finals of theCampeonato Brasileiro, a first for a northeastern team. The controversial semi-final againstCruzeiro on 7 December ended with Cruzeiro winning 3–2. The club achieved fourth place, their best performance in the National Championship to date. Santa Cruz went without a match loss in 1977 and 1978 during their successful pursuit of the Brazilian Championship for 35 consecutive seasons, the second greatest title run in the national competition. In 1978, Santa Cruz was the first team to qualify for the 2nd Stage of the National Championship, with 23 points. In the second and third stages, Santa Cruz topped both of their groups, and qualified for the quarterfinals, where they lost toSport Club Internacional. In the final standings, Santa Cruz finished in fifth.
During the 1980s, Santa Cruz was relegated to theSecond Division of the National Championship twice (1982 and 1989). Since then the club's performance in national competitions has declined.
In the early 1990s, Santa Cruz won three successive state championships: (1990, 1993 and 1995). However, being in the second division of the National Championship often eclipsed such achievements. Moreover, in the following years, Santa Cruz had to share the championship 5 consecutive titles with an arch-rival. Santa Cruz unsuccessfully stoppedSport Recife in their pursuit of a 5th successive championship. Nevertheless, in 1996, Maurício was the top scorer of the 2nd Division Brazilian Championship with 13 goals.
Since the final match in the 2006Campeonato Pernambucano vs. Sport, in which Sport won the championship, the team has experienced a new decline. It was delegated toSecond Division in 2006 and then to theThird Division in 2007 after weak campaigns. That latest decline also included eliminations in the first rounds of theCopa do Brasil (2007 and2009) by weaker teams likeNacional Fast Clube andAmericano, that were then playing regional competitions.
Continuing the decline was the downfall intoHexagonal da Morte, the bottom six, in the 2008 Campeonato Pernambucano, narrowly escaping relegation in the seventh match. Also, in September 2008, after another weak campaign in the2008 Série C, Santa Cruz was relegated to the newFourth Division for 2009, becoming the first club to fall from First Division to Fourth in three years.
In 2011, Santa Cruz started a reaction. The club was eliminated from theCopa do Brasil in the second phase bySão Paulo, but had a respectable performance. Santa Cruz won the first game 1–0, but lost in the second game 2–0. On 15 May, Santa Cruz won theCampeonato Pernambucano, beatingSport Recife. That year, Santa Cruz had the highest attendance average in all Brazilian football, beating teams like Flamengo and Corinthians.[2]
In 2013, Santa Cruz won the Campeonato Pernambucano, and becametricampeao (three-time consecutive champion), beating rivals Sport Recife as they had done in 2011 and 2012 as well.
In May 2016, Santa Cruz won theCopa do Nordeste for the first time in its history, and earned a spot in the2016 Copa Sudamericana, their first international participation. The team began their campaign in the second stage, beating Sport Recife 1–0 on aggregate. In the third stage, the club was paired up with Colombian clubIndependiente Medellín. Santa Cruz lost the first leg in Colombia 2–0, but won 3–1 in Recife with a hat-trick fromGrafite, although it was not enough and the club was eliminated on away goals.[3] The team also won the Campeonato Pernambuco that year, beating Sport again, as they had done in the previous four finals.
On 30 August 2025, Santa Cruz won the first leg of the quarter-finals of the2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D 1–0 overAmérica de Natal, at theArena Pernambuco. As they only needed a draw to secure promotion to theSérie C, Santa Cruz went to the packedArena das Dunas for the decisive game.América de Natal opened the scoring three minutes into the second half, but late in the match, Santa Cruz scored the goal that secured their spot in the 2026 Brazilian Championship Série C.
In the semi-finals, Santa Cruz defeatedMaranhão 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to the final againstBarra. In the final, they lost the first leg 2–1 atArena Pernambuco and drew 0–0 in the second leg, finishing as runner-up.
The original colors of the club were black and white. However, at that time, the Pernambucan Sport League did not allow the participation of different clubs with the same colors. Thus, the red color was introduced to differentiate from the color pattern ofSport Club Flamengo.
Santa Cruz is also known asO Tricolor (The Tricolor) and its fansasTricolores.
Teófilo de Carvalho aka Lácraia, an engineering student and the first blackfootball player innortheastern Brazil, he was responsible for designing the Santa Cruz crest. He chose to create a stylized whiteanchor flanked by buds, red on the left and black on the right, with the monogram S.C.F.C. superimposed. The anchor symbolizes steadfastness and tranquility. In the 1970s, there was a statutory change that reversed the position of the red and black colors on the crest. In 1959, Santa used a crest similar to that ofSão Paulo, due to the use of a shirt in honor of Lanzoninho, a former São Paulo player who was Pernambuco champion in 1957. The use of this crest was only circumstantial.
With the adoption of three colors, the striped jersey of Santa Cruz resembled aCoral snake. Due to this, the team is known by the fans asCoral.[citation needed]
The official anthem of the club is widely unknown by the fans. However, a march namedO Mais Querido (The Dearest One) by Lourenço da Fonseca Barbosa (Capiba) is very popular and is thede facto anthem.[citation needed]
The team's stadium,Estádio José do Rego Maciel, is located in Arruda, a borough ofRecife. It is named after a former mayor of Recife. It is widely known asEstádio do Arruda (Arruda Stadium). The fans call itArrudão (Big Arruda) orMundão do Arruda (Great Land of Arruda).
On 1 April 1982, the stadium was re-inaugurated after improvements and enlargement. From the original capacity of 64,000 people, the maximum capacity was then estimated at 110,000. However, due to safety reasons, the maximum capacity so far is 90,200, which occurred in aBrazil vsArgentina match on 23 March 1994. Since then the official stadium capacity has been reduced to 60,044.[4]
The stadium is also known as theRepúblicas Independentes do Arruda (Independent Republics of Arruda).
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| National | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série C | 1 | 2013 |
| Regional | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Copa do Nordeste | 1 | 2016 |
| State | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Pernambucano | 29 | 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1957, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2011, 2012,2013, 2015,2016 |
| Copa Pernambuco | 5 | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2019 |
ThePernambucan Football Championship is usually divided into three turns. Each turn is a small championship itself. If a team wins all the three turns then it is automatically declared as champion. If a team wins two turns and another team wins the remaining turn, the championship has a final play-off. Generally, the play-off consists of two matches or three matches. However, if three different teams win each one a turn, the championship has a play-off named the Super-championship. The Super-championship consists of a play-off among the three winners of each turn. Super-championships are rare and very prestigious.
Fita Azul do Futebol Brasileiro (Brazilian Football Blue Ribbon) was an award given for the club which succeeds in an excursion out of the country.
In theMiddle East, Santa Cruz played against the national teams of
Santa Cruz also played
InEurope there were two matches. The first was against theRomania national team (2–4), and the second againstParis Saint-Germain (2–2).[citation needed]
| Participating in 2025 |
| Competition | Seasons | Best campaign | Debut | Last | |
 | Campeonato Pernambucano | 111 | Champion (29 times) | 1915 | 2025 |
 | Copa do Nordeste | 18 | Champion (2016) | 1994 | 2025 |
 | Série A | 24 | 4th place (1960 and 1975) | 1960 | 2016 |
| Série B | 20 | 2nd place (3 times) | 1982 | 2017 | |
| Série C | 7 | Champion (2013) | 2008 | 2021 | |
| Série D | 6 | 2nd place (2011 and 2025) | 2009 | 2025 | |
| Copa do Brasil | 28 | Round of 16 (8 times) | 1990 | 2023 | |
 | Copa Sudamericana | 1 | Round of 16 (2016) | 2016 | |
This is a list of Santa Cruz's top scorers with over 100 goals.
| |
|---|---|
| 1.Tará | 207 |
| 2. Luciano Veloso | 174 |
| 3.Ramón | 148 |
| 4. Betinho | 143 |
| 5. Fernando Santana | 123 |
| 6. Elói de Paula | 115 |
| 7. Siduca | 105 |
This is a list of Santa Cruz players with more than 300 matches.
| |
|---|---|
| 1.Givanildo Oliveira | 599 |
| 2. Luciano Veloso | 409 |
| 3.Ramón | 377 |
| 4. Fernando Santana | 360 |
| 5. Pedrinho | 342 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Santa Cruz has two major rivals within the city of Recife:
Clássico das Multidões is the name given to the football rivalry between Santa Cruz Futebol Clube andSport Club do Recife, two of the most prominent clubs in the state ofPernambuco, Brazil. The matchup is one of the most traditional derbies in Northeastern and Brazilian football, known for its large crowds, intense competition, and passionate fan involvement.[citation needed]
The term "Clássico das Multidões" ("Derby of the Multitudes") originated from the historical ability of both teams to draw massive attendances to stadiums, especially theEstádio do Arruda and theIlha do Retiro. The encounters are significant in state competitions such as theCampeonato Pernambucano, and have also taken place in national tournaments, including theCampeonato Brasileiro and theCopa do Nordeste.[citation needed]
The first match between Santa Cruz andSport was played on 6 May 1917, withSport winning 2–0. Since then, the rivalry has become one of the most balanced in the region, with hundreds of matches played over the decades. The derby is often decisive, featuring championship finals and matches that determined promotions or relegations in national leagues.[citation needed]
The biggest goal difference in theClássico das Multidões occurred in the 1934 Campeonato Pernambucano, when Santa Cruz thrashed Sport 7–0.
| Rival | G | V | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | 571 | 173 | 166 | 239 | 678 | 738 |
Clássico das Emoções is the name given to the football rivalry between Santa Cruz Futebol Clube andClube Náutico Capibaribe, two of the most traditional clubs in the state ofPernambuco, Brazil. The matchup is one of the oldest and most balanced derbies in Northeastern football, known for its intensity and unpredictable outcomes.
The nickname "Clássico das Emoções" ("Derby of Emotions") reflects the dramatic nature of the encounters, which are often decided by small margins and frequently feature tense, high-stakes moments for both sets of supporters. Matches are usually played at theEstádio do Arruda or theEstádio dos Aflitos, drawing large crowds and carrying significant weight in theCampeonato Pernambucano, as well as in national competitions such as theCampeonato Brasileiro and theCopa do Nordeste.
The first match took place on 29 June 1917, with Santa Cruz winning 3–0 in a charity tournament match played atEstádio dos Aflitos. The 100thCampeonato Pernambucano also marked the 500th time this classic match was played, resulting in a 5–3 victory for Santa Cruz.
| Rival | G | V | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Náutico | 535 | 203 | 159 | 173 | 829 | 741 |
Ricardo Diéz (1959)Evaristo de Macedo (1972)Paulo Emilio (1973, 1975)Ênio Andrade (1977)Evaristo de Macedo (1977–79)Paulo Emilio (1980)Carlos Alberto Silva (1983–84)Lori Sandri (1984)Paulinho de Almeida (1987)Moisés (1987)Abel Braga (1987–88)Givanildo Oliveira (1989–90)Valmir Louruz (1994)Péricles Chamusca (1996)Givanildo Oliveira (1998–99)Otacílio Gonçalves (1999–02)Heron Ferreira (2002)Péricles Chamusca (2002–04)Roberval Davino (2004)Givanildo Oliveira (2004–06), (2006)Valdir Espinosa (2006)René Simões (2006)Giba (2006)Evaristo de Macedo (2007)Mauro Fernandes (2007)Ricardo Rocha (2008)Márcio Bittencourt (2008–09)Dado Cavalcanti (2009–10)Lori Sandri (2010)Givanildo Oliveira (2010)Zé Teodoro (2011–12)Marcelo Martelotte (2013)Vica (2013–14)Sérgio Guedes (2014)Ricardinho (2015)Marcelo Martelotte (2015–16)Milton Mendes (2016)Doriva (2016)Vinícius Eutrópio (2017)Givanildo Oliveira (2017)Marcelo Martelotte (2017)The Santa Cruz Pirates, formerly known as the Recife Pirates, is theAmerican football team of Santa Cruz Futebol Clube. The team is the champion of the 2018 Taça das Cidades, the 2018 Liga Nordestina, and the 2019 Pernambuco Bowl.
Santa Cruz's history withfutsal dates back to the 1960s. William Ribeiro was responsible for introducing the sport to Santa Cruz, winning the Pernambuco Futsal Championship with the club in 1960. The club also has youth teams starting with the under-7s. The under-15 team was twice Campeonato Pernambucano de Futsal champion, beating Sport in the first leg at Ilha do Retiro by 1–2 and in the second leg by 4–0 at Arrudinha. Santa also won championships with its under-7, under-8, under-9, under-10, under-11, and under-12 teams at the Festival HD Esportes de Futsal.
Bowling is one of the newest sports announced by Santa Cruz. The team consists of Niltinho Farias, Alcindo Marsaro, Ivan Neto, Nelson Tachibana, Edson Pontual, Edson Pontual Júnior, and Guilherme Caminha. In 2018, Santa won the Pernambuco Individual Bowling Championship title, with Edson Pontual, Guilherme Caminha, and Niltinho Farias standing out.
In 2018, Santa Cruz partnered with a local team and expanded its activities intoe-sports. The club competes inEA FC, specifically in the 11v11 Pro Clubs mode, and has already achieved significant results, including winning theCopa do Nordeste (SUPER VS), finishing as 2nd place inBrasileiro Série A (Conexão FIFA), 2nd place inBrasileiro Série B (Clanbase), and securing 8th place in theBrasileirão Série A (EFA).
Home colours: Shirt with red, white, and black stripes, black shorts, and black socks;
Awaay colours: White shirt with a black and red stripe across the chest, white shorts, and white socks;
Third colours: It changes every year;
         Home colours |      Away colours |    Third colours |
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