 | ||||
| Full name | Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Fogo (Fire) Fogão (Stove/Big Fire) Estrela Solitária (The Lone Star) O Glorioso (The Glorious One) Alvinegro Carioca (Rio's Black and White) O Mais Tradicional (The Most Traditional) | |||
| Founded |
| |||
| Ground | Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos | |||
| Capacity | 46,831[1] | |||
| SAF Owner | John Textor (90%) | |||
| President | João Paulo Magalhães Lins | |||
| Head coach | Davide Ancelotti | |||
| League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Campeonato Carioca | |||
| 2024 2024 | Série A, 1st of 20 (champions) Carioca, 5th of 12 | |||
| Website | botafogo.com.br | |||
 Current season | ||||
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:[bɔtaˈfoɡudʒifutʃiˈbɔwiʁeˈɡatɐs];Botafogo Football and Rowing) is a Brazilianfootball club based in the neighborhood ofBotafogo, in the city ofRio de Janeiro. Although it competes in a number of different sports, Botafogo is mostly known for itsassociation football team. It plays in theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of theBrazilian football league system, and in thestate ofRio de Janeiro's premierstate league.
The club is among Brazil's "Big 12 Clubs" having won theBrazilian Championship three times (1968, 1995, 2024), theCopa Libertadores in 2024, and theCopa CONMEBOL in 1993. In addition, the Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas has some of Brazilian football's most notable records, including most unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978; the most unbeaten matches in the Brazilian Championship: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; and the most players called up to the Brazilian national team inWorld Cups. The club holds the record for the greatest victory ever recorded in Brazilian football: 24–0 againstSport Club Mangueira in 1909.
In 2000, Botafogo finished 12th in a vote by subscribers ofFIFA Magazine for theFIFA Club of the Century.[2][3] In 2024, Botafogo was ranked 5th in the world in the IFFHS Men's Club World Ranking, making it the highest-ranked club from South America.[4]
In 2025, the club qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup and pulled off a major upset by defeating European champions Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the group stage, advancing to the knockout rounds.[5] Botafogo was also named as one of five finalists for the 2025 Ballon d’Or Men’s Club of the Year award, being the only non-European club in the category.[6]
On 1 July 1894, theClub de Regatas Botafogo was founded inRio de Janeiro as a rowing club.[7]
.jpg)
On 12 August 1904, another club was founded in the neighborhood: the Electro Club, the name first given to the Botafogo Football Club. The idea came during an algebra lesson at Alfredo Gomes College.[citation needed] The Electro Club was founded, but its name did not last. After a suggestion from Dona Chiquitota, Flávio's grandmother, the club finally became the Botafogo Football Club, on its 18 September. The colors were black and white like those ofJuventus FC, (who took the colours fromNotts County F.C., the oldest team in the world.) the team of Itamar Tavares, one of the club's founders. Its badge was drawn by Basílio Vianna Jr., in Swiss style with the BFC monogram. The Botafogo Football Club would soon become one of the strongest football teams in Rio de Janeiro, winning the championships of 1907, 1910, 1912 and more.[8]
With the same name, the same location, the same colours and most importantly the same supporters, it seemed inevitable that the clubs would merge. They did so on 8 December 1942, after a basketball match between both clubs, when the Botafogo Football Club playerArmando Albano died suddenly, that the idea of a merger began. On this tragic occasion, the president of the Club de Regatas Botafogo,Augusto Frederico Schmidt, spoke: "At this time, I declare to Albano that his last match ended with the victory of his team. We won't play the time left on the clock. We all want the young fighter to leave this great night as a winner. This is how we salute him." Eduardo Góis Trindade, the president of the Botafogo Football Club said: "Between the matches of our clubs, only one can be the winner: Botafogo!." And then Schmidt declared the fusion: "What else do we need for our clubs to become one?." The Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas finally came into being. The Football Club's badge became black, and the monogram substituted by the Clube de Regatas' lone star.[9]
.jpg)
The team won theCampeonato Carioca in 1907, 1910 and 1912. In 1909 the team beatMangueira 24–0, which remains the highest score in Brazilian football.[10]They won further state titles in 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1935.[11]
In the 1940s, after the creation of the Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, the team's best player wasHeleno de Freitas. However, Heleno did not win a championship for Botafogo. He scored 204 goals in 233 matches, but went to theBoca Juniors in 1948, the year Botafogo won its 9th state championship.
.jpg)
They won the Campeonato Carioca in 1957, 1961 and 1962, and in 1968 they wonSerie A, becoming the firstcarioca club to win the Brazilian league.[12]
1989 ended a period of 21 years without a title when the club won the state championship, retaining the trophy in 1990.[12]
In the 1990s, Botafogo wonCopa Conmebol (the precursor of the currentCopa Sudamericana).[13] And in 1995 they won the Brazilian League for the second time in club's history, after drawing 1–1 the second leg of theFinal againstSantos FC atSão Paulo.
Botafogo would be relegated to the Second Division after ranking last in the Brazilian League of 2002. In 2003, Botafogo ranked second in Brazil's Second division (afterPalmeiras) and returned to the First Division.
In 2006, the club won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship for the 18th time, and again in 2010 and 2013 with the iconic playersLoco Abreu andClarence Seedorf, respectively.
In the2020 edition of the Série A, Botafogo performed poorly and ended the championship in the last position, causing the club's relegation to theSérie B for their third time in history.[14]
Nowadays, Botafogo is the only club to have won titles in three different centuries, including the state championship forrowing in 1899.
At the beginning of 2020, Botafogo underwent a series of internal audits to spin off its football division as a for-profit corporate entity, owned by the club, but which could be portioned and sold to investors. This was due to unprecedented legislation allowing for football clubs to be operated as corporations, and would be a solution to the severe financial crisis the club had faced for decades. Relegation to the Série B, however, delayed these plans.
2021 saw Botafogo's debt reach one billion real. They placed 6th in the Rio de Janeiro State Championship, after a penalty decision lost to the also relegatedVasco da Gama. The club was off to a middling start to the Série B season, but bounced back after the hiring of managerEnderson Moreira, who was able to bring Botafogo back to the top tier of Brazilian football, as champions of the2021 edition of Série B. It was Botafogo's second Série B title.
Meanwhile, the incoming administration had begun internal restructuring, hiring executive Jorge Braga for the brand-new post of CEO and downsizing its workforce considerably. Botafogo entered into a partnership with the investment firmXP Inc. to seek out potential buyers for its football division, which was in the process of becoming its own corporate entity. Congress had recently passed theSociedade Anônima de Futebol (SAF) law, allowing foreigners to purchase shares in Brazilian football clubs for the first time in history.
Having averted complete financial disaster by returning to Série A, the country's top competitive tier, Botafogo finalized its transition into the SAF legal structure. The social club remained as an entity, owning 100% of Botafogo SAF's shares. In January 2022, it came to light that American investorJohn Textor, owner of a majority stake inPremier League clubCrystal Palace F.C., was in talks to purchase a majority share of Botafogo. In February 2022, the club announced the acquisition of 90% of the shares of Botafogo's football division by Textor'sholding company Eagle Holdings and the start of a new era for the club.
Textor's first major move in charge of the club was the dismissal of Enderson Moreira in favor of Portuguese managerLuís Castro. Castro signed with Botafogo in March 2022, and the team had to hurry to build their squad for the 2022 Campeonato Brasileiro.[15] Botafogo finished that year's league edition in 11th place, guaranteeing a spot in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana.
At the2023 Campeonato Brasileiro, Botafogo, then thought of as a team that at most would fight for a spot in the top 6,[16][17] shocked everyone by coming in first place after only 3 rounds, then leading the league by 13 points after 19 matches and on course to have the greatest first half of a season in Brazilian football history. In June 2023, coach Luís Castro accepted an offer fromAl Nassr of theSaudi Pro League,[18] paving the way for the arrival of Portuguese managerBruno Lage.[19] However, due to poor results and controversies,[20] Lage was dismissed after about 3 months.[21] For the remainder of the 2023 season, with the coaching position vacant, Botafogo's SAF leadership decided to promote two fan favorites to key positions in the team's management: a former coach of Botafogo's U-23 team,Lúcio Flávio, was appointed interim coach, with former Argentine defenderJoel Carli as his assistant.
Constant change of managers caused Botafogo to have the biggest title collapse in football history, as the team won only 2 of their last 17 fixtures, not only losing the title to Palmeiras but dropping to 5th in the table and losing the automatic qualification spot for the Copa Libertadores. A round of 16 exit in the Copa do Brasil, a quarterfinal exit in the Copa Sudamericana, and a disappointing Campeonato Carioca made the year one of the most painful seasons in the club's history.[22]
The total debt owned by the club has been reduced and now sits at around 730 million reais.[23]
The team's home ground is theEstádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, named in honor ofNilton Santos, a former club player and two-time world champion with theBrazil national football team, regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of all time.[24] The stadium is commonly called Engenhão by fans, in reference to the neighbourhood ofEngenho de Dentro, where it is located. The stadium was built for the2007 Pan American Games and it also hosted the2016 Summer Olympics.[25]
Other stadiums used by the club during its history are:
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Its biggest rivals are the other most important Rio clubs:Fluminense,Flamengo, andVasco da Gama.
The derby with Fluminense is known as the "Clássico Vovô" (Grandfather Derby) for it being the oldest derby in the whole of Brazilian football. The teams faced each other for the first time in 1905.
The matches with Vasco are known as the "Clássico da Amizade" (Friendship Derby) because the supporters of both clubs have been friends historically. It has been one of the less violent derbies in the city.
The derby against Flamengo, "The Rivalry Derby", is the biggest one for Botafogo. The clubs' rivalry extends beyond the pitch, to the fans and the clubs' boardrooms. Players who participate in these matches usually become club idols. Some examples includeGarrincha,Manga,Jairzinho,Túlio Maravilha, and more recentlyLoco Abreu andJefferson. Flamengo's biggest starZico once said that in his childhood, Botafogo was the club he hated more than any other because of theGlorioso's dominance in the derby.
From outside the city, the club also has a historic rivalry withSantos FC since the 1960s.
TheLone Star (Estrela Solitária) is currently present in Botafogo's flag and crest. This star was the principal symbol of Club de Regatas Botafogo. After the two Botafogos merged, the Lone Star became one of the most important symbols of Botafogo'sfootball team. It was originally meant to represent the planetVenus, also known as the Morning Star, which was often seen at sunrise by the rowing squad as they practiced very early in the morning.
The oldflag of Club de Regatas Botafogo was white with a small black square which contained the Lone Star. The Football Club had a flag with nine black and white stripes with the club's crest localized in the center. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas then based its flag on that of the two old clubs. The flag has five black and four white stripes, with a black square at the upper left side with the Lone Star.
.jpg)
Their primary uniform consists of a black jersey with vertical white stripes, black shorts and grey socks. Their secondary uniform is all white. An all black uniform may also be used. The socks, although traditionally grey, may also be black or even white on rare occasions.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(July 2025) |
.jpg)
The dogBiriba is one the most traditional mascots of Botafogo, in 1948 this real stray dog, known for invading the field, was the mascot that led them to the Campeonato Carioca title.[26] Another Botafogo's mascot isManequinho, an urinating boy originating from a replica ofBrussels'Manneken Pis statue that stands near Botafogo's headquarters, which on occasion had a Botafogo jersey put onto by supporters of the team.[27] The first mascot wasDonald Duck, who cartoonist Lorenzo Mollas drew in the early 1940s wearing Botafogo's jersey, but it was never officially adopted due to rights issues.[28]
The club has some of Brazilian football's top records, including most unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978,[29] most unbeaten games in theBrazilian Championship: 42, also between 1977 and 1978,[30] most player participations in total matches of theBrazil national team (considering official and unofficial games): 1,094 participations,[31] and the most players assigned to the Brazil national team for theWorld Cup.[32]
| Continental | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Copa Libertadores | 1 | 2024 |
| Copa CONMEBOL | 1 | 1993 |
| National | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | 3 | 1968,1995,2024 |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série B | 2 | 2015,2021 |
| Inter-state | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Torneio Rio–São Paulo[33] | 4 | 1962, 1964, 1966, 1998 |
| State | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Carioca | 21 | 1907,1910,1912, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934,1935,1948,1957,1961,1962,1967,1968,1989,1990,1997,2006,2010,2013,2018 |
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.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Davide Ancelotti |
| Assistant Coach |  Andy Mangan |
 Cláudio Caçapa | |
 Luis Tevenet | |
| Fitness Coach | Ygor Vianna |
| Luca Guerra | |
| First-Team Goalkeeper Coach | Marcelo Grimaldi |
| Analysis and observation | Léo Coelho |
| World Best Players | ||
| # | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Didi | 1958 |
| 2. | Garrincha | 1962 |
| World Cup Champions | ||
| # | Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nílton Santos | 1958,1962 |
| 2. | Didi | 1958,1962 |
| 3. | Garrincha | 1958,1962 |
| 4. | Amarildo | 1962 |
| 5. | Zagallo | 1962 |
| 6. | Jairzinho | 1970 |
| 7. | Paulo Cezar Caju | 1970 |
| 8. | Roberto Miranda | 1970 |
| Most appearances | ||||
| # | Name | Matches | Goals | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nílton Santos | 723 | 11 | 1948–64 |
| 2. | Garrincha | 612 | 243 | 1953–65 |
| 3. | Jefferson | 459 | * | 2003–2005 and 2009–2018 |
| 4. | Valtencir | 453 | 6 | 1967–76 |
| 5. | Quarentinha | 444 | 306 | 1954–64 |
| 6. | Manga | 442 | * | 1959–68 |
| 7. | Carlos Roberto | 442 | 15 | 1967–76 |
| 8. | Geninho | 422 | 115 | 1940–54 |
| 9. | Jairzinho | 413 | 186 | 1962–74, 1981 |
| 10. | Wágner | 412 | * | 1993–02 |
| 11. | Osmar | 387 | 4 | 1970–79 |
| 12. | Juvenal | 384 | 12 | 1946–57 |
| 13. | Gérson dos Santos | 371 | 2 | 1945–56 |
| 14. | Wilson Gottardo | 354 | 13 | 1987–90, 1994–96 |
| 15. | Roberto Miranda | 352 | 154 | 1962–73 |
| 16. | Pampolini | 347 | 27 | 1955–62 |
| 17. | Mendonça | 340 | 116 | 1975–82 |
| * goalkeeper. | ||||
| Most goals | |||||||||||||
| # | Name | Goals | Matches | G/M | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Quarentinha | 306 | 444 | 0,68 | |||||||||
| 2. | Carvalho Leite | 261 | 303 | 0,86 | |||||||||
| 3. | Garrincha | 243 | 612 | 0,39 | |||||||||
| 4. | Heleno de Freitas | 209 | 235 | 0,88 | |||||||||
| 5. | Nilo | 190 | 201 | 0,94 | |||||||||
| 6. | Jairzinho | 186 | 413 | 0,45 | |||||||||
| 7. | Octávio Moraes | 171 | 200 | 0,85 | |||||||||
| 8. | Túlio Maravilha | 159 | 223 | 0,71 | |||||||||
| 9. | Roberto Miranda | 154 | 352 | 0,43 | |||||||||
| 10. | Dino da Costa | 144 | 176 | 0,81 | |||||||||
| 11. | Amarildo | 136 | 231 | 0,58 | |||||||||
| 12. | Paulinho Valentim | 135 | 206 | 0,65 | |||||||||
| 13. | Nílson Dias | 127 | 301 | 0,42 | |||||||||
| 14. | Mendonça | 116 | 340 | 0,34 | |||||||||
| 15. | Geninho | 115 | 422 | 0,27 | |||||||||
| 16. | Didi | 114 | 313 | 0,36 | |||||||||
| 17. | Zezinho | 110 | 174 | 0,63 | |||||||||
| 18. | Paschoal | 105 | 158 | 0,66 | |||||||||
| 19. | Patesko | 102 | 242 | 0,42 | |||||||||
| 20. | Gérson | 96 | 248 | 0,39 | |||||||||
Carvalho Leite (1941–42), (1942–43)Martim Silveira (1944), (1946)
Ondino Viera (1947)Zezé Moreira (1 January 1948 – 31 December 1948)Carvalho Leite (1950–51), (1951–52)Sylvio Pirillo (1952)Martim Silveira (1952–53)Zezé Moreira (1954–55), (1955–56)João Saldanha (1957–59)Paulo Amaral (1959–61)Danilo Alvim (1963)Mário Zagallo (1966–70)Paulinho de Almeida (1971)Paulo Amaral (1973)Mário Zagallo (1975)Telê Santana (1976)Paulo Amaral (1976)Othon (1976–78)Mário Zagallo (1978)Othon (1980)Paulinho de Almeida (1981)Zé Mário (1 January 1982 – 30 June 1982)Mário Zagallo (1986–87)Jair Pereira (1988), (1996)Valdir Espinosa (1989), (1990–91)Othon (1993)Valdir Espinosa (1998–99)Mauro Fernandes (5 July 1999 – 12 August 1999)Carlos Alberto Torres (16 August 1999 – 12 September 1999) Antônio Clemente (14 September 1999 – 30 November 1999)Joel Santana (1 January 2000 – 7 September 2000) Antônio Clemente (8 September 2000 – 21 November 2000)Sebastião Lazaroni (27 November 2000 – 11 April 2001)Dé Aranha (12 April 2001 – 12 May 2001)Paulo Autuori (1 June 2001 – 13 October 2001)Abel Braga (14 October 2001 – 8 July 2002)Arthur Bernardes (9 July 2002 – 22 August 2002)Abel Braga (22 August 2002 – 22 September 2002)Ivo Wortmann (22 September 2002 – 9 November 2002)Carlos Alberto Torres (9 November 2002 – 19 November 2002)Levir Culpi (27 December 2002 – 25 April 2004)Mauro Galvão (19 May 2004 – 16 August 2004)Paulo Bonamigo (17 August 2004 – 23 March 2005)Paulo César Gusmão (26 March 2005 – 30 June 2005)Péricles Chamusca (1 July 2005 – 28 August 2005)Celso Roth (30 August 2005 – 4 December 2005)Carlos Roberto (4 December 2005 – 21 May 2006)Cuca (22 May 2006 – 27 September 2007)Mário Sérgio (28 September 2007 – 6 October 2007)Cuca (7 October 2007 – 29 May 2008)Geninho (30 May 2008 – 11 June 2008)Ney Franco (11 July 2008 – 10 August 2009)Estevam Soares (12 August 2009 – 25 January 2010)Joel Santana (26 January 2010 – 22 March 2011)Caio Júnior (23 March 2011 – 17 November 2011)Oswaldo de Oliveira (2 January 2012 – 9 December 2013)Eduardo Hungaro (2 January 2014 – 11 April 2014)Vágner Mancini (15 April 2014 – 10 December 2014)René Simões (14 December 2014 – 15 July 2015)Ricardo Gomes (22 July 2015 – 12 August 2016)Jair Ventura (10 May 2016 – 18 December 2017)Felipe Conceição (1 January 2018 – 28 February 2018)Alberto Valentim (3 March 2018 – 19 June 2018)Marcos Paquetá (26 June 2018 – 2 August 2018)Zé Ricardo (4 August 2018 – 12 April 2019)Eduardo Barroca (15 April 2019 – 6 October 2019)Alberto Valentim (14 October 2019 – 9 February 2020)Paulo Autuori (13 February 2020 – 1 October 2020)Bruno Lazaroni (1 October 2020 – 28 October 2020)
Ramón Díaz (5 November 2020 – 27 November 2020)Eduardo Barroca (27 November 2020 – 6 February 2021)Marcelo Chamusca (26 February 2021 – 13 July 2021)Enderson Moreira (20 July 2021 – 11 February 2022)
Luís Castro (25 March 2022 – 30 June 2023)Bruno Lage (8 July 2023 – October 2023)Fábio Matias (February 2024 - April 2024)Artur Jorge (April 2024 – 3 January 2025)
Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
