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| Full name | Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Gigante da Colina (Giant of the Hill) Camisas Negras (Black Shirts) Cruzmaltino (Maltese Cross club) O Legítimo Clube do Povo (The True People's Club) Vascaínos orCruzmaltinos (supporters)[1] | ||
| Founded | 21 August 1898; 127 years ago (1898-08-21) | ||
| Ground | São Januário Maracanã | ||
| Capacity | 21,880[2] 78,838[3] | ||
| SAF owner | CR Vasco da Gama (69%) 777 Partners (31%)[4] | ||
| President | Pedrinho | ||
| Head coach | Fernando Diniz | ||
| League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Campeonato Carioca | ||
| 2025 2025 | Série A, 14th of 20 Carioca, 4th of 12 | ||
| Website | vasco | ||
 Current season | |||
| Active departments ofVasco da Gama | ||||||||
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Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈklubidʒiʁeˈɡatɐzˈvaskudɐˈɡɐ̃mɐ]; English: Vasco da Gama Club of Rowing), commonly referred to asVasco da Gama or simplyVasco, is asports club based inRio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Vasco is mostly known for its men'sfootball team, which currently competes in theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of theBrazilian football league system, and in theCampeonato Carioca, thestate of Rio de Janeiro's premierstate league.[5]
Named afterVasco da Gama 400 years after hisEuropean–Asian sea route in 1498, the club was founded in 1898 as a rowing club by Brazilian workers,Portuguese Brazilians and newly arrivedPortuguese immigrants.[6][7] Vasco created its football department in 1915, withprofessionalism officially adopted in 1933 – pioneer in Brazil.[8][9] In addition to its main departments of football and rowing, Vasco has other sports departments since the 1910s. Itsyouth academy, which has brought upinternational footballers such asRomário,Philippe Coutinho,Hilderaldo Bellini,Roberto Dinamite andEdmundo, is well known for its socio-educational methodology.[10]
At the national level, Vasco da Gama has won fourCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, threeTorneio Rio–São Paulo and oneCopa do Brasil. In international club football, the club has won oneCopa Libertadores, oneSouth American Championship of Champions, and oneCopa Mercosur. At the state level, the club has also won 24Campeonato Carioca. Thegolden generation of Vasco da Gama, dubbedExpresso da Vitória (Victory Express), won fivestate titles in the eight-year span between 1945 and 1952, and led Vasco to become the first continental club champion ever with the1948 South American Championship of Champions title. This team, which includedMoacir Barbosa,Ademir de Menezes,Friaça,Danilo Alvim,Augusto da Costa, andChico, among others, is considered one of the greatest teams of its generation and of all time.
With fans worldwide, Vasco da Gama is one of the most widely supported clubs in Brazil, theRio de Janeiro state and theAmericas. Vasco plays its home matches inSão Januário stadium since its inauguration in 1927. Occasionally, the club has also played their home matches inMaracanã stadium since its inauguration in 1950. Vasco holds long-standings rivalries withFlamengo,Fluminense andBotafogo. The Vasco–Flamengo rivalry, known asClássico dos Milhões (Derby of the Millions), is considered one of the main rivalries ofBrazilian sports and one of the most prominent football rivalries in the world.
The foundation of Vasco took place in the context of the popularization ofrowing at the end of the 19th century. The idea to create a rowing club originated with four young Brazilians—Henrique M. Ferreira Monteiro, Luiz Antonio Rodrigues, José Alexandre d'Avellar Rodrigues, and Manoel Teixeira de Sousa Junior—all clerks working in downtown Rio de Janeiro.[11] During their free time, the young men rented a rowboat named "Iracema" from the Grupo de Regatas Gragoatá inNiterói. The distance between Rio de Janeiro and Niterói inspired the idea to establish a rowing club in theSaúde neighborhood, where they worked. A fifth member, Lopes de Freitas, was invited, and the initial meetings took place in January 1898. The idea of a new rowing club in the neighborhood was promoted in commercial circles, and the four founders quickly attracted new interested parties. Among those invited to the future institution were the Couto brothers, Portuguese merchants in the steam-powered sawmill business, who had the necessary capital to establish the club in its early stages.[12][11] After several preliminary meetings, the club was founded on August 21, 1898, at Rua da Saúde, No. 293 (now No. 345, Rua Sacadura Cabral)[note 1],[13] with 62 founding members of the institution. The name chosen for the club —Vasco da Gama — was in honor of the IV centenary of thediscovery of the maritime route to India by Portuguese explorerVasco da Gama, as many of the founders were Portuguese. Vasco da Gama incorporated the Lusitânia Sport Club football team in 1915 and officially entered football competition the following year, embracing an inclusive identity that welcomed players regardless of race, social class or origin.[14] Competing initially in the third division of Rio de Janeiro, the club steadily strengthened its squad with Black, mixed-race, Portuguese and working-class white players, in contrast to the exclusivity seen in many elite clubs of the period.[15] After winning the second division title in 1922 with an impressive campaign, Vasco secured promotion to the top tier ofCampeonato Carioca. In1923, defying expectations, the team won the first-division championship in its debut season, defeating leading clubs such asAmerica,Fluminense andFlamengo. This historic achievement — led by the legendaryCamisas Negras (Black Shirts) — represented a major social milestone in Brazilian sport, marking the first time a team composed largely of Afro-descendant and poor players conquered a major title against the city’s traditional elite.[16] The significance of this moment continues to resonate today, with theCamisas Negras recognized nationally, including their place inLivro dos Heróis da Pátria (Book of Heroes of the Fatherland) ofTancredo Neves Pantheon of the Fatherland and Freedom.[17][18]
After attempts to prevent Vasco da Gama from entering the competition, clubs from thesouth zone (elite area of the city of Rio de Janeiro),America,Bangu,Botafogo,Flamengo,Fluminense and a few others joined, abandoned theLiga Metropolitana de Desportos Terrestres (LMDT) and founded theAssociação Metropolitana de Esportes Atléticos (AMEA), leaving out Vasco, which could only join the new entity if it dismissed twelve of its athletes (all black) on the grounds that they had a "dubious profession". Faced with the imposed situation, in 1924, the president of the C.R. Vasco da Gama, José Augusto Prestes, envied a letter to AMEA, which came to be known as the "Resposta Histórica" (Historical Response), refusing to submit to the imposed condition and withdrawing from membership in the AMEA. The letter went down in history as a milestone in the fight against racism in football.[19][20][21][22] In this way, in1924, two championships were played in parallel, the LMDT being won undefeated by Vasco, thus winning the second state championship. The following year, the club overcame the resistance of the AMEA, managed to join the entity and again competed in the championship against the great teams under the condition of playing their games in the Andarahy Athletico Club field. Despite this, Vasco decided to build its own stadium, to end any demand. The place chosen for the construction was the São Januário farm, which had been a gift fromDom Pedro I to theMarchioness of Santos. On April 21, 1927, Vasco da Gama inaugurated theSão Januário stadium, the largest stadium in the Americas until 1930, when theEstadio Centenario was inaugurated inMontevideo (for thefirst World Cup). Until 1940, whenPacaembu was inaugurated inSão Paulo, the stadium was the largest in Brazil, and until 1950, whenMaracanã was inaugurated, it was the largest inRio de Janeiro. The stadium was built in ten months and with money raised through the "Campanha dos dez mil sócios" (Campaign of the Ten Thousand members) which received donations from fans across the city.[23] Two years later, its lighting would be inaugurated, becoming the only club in the country with a stadium capable of hosting night games.[24]
In 1942, the club lived an uncomfortable fast of 5 years without any title in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Trying to reverse this situation, the Vasco's president Cyro Aranha adopted a long-term policy based on hiring young players.[25] The team, which would later become known asExpresso da Vitória (Victory Express), was composed of the goalkeeperBarbosa, strikerAdemir de Menezes, midfieldersJair, Lelé, Isaías,Ely andDjalma and wingerChico, among others.[26][25] This generation of players, commanded mainly by Uruguayan coachOndino Viera, was one of the first Brazilian teams to use the4–2–4 tactical scheme, which strongly influenced Brazilian and Uruguayan football in the 1950s.[27] TheExpresso da Vitória won eighteen titles in ten years, including fivestate championships (three undefeated) and theSouth American Championship of Champions overRiver Plate in 1948, making Vasco the first Brazilian team (either club or national team) to win an international title outside Brazil.[25] Later, Vasco was recognized byCONMEBOL as the 1948 continental champion and this competition was recognized as a precursor to theCopa Libertadores.[28][29] This caused Vasco to be invited to the1997 Supercopa Libertadores, a tournament only for clubs that had already been champions of the Copa Libertadores (Vasco would only win its first Copa Libertadores the following year, in1998).
In the early 50s, many players fromExpresso da Vitória had already left, and the team had new players, includingVavá,Bellini,Sabará andPinga. At the beginning of 1953, Vasco won theQuadrangular Internacional do Rio de Janeiro, a tournament it played against its rivalFlamengo and Argentine teamsBoca Juniors andRacing. Months later, won theTorneo Internacional de Chile against ColombianMillonarios and ChileanColo-Colo. In July, the team won theTorneio Octogonal Rivadavia Corrêa Meyer, a tournament between Brazilian and European clubs. In 1956, Ademir de Menezes left Vasco. After winning the1956 Campeonato Carioca, Vasco went on a tour of South America and Europe, and was called "the best South American team" by European newspapers.[30] Vasco was chosen to participate in the1957 Tournoi de Paris, in which they beat European championsReal Madrid in the final 4–3 in front of more than 65,000 spectators.[31][32] This was the first time that a South American champion and a European champion faced each other (Vasco for the1948 South American Championship and Real Madrid for the1955–56 European Cup).[33][34] The newspaperFrance Soir stated after the tournament: "Real Madrid is not the greatest team in the world. Talk to Vasco da Gama about that",[35] and theJornal dos Sports cited Vasco as "world champions".[36] In 2023, FIFA recognized as "the most notable meeting between teams from two continents meeting before 1960".[37]
In 1971, youngRoberto Dinamite rose from Vasco's academy to the professional team. Roberto Dinamite would be instrumental in leading the team in winning the1974 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Vasco da Gama's first national title, in which he finished as the tournament's top scorer with 16 goals. This achievement qualified Vasco to compete in their firstCopa Libertadores in1975, in which they did not have a good campaign. Roberto also helped Vasco win the1977 Campeonato Carioca, beatingZico'sFlamengo in a final playoff match. There a rivalry between Roberto and Zico would begin on the field, although off the field they were very friends. In 1978, Vasco fell in the semi-finals of the1978 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, butPaulinho would have finished as the tournament's top scorer with 19 goals. That year, the famous song by the Vasco fans emerged that "Vasco é o time da virada, Vasco é o time do amor" (Vasco is the team of the turnaround, Vasco is the team of love), inspired by aBeija-Florsamba.[38] The song would be copied by other fans, such asSantos,Palmeiras andAtlético Mineiro.[39][40]
In 1982, Vasco would win theCampeonato Carioca again, with coachAntônio Lopes removing seven starters players from the team in the final due to lack of commitment.[41] In this tournament, Roberto scored the 500th goal of his career.[42] Vasco lost the1984 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A final to its rivalFluminense. In the next year,Romário made his debut, another youth player who would go on to be successful in the professional team.[43] Romário began to form an attacking partnership with Roberto Dinamite, named by fans as "Ro-Ro".[44][45] Roberto said he had to change his playing style, moving from playing as acenter forward to being asecond striker who helped Romário score goals, since he was getting older and Romário was younger and faster.[44] Roberto Dinamite was top scorer of the1985 Campeonato Carioca with 12 goals, and Romário was second with 11. Afterwards, Romário would be the top scorer in the1986 and1987 editions, with Roberto second in both, this last edition won by Vasco da Gama, in addition to also winning the1988 edition. At the end of 1988, Romário was sold toPSV Eindhoven from Netherlands, being at the time the most expensive Brazilian signing by a foreign club.[46]
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In the1989 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Roberto Dinamite had lost space in the team and was loaned toPortuguesa. Roberto played against Vasco during the championship, in a game that ended 0–0, in which he says he "wouldn't like to have that afternoon".[47] Vasco remade the squad, signing a series of nationally renowned players, becoming known asSeleVasco (in reference to the word "seleção", used inPortuguese to designate anational team), as the team was considered a true national team. The big highlight was the playerBebeto, hired precisely from the great rival, Flamengo.[48] Vasco defeatedSão Paulo in the final 1–0, with a goal fromSorato, and became two-time Brazilian champion.[49]
The 1990s began with the victory of three consecutiveCampeonato Carioca in1992,1993 and1994. These achievements were important for Vasco as he was the only one among the Rio de Janeiro's Big Four who had not yet achieved the feat.[50] In the1997 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the club would win its third national league title, with a team led by the competition's then top scorerEdmundo, with 29 goals, the historical record of the tournament before the era ofround-robin system.[51] Edmundo became known to the fans as "O Animal" (The Animal) and the team as "Esquadrão Imortal" (Immortal Squad), which also includedJuninho Pernambucano,Felipe,Pedrinho, goalkeeperCarlos Germano, among others.[52] In 1998, in the club's centenary year,Eurico Miranda signed the largest contract in the history of Brazilian football at the time between Vasco andNationsBank (currentlyBank of America), in which the latter would exploit the club's brand.[53] This contract allowed Vasco to have one of the most expensive squads in Brazilian football. The team won theCampeonato Carioca, as well as its firstCopa Libertadores, defeatingBarcelona SC in thefinal 4–1 on aggregate. The joy of the centenary was not complete only because of the losses toReal Madrid in the1998 Intercontinental Cup andD.C. United in the1998 Interamerican Cup. In 1999, Vasco won its thirdTorneio Rio–São Paulo title.
At the end of the decade, in 2000,Romário would return to play for Vasco after a spell at arch-rivalsFlamengo. The team participated in the2000 FIFA Club World Championship, placing first in its group in the group stage, ahead ofManchester United,Necaxa andSouth Melbourne, but was eliminated in the penalty shootout in thefinal againstCorinthians. In the2000 Copa Mercosur, in a final game that became known as "A Virada do Século" (The Turn of the Century), as Vasco reversed a 0–3 score in the first half to 4–3 againstPalmeiras, with Romário'shat-trick.[54][55] The team also won its fourth national title, the2000 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, in afinal againstSão Caetano. During the second leg in the final, held at São Januário, the stadium fence collapsed, but no one was injured. The teams were ready to restart the match; however, GovernorAnthony Garotinho intervened and ordered the match canceled. The following day,TV Globo ran a report distorting the incident, highlighting Eurico Miranda ejecting injured players from the field and calling for the match to restart immediately after the accident, which never happened. In 2023, in the documentaryA Mão do Eurico, TV Globo admitted it "made a mistake" regarding the footage in the report.[56] In the rescheduled match at Maracanã, Eurico printed the logo ofSBT (TV Globo's rival network) on Vasco's shirt. Globo management, taken by surprise, was enraged. The entire game was broadcast this way on Globo, with Vasco winning the championship.[57] From then on, tensions between Eurico and the network grew, which would affect the club in the following years. Globo decided to apply a financial tourniquet to the club, blocking TV subscriptions for 18 months.[58]
Vasco already had one of the highest payrolls in world football and was successful in several sports, includingbasketball andfutsal. At the2000 Summer Olympics, Vasco had its largest delegation of athletes—at least 175—and was responsible for more medals thanBrazil team itself, making it the most represented Brazilian club in the competition. Playing in multiple sports was part of Eurico Miranda's strategy to strengthen the Vasco brand. The club spent about 25% of its budget on Olympic sports. Additionally, during this period, the club purchased approximately 14,000 m² of land around São Januário for future stadium renovation and expansion. In November 2000, with the support of then president Antônio Soares Calçada, Eurico Miranda was elected president of the club for the first time in its history.[59] During his first term, Eurico faced a severe financial crisis, particularly due to the break with Bank of America. The North American bank breached its contract with Vasco da Gama and failed to invest US$12 million in late 2000. Vasco then took legal action to break the agreement and won the case against the bank.[60] However, the high payroll could not be maintained, and part of the team was dismantled in 2001. In2008, Vasco was relegated toCampeonato Brasileiro Série B, for the first time in the club's history. The fall happened after a 2–0 defeat toEC Vitória, in Rio de Janeiro, in the last matchday of the league. Vasco won the2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B and return to compete in the first division again in 2010. That year, 2009, 16-year-oldPhilippe Coutinho made his professional debut, which helped the team win the competition.[61]
Vasco's 2010s began looking like things would improve for the club, with them winning the2011 Copa do Brasil, defeatingCoritiba in thefinal.[62] The team also finished as runner-up in the2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, behindCorinthians. Many fans and players from that team contested the match againstFlamengo on the last matchday of that year which, according to them, had crucial refereeing errors that denied Vasco the title.[63] A while later, the referee of that match, Péricles Bassols, admitted his mistakes when refereeing the game.[64] In2013 season, the club had been relegated for the second time in their history toCampeonato Brasileiro Série B, which was secured with a 5–1 defeat toAtletico Paranaense on the final matchday.[65] After one season in theSérie B during 2014, Vasco gained promotion and in May 2015 won theCampeonato Carioca after a 12-year hiatus. However, they were relegated again in the2015 edition, placing eighteenth. In2016, Vasco became back-to-backCampeonato Carioca champions and had a 34-match unbeaten streak, their longest in official games.[66] Once again, they were promoted to first division after one season in second division. However, in the2020 season, they were relegated for the fourth time and then failed to gain promotion during the2021 season, placing tenth.[67]
In 2022, Vasco da Gama adopted theSAF model to manage its football department. Under the presidency of Jorge Salgado, the club sold 70% of its shares to777 Partners, a private investment firm based in Miami.[68] At the end of the season, Vasco da Gama secured promotion to the2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.[69] In November 2023, former club playerPedrinho was elected president of the association. In 2024, Vasco da Gama filed a precautionary legal action before the Rio de Janeiro State Court, alleging reckless management by 777 Partners and a risk of financial collapse of the SAF.[70] The court granted a preliminary injunction suspending the contract and restoring to the club control over 39% of the shares previously held by 777 Partners.[71] In February 2025, Vasco da Gama filed for judicial recovery (recuperação judicial).[72]
The founding crest of CR Vasco da Gama, used since 1899, consists of a caravel in a round coat of arms.[73] In 1903, the first modification occurred, when a black background and the club's initials were added, separated by sixcrosses pattée, encircling the crest.[74] It was only in the 1920s that the crest in its current format was adopted, which has undergone slight modifications over time.[75] The initials are engraved on it, forming the acronym "CRVG", and the caravel, an expression of Portuguese navigation, is represented. The cross, the club's supreme symbol and possessing a strong religious aspect, is stamped on the ship's sails, since theMilitary Order of Christ was both religious and warlike. The components are immersed in a black background, cut by a white diagonal stripe.[76]
Beyond the elements, the colors present in the CR Vasco da Gama crest also have strong meaning: black refers to the unknown seas of theEast; while white represents the route discovered by Portuguese explorerVasco da Gama. In addition, they reflect the idea of communion and equality between ethnicities, a value intensely defended by the club.[77]
The cross currently featured on Vasco's uniforms and crest is called thecross pattée, although it is widely known by fans and the general public as themaltese cross. The explanation for this discrepancy lies in a foreign word used in Brazil – but not in Portugal: inEnglish andFrench, all types of open crosses were erroneously called maltese crosses (orcroix de malte in French).[76] As can be seen in many displayed symbols, the club's original cross is theOrder of Christ Cross. While the current uniform displays the maltese cross, characterized by the absence of intermediate lines, the Order of Christ Cross and similar versions have been widely used throughout history. Even so, Vasco's fans have popularly adopted the name maltese cross to designate the club's symbol, regardless of its historical accuracy.[78]
Vasco da Gama has had several different uniforms throughout its history. The first shirt, used in rowing, was created in 1898 and was predominantly black, with a white diagonal stripe on the left (the reverse of the current shirt) and a cross in the center.[79] The first football kit, created in 1916, was completely black, with a white collar and cuffs.[80]
In 1938, the team used a white shirt with a black diagonal stripe on the right as its away kit for the first time.[81][82] This shirt only returned in 1943 as the home kit, replacing the all-black shirt, along with the black shirt with a white diagonal stripe as the away kit.[81] Over the years, Vasco has alternated its home and away kits between white and black. At least since the 2000s, the club's official statutes describe the black shirt as the home kit, although the club usually uses both variations when playing at home. In a brand manual published by the club in 2024, it was detailed that the home kit includes a black shirt, shorts, and socks, while the away kit has a white shirt, shorts, and socks.[83]
         1916–17[n1 1] |  1918–24[n1 2] |  1933–44[n1 3] |    1938[n1 4] |  1943–53[n1 5] |
Vasco's official anthem was composed in 1918, by Joaquim Barros Ferreira da Silva, and it was the club's first anthem.[85] There is another official anthem, created in the 1930s, called "Meu Pavilhão" (meaningMy Pavilion), whose lyrics were composed by João de Freitas and music by Hernani Correia. This anthem replaced the previous one. The club's most popular anthem, however, is an unofficial anthem composed by Lamartine Babo in 1942.
Since 2017, Vasco has been able to use the word Royal before its name, "Real Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama", through the Royal Decree of the Head of the Portuguese Royal House,Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança, which renewed and conferred the Royal Patronage on Vasco da Gama. The royal title would be granted to the club in 1908, in its first decade of existence, on the occasion of the visit of the KingCarlos I to Brazil, who had already decided to renew and confer the title of "Royal Society", which Vasco had already enjoyed during the period whenLuís I was King of Portugal, but was prevented from doing so by theregicide of February 1, 1908.[86][87][88][89]
Vasco da Gama's stadium isSão Januário, inaugurated in 1927, with a maximum capacity of 35,000 people. For national matches, however, the stadium could only fit at most 21,880 people for security reasons.[2] Occasionally, Vasco uses the 78,000-seaterMaracanã for derbies or international matches.
According to census and polls, Vasco da Gama is the second mostsupported club in Rio de Janeiro state, and varies between the third and fifth most supported club in Brazil, with an estimate of more than 15 million supporters in the country.[90][91][92]Vasco fans are very diverse stretching across social class lines, however the core of most Vasco support lies within the working class of theNorthern Zone of Rio de Janeiro andRio outskirt cities likeNiterói. Vasco da Gama have significant support in other regions in Brazil, notably theNortheastern andNorth regions as well as strongholds insouthern Minas Gerais,Espírito Santo and inSanta Catarina. Vasco also have a huge support inDistrito Federal; a study conducted byTV Globo concluded that Vasco were the second-most supported team in the city, behind Flamengo.[93] As of 29 June 2022, the club has 60,326sócios in its membership program, having its peak in December 2019 with more than 178,000 memberships.[94] In April 2023,CNN carried out a survey that revealed that Vasco is the team with the most fans considered "fanatics" in theSoutheast Region clubs and among theG-12 (Big Twelve), in addition to being the third in the country.[95][96]
Vasco's biggest rivals are the other clubs in Rio de Janeiro:Flamengo,Botafogo andFluminense. However, Vasco also attracts antipathy from fans of several other clubs across the country. According to a survey released byESPN, Vasco is the third most hated club in the country, behind Flamengo andCorinthians, the clubs with the largest number of fans.[97] This is mainly due to the past history of controversial managers and players who passed through the club.[98][99][100]
Vasco's biggest rivalry is againstFlamengo, called theClássico dos Milhões (Derby of the Millions), usually played at theMaracanã and whose name comes from the fact that Flamengo and Vasco have the largest fanbases in the Rio de Janeiro and two of the five largest of Brazil. This rivalry has the highest average attendance in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.[101][102] Vasco holds other strong local rivalry withFluminense andBotafogo. The rivalry with Fluminense is deeply rooted in social and historical contrasts, especially the early-20th-century tensions involving racial and class issues, which helped shape the identities of both clubs. The rivalry with Botafogo, on the other hand, is more centered on football itself, marked by balanced matches, historic finals, and long-standing battles for local prestige.
Vasco's first trophy was the1923 Campeonato Carioca, during the club's debut season in the state's first division, won by a squad in which the majority of players were black and which greatly influenced the fight against racism in Brazilian football. For a large portion of fans, the club's most important honour is not a trophy, but rather theResposta Histórica, a letter sent in 1924 refusing the discriminatory order of the Rio de Janeiro league, which wanted to ban Vasco from its competitions if it did not disaffiliate twelve of its players (all black).[103][104]
Vasco is the first Brazilian team (club or national team) to win an international tournament and the first club in the world to win a continental-level tournament, the1948 South American Championship of Champions. The club was also the first to win an intercontinental tournament contested by two continental champion clubs, the1957 Tournoi de Paris, againstReal Madrid in the final.
In terms of the number of trophies won, Vasco's most successful decade was the 1990s, when the club won two Campeonato Brasileiro titles, four Campeonato Carioca, one Torneio Rio–São Paulo, one Copa Libertadores and one Copa Mercosul.[105]
| Intercontinental | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Tournoi de Paris | 1 | 1957[106] |
| Continental | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Copa Libertadores | 1 | 1998 |
| South American Championship of Champions | 1 | 1948[107] |
| Copa Mercosur | 1s | 2000 |
| National | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | 4 | 1974,1989,1997,2000 |
| Copa do Brasil | 1 | 2011 |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série B | 1 | 2009 |
| Inter-state | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Torneio Rio–São Paulo | 3 | 1958, 1966, 1999 |
| Torneio João Havelange | 1 | 1993[108][109] |
| State | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Carioca | 24 | 1923,1924,1929,1934,1936,1945,1947,1949,1950,1952,1956,1958,1970,1977,1982,1987,1988,1992,1993,1994,1998,2003,2015,2016 |
| Copa Rio | 2 | 1992, 1993 |
Key:
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série B | |
 | Promoted |
 | Relegated |
|
South American Championship /Copa Libertadores
Tournoi de Paris /Intercontinental Cup /FIFA Club World Cup
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
The following players have previously made appearances or have appeared on the substitutes bench for the first team.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.
|
|
Source:[115]
| Rank | Player | Years | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Roberto Dinamite | 1971–1993 | 1110 |
| 2. | Carlos Germano | 1990–2004 | 632 |
| 3. | Sabará | 1952–1964 | 576 |
| 4. | Mazarópi | 1974–1983 | 477 |
| 5. | Alcir Portella | 1964–1975 | 468 |
| 6. | Pinga | 1953–1961 | 461 |
| 7. | Acácio | 1982–1991 | 459 |
| 8. | Moacir Barbosa | 1945–1961 | 451 |
| 9. | Coronel | 1955–1963 | 449 |
| 10. | Paulinho de Almeida | 1954–1965 | 436 |
| Rank | Player | Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Roberto Dinamite | 1971–79, 1980–89, 1991–93 | 702 |
| 2. | Romário | 1985–88, 2000–02, 2005–06, 2007–08 | 326 |
| 3. | Ademir Menezes | 1942–45, 1948–56 | 301 |
| 4. | Pinga | 1953–61 | 250 |
| 5. | Russinho | 1924–34 | 225 |
| 6. | Ipojucan | 1944–54 | 225 |
| 7. | Vavá | 1952–58 | 191 |
| 8. | Sabará | 1952–64 | 165 |
| 9. | Lelé | 1943–48 | 147 |
| 10. | Valdir Bigode | 1992–94, 2002–04 | 143 |
| 11. | Edmundo | 1992, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2003, 2008 | 138 |
Although best known as a football, rowing and swimming club, Vasco da Gama is actually a comprehensive sports club. Its basketball section,CR Vasco da Gama Basquete (three timesBrazilian Champion and four timesSouth-American Champion) produced formerNBA playerNenê. The club is also the first Brazilian club to play against an NBA team, againstSan Antonio Spurs, in 1999, in theMcDonald's Championship final. Its rowing team is one of the best of Brazil and of the continent, which swimmers regularly represent Brazil in international competitions. Vasco da Gama also has a four-times National Championwomen's soccer team as well. Vasco's beach soccer team is one of the best in the world, being once World Champion, three timesSouth-American Champion and many times National Champion. In addition to these, Vasco has many other sports with World, South American and Brazilian titles.
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