Supporters of Santos FC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Santos FC is a football club based in Santos,[1] that competes in the Campeonato Paulista, [2] São Paulo's state league, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão,[3] Brazil's national league. The club was founded in 1912 by the initiative of three sports enthusiasts from Santos by the names of Raimundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos, and Argemiro de Souza Júnior, and played its first friendly match on June 23, 1914.[4] Initially Santos played against other local clubs in the city and state championships, but in 1959 the club became one of the founding members of the Taça Brasil, Brazil's first truly national league.[5] Up until 2023, Santos was one of only five clubs never to have been relegated from the top level of Brazilian football, the others being São Paulo, Flamengo, Internacional and Cruzeiro. [6]
The supporters of Santos have played an important part in the formation of the club's cultural association with Joga Bonito (English: The Beautiful Game) in football culture during the club's 99-year existence, numbering at 18,491 in 2009.[7] Os Santásticos, considered by some the best club team of all times,[8] won a total of 22 titles during that decade, including two Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious laurel in South American football.
The core strength of Santos's global brand is often attributed to Lula's success in leading Os Santasticos, which drew worldwide acclaim.[9][10] This attention often generates greater interest in on-the-field activities as well as off-the-field, with the popularity of the club and brand spanning five continents across the globe. Santos is one of Brazil's most economically powerful clubs. It is one of Brazil's richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of US$45.1m (€31.5m), and one of the most valuable clubs, worth over $86.7m (€60.6m) in 2011.[11] That same year, Santos' squad became the most valued in South America, being worth over €82m. The flamboyant, attacking style of play adopted by this team (in contrast to the physical-minded approach favoured by European, Uruguayan and Argentinian teams of the era) was a constant, world-wide exhibition that saw Santos travel in over 50 countries at every continent (except Antarctica).[12] The club's focus on commercial and sporting success brought significant profits in an industry often characterised by chronic losses.[13] The strength of the Santos' brand was bolstered by its FIFA World Cup winners, especially Pelé.[14]