Santos Football Club - Long live the Passion of Football

The Santos Futebol Clube, commonly known simply as Santos, is a Brazilian club founded on April 14, 1912, headquartered in the eponymous city. Initially, its colors were to be white, blue, and gold, but a year after its foundation, it was decided that the club's colors would become black and white. The club plays its matches at the Estádio Urbano Caldeira, better known as Vila Belmiro. Its biggest rivals in football are Palmeiras, with whom it contests the Clássico da Saudade; Corinthians, with whom it contests the Clássico Alvinegro; and São Paulo, with whom it contests the San-São; it also competes with Portuguesa Santista in the Clássico das Praias, although to a lesser degree of rivalry.

Santos has become one of the most successful clubs in Brazilian football and is recognized worldwide. It became famous in the 1960s for winning several international and national titles and for having revealed Pelé, considered by many to be the greatest player in the history of the sport, and according to FIFA, the best player of the 20th century. Furthermore, the King also holds the record for being the top scorer in Santos' history and the second top scorer for the Brazilian national team. Ahead of Pelé, with over 70 goals for the national team in official matches, is Neymar, another player also revealed by the club.

Throughout its history, Santos has won a large number of international titles, notably the World Cups in 1962 and 1963, the Copa Libertadores in 1962, 1963, and 2011 (Brazilian record alongside Flamengo, Grêmio, Palmeiras, and São Paulo), the Recopa Intercontinental in 1968, the Copa CONMEBOL in 1998, and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2012. Nationally, it is an eight-time Brazilian champion: 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002, and 2004. Also on the national level, the club has a Copa do Brasil title won in 2010, totaling nine national achievements. Other important titles include five Rio-São Paulo Tournaments (record holder alongside Corinthians and Palmeiras), 22 São Paulo Championships, and the 2004 Copa Paulista. In total, considering official titles of both international and national scope, the club has 18 achievements. Altogether, counting official competitions, friendlies, and other trophies, the club has 305 titles. Together with Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, and Internacional, the Peixe was one of the only teams to win the Brazilian Championship undefeated, in 1963, 1964, and 1965.([)(needs sources)(])

In 2000, Santos was ranked by FIFA as the fifth greatest football club of the 20th century, being the best club in the Americas on the list, and also received in the year of its centenary at the Chamber of Deputies in Brasília from FIFA the title of "greatest South American club of the 20th century." In addition to being the Brazilian club that has faced the most foreign teams in history, Santos is also the only Brazilian club to be state, national, continental, and world champion in the same year, in 1962. Another unique feat of the club is being the one that has scored the most goals in the history of world football, having been the first to reach the mark of 12,000 goals.

History

Santos Futebol Clube was founded on April 14, 1912, by the initiative of three athletes from the city, Francisco Raymundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos, and Argemiro de Souza Júnior, who called a meeting at the headquarters of the Clube Concórdia to create a football team. During the meeting, there was a question about the name that would be given to this club, several suggestions appeared such as Brasil Atlético, Euterpe, and Concórdia, but the participants of the meeting unanimously decided on the proposal of Edmundo Jorge de Araújo: the name Santos Foot-Ball Club.

The first board of directors consisted of:

President – Sizino Patusca
Vice-president – George Cox
Secretaries – José Martins and Raul Dantas
Treasurers – Leonel Silva and Dario Frota
Directors – Augusto Bulle, João Carlos de Mello, Henrique Cross, Francisco Raymundo Marques, Cícero da Silva, and Jomas de Pacheco.

The initial colors of Santos FC were white, blue, and gold, but as it was difficult at the time to make a uniform in those colors, it was decided on March 31, 1913, that the club would become black and white.

The team's first appearance considered as a practice match occurred on June 23, 1912, at the Vila Macuco field, against a local team called Thereza Team, the clash was won by Santos by a score of 2 to 1, with goals from Anacleto Ferramenta and Geraule Ribeiro. The team took the field with the following lineup: Julien Fauvel (French goalkeeper); Simon and Ari; Bandeira, Ambrósio, and Oscar; Bulle, Geraule, Esteves, Fontes, and Anacleto Ferramenta. The first match considered official took place only on September 15, 1912, Santos FC won against Santos Athletic Club (a team formed by Englishmen) by 3 to 2, at the field on Avenida Ana Costa, where today is the Church of Coração de Maria. The first goal of the match was scored by Arnaldo Silveira, the goal is considered the first in the club's history, the other two goals were scored by Arnaldo himself and by Adolpho Millon Júnior.

In early 1913, Santos received an invitation from the Paulista Football League to compete in the state championship that year, this was the first official competition played by the club. The debut took place on June 1, against Germânia, still inexperienced, the Santos team was defeated 8 to 1. Due to the high cost of travel at the time, Santos withdrew from the championship, the only victory of the team was against rival Corinthians (who were also making their debut) by the score of 6 to 3. After withdrawing from the state competition, Santos would win its first title in history, the Santista Championship of 1913 undefeated.

In 1915, Santos returned to compete in the Santista Championship, winning the second title although it used the name União FC, due to APEA (the league to which it remained affiliated) not allowing it to participate under its official name. In 1916, the Alvinegro would return to the Paulista Championship, the state competition that year was marked in the club's history because it was where the Vila Belmiro stadium was inaugurated.

Santos was the runner-up in the Paulista Championship editions of 1927, 1928, and 1929, always having as highlights the attacking line that included Araken Patusca and Feitiço, great footballers of the time. In 1927, Santos reached the mark of 100 goals in the state championship, with the attacking line formed by Siriri, Camarão, Feitiço, Araken, and Evangelista.

The first Paulista title came in 1935, after Santos defeated Corinthians 2-0 at Parque São Jorge. The Santos lineup for the match was: Cyro, Neves, and Agostinho; Ferreira, Marteletti, and Jango; Saci, Mário Pereira, Raul Cabral Guedes, Araken Patusca, and Junqueirinha. Raul Cabral Guedes and Araken Patusca were the authors of the goals in the match.

After 20 years of the first Paulista title, Santos returned to be state champion only in 1955. The title match was against Taubaté, with Santos winning 2 to 1, under the command of the successful coach Luís Alonso Pérez, who also ended the competition with the Santos striker Emmanuele Del Vecchio as top scorer, with 23 goals.

In the following year, the club welcomed the 15-year-old boy Pelé, brought in by Waldemar de Brito, who would later become the greatest idol in the club's history. Pelé's first official title with Santos came in 1958, when the club won its fourth Paulista Championship, marking the beginning of the number 10's history with the coastal club. Alongside Pepe, Coutinho, and Dorval, Pelé formed a powerful attack at Santos, highlighted by the two victories in the Intercontinental Cup and the Copa Libertadores, won in 1962 and 1963, and also the five consecutive Taças Brasil won from 1961 to 1965, the 1960s are considered the most successful decade for Santos, with a total of 23 official titles won during that time. In the same decade, in 1969, Santos gained fame for being the team that stopped the war, an event that occurred thanks to a club tour on the African continent, where the team halted conflicts between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the Biafra War in Nigeria, so that people could see Santos play.

After Pelé left Santos in 1974 to play for the New York Cosmos in the United States, Santos would form a team in 1978 that was called the "Meninos da Vila," due to the youth of the team's athletes, with highlights including Juary, Pita, Aílton Lira, and João Paulo, who became the Paulista champions of 1978.

Santos reached the final of the 1983 Brazilian Championship but was surpassed by Flamengo led by Zico. A year later, in 1984, Santos became Paulista champions with top scorer Serginho Chulapa as the highlight. Santos would only return to perform well again in 1995, when they reached the final of that year's Brazilian Championship, but in a very controversial final against Botafogo, Giovanni's team and company were surpassed, leaving them as vice-champions. Two years later, in 1997, the Alvinegro would win its fifth Rio-São Paulo Tournament. The following year, in 1998, came the international conquest of the Copa Conmebol.

In 2002, the year the club turned 90 years old, Santos won the Brazilian Championship in a knockout system, defeating Corinthians in both games of the final, marking the club's seventh national title. The champion team was primarily formed by players revealed by the club, with highlights being the duo Diego and Robinho, and the coach responsible for the title was Emerson Leão. In the following year, with the core maintained, Peixe reached the vice-championships of the Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship.

In 2004, still with idols Robinho, Elano, and Léo, and having the experienced coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo on the bench, Santos returned to be Brazilian champions, this time in a points-based format.

In 2006 and 2007, they won back-to-back Paulista titles. The first was lifted at Vila Belmiro, with a 2-0 victory against Portuguesa. In the following year, the trophy was raised after a 180-minute decision against São Caetano, with both matches taking place at Morumbi, with the first game ending 2-0 for the opponents, and in the second, the Alvinegro returned the score and took the title for having had a better campaign in the competition.

In 2009, the generation of Neymar and Ganso began to appear, who that season finished as vice-champions of the Paulista Championship. In 2010, led by Dorival Júnior, with Robinho's notable return and the presence of Arouca, Wesley, and a devastating attack led by Ganso, Neymar, Robinho, and André, the team won the Paulista Championship and the club's first Copa do Brasil, with overwhelming football and consecutive victories, this would become known as the third generation of Meninos da Vila.

After 48 years, Santos returned to be champions of the Libertadores, this time in 2011 after overcoming Peñarol from Uruguay in the final, thus achieving the club's third continental championship. Before this conquest, Santos would also become Paulista champions. With the conquest of America, Santos earned the right to compete in the Club World Cup in Japan; however, the team could not hold off the historic Barcelona team in the final and finished as runners-up. In 2012, the club secured its twentieth Paulista Championship and the first Recopa Sudamericana. After two vice-championships in 2013 and 2014, the Alvinegro reached another final in the state championship, the seventh consecutive, and won the Paulista Championship of 2015 after overcoming Palmeiras in penalties, the year 2015 ended with the vice-championship of the Copa do Brasil and seventh place in the Brazilian Championship. In 2016, Santos reached its 22nd Paulista title after reaching its eighth consecutive final in the championship. In the Brazilian Championship, they finished as runners-up, the club's best placement since the 2007 edition.

After an irregular campaign in the 2023 Brazilian Championship, Santos finished in 17th place and was relegated to Serie B for the first time in its history. The match that culminated in the fall occurred on December 6, at Vila Belmiro, where Peixe lost 2-1 to Fortaleza.

Structure and Assets

Vila Belmiro Stadium

Before having its own field, Santos played its matches in three different locations: Campo da Avenida Ana Costa, Campo da Avenida Conselheiro Nébias, and the Campo do Clubes dos Ingleses. Training was carried out in a distinct field, located in the Macuco neighborhood. In 1915, the directors began to search for land in the city. On May 31, 1916, a general assembly approved the purchase of an area of 16,650 square meters in the Vila Belmiro neighborhood, approved by the club president, Agnello Cícero de Oliveira. The purchase of the land was made on June 16, 1916.

The construction of Estádio Urbano Caldeira, Vila Belmiro, was completed in 1916 and its inauguration occurred on October 12 of the same year, but the first match was only held 10 days later, on October 22, 1916, valid for the Paulista Championship. The debut match was between Santos and Ypiranga, where Santos won 2-1, with the first goal of the match and the history of the stadium scored by Adolpho Millon Júnior from the Santos team.

The first lighting system was debuted on March 21, 1931, at eight o'clock in the evening, in a friendly match between Santos FC and a football selection that the city of Santos had at the time. The friendly ended in a 1-1 draw, with a goal by Manoel Cruz for the Santista Selection and Camarão for Santos FC.

In 1933, with the death of Urbano Caldeira, who had been a player, coach, and director of the club, the stadium was officially named Estádio Urbano Caldeira in his honor.

The record attendance at the stadium was on September 20, 1964, in a classic against Corinthians, with 32,986 people present to watch the game. However, this day almost ended tragically; about 10 minutes after the referee's whistle, one of the stadium's bleachers collapsed, injuring 181 people. The match was interrupted for the victims' assistance and was rescheduled for 10 days later at the Pacaembu Stadium, where it ended in a 1-1 draw.

Shortly after the end of the 1996 Paulista Championship, the club's board decided that the Vila Belmiro pitch would undergo extensive renovation. A modern drainage and irrigation system controlled by computer was installed, providing perfect playing conditions in any weather. The inauguration occurred on March 27, 1997, when Santos defeated Internacional in a match valid for the Copa do Brasil. Simultaneously with the pitch renovation, the completion of the bleacher ring behind the goal was constructed, increasing capacity by 4,000 seats. The official capacity of the stadium is 21,732 seats; however, currently, the stadium can accommodate 16,068 people.

On January 27, 1999, Santos took another step to provide a more modern stadium for its fans. On this day, moments before a classic against Palmeiras, a new lighting system was inaugurated, making the stadium one of the best-lit sports venues in Brazil.

In the 2014 World Cup, the stadium hosted the surprise of the Cup, Costa Rica, which trained and prepared entirely at Vila Belmiro. The "Ticos" (as Costa Ricans are called) had their best campaign in history, reaching the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by the Netherlands on penalties.

Santos carried out renovations at Vila Belmiro between 2015 and 2016, with the novelty being the standardization of the field's dimensions, changing from 106 x 70 to 105 x 68, the same dimensions used in World Cup stadiums. Concurrently, there is a desire to have a new, more modern stadium so that Vila Belmiro receives only a few games.

On October 8, 2016, to celebrate the centenary of the stadium, Santos played a friendly against Benfica. Idols Giovanni and Léo were honored and entered during the friendly; the lateral Léo not only played with the Santos shirt but also wore the Benfica shirt, and the friendly ended in a 1-1 draw, with goals from Fabián Noguera for the Alvinegro and Salvio for the benfiquistas. After the final whistle, players received a medal in commemoration of the match, and Vila Belmiro was covered with fireworks.

Memorial of Achievements

On November 17, 2003, one day after completing 40 years since winning the Intercontinental Cup in 1963, the Memorial of Achievements was inaugurated at the stadium. This space contains the trophies won by Santos throughout its history, among the most notable in the memorial are the 9 trophies won in international competitions of an official nature by the club, in addition to photos, videos, tickets, magazines, books, pennants from opposing teams that Santos faced, and also some memorabilia sent by clubs abroad or sports stars, such as the jersey of NBA's all-time scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who visited the club's structure in 2012. The museum visit also includes the players' locker rooms, press room, and field entrance.

In the Memorial, there are some unique spaces, such as those for Pelé and Neymar, where there are personal collections of both Santos idols. The museum also features various multimedia equipment, such as TVs, allowing the viewing of historic matches.

Training Centers

CT Rei Pelé

The Rei Pelé Training Center was inaugurated on October 1, 2005, with the aim of providing all the necessary structure for athletes and the coaching staff to carry out physical work. Located in the Jabaquara neighborhood in Santos, the CT is considered one of the best in Brazil. The idea of building a dedicated training ground for the club emerged in the mid-1990s, during Marcelo Teixeira's first term as president of Santos. In 1992, the club had managed to take possession of a plot of land located near the Santa Casa de Santos. After that, construction began on what would be the first training center of the Alvinegro team. The name of the place is a clear homage to the greatest Santos idol: Pelé.

In the complex, which covers about 40,000 square meters, there is a hotel called Recanto dos Alvinegros, which has 28 rooms (all with television, internet, air conditioning, and minibar), restaurant, game room, kitchen, reception, and an auditorium for use in lectures and meetings with athletes. With three football fields, the CT hosts friendly matches and official games for amateur teams, youth category championships, club youth championships, and matches of Santos' women's team. The CT also has the Peirão de Castro press room, where journalists can access training, and players and coaching staff hold press conferences.

The Rei Pelé CT was the training location for Mexico during the 2014 World Cup.

CEPRAF

Located within the Rei Pelé Training Center is CEPRAF (Center of Excellence in Prevention and Recovery of Football Athletes), which treats injuries and recovery of the club's athletes.

CT Meninos da Vila

Santos Futebol Clube has always had as one of the pillars of its trajectory the work developed in the youth categories. To continue the process of revealing new talents, the Alvinegro Praiano built the Meninos da Vila Training Center. Intended for the club's youth categories, the CT was inaugurated on August 7, 2006.

Located at Av. Martins Fontes, No. 1,277, in the Saboó neighborhood in Santos, the space honors the Meninos da Vila (the term used for players revealed in the Vila Belmiro team). It has two fields, covering an area of 25,500 square meters, as well as locker rooms and administrative sectors to enhance the work developed on-site.

To personalize the homage made to the Meninos da Vila, the club named Field 1 after Robinho and Field 2 after midfielder Diego, who were great idols of the Santos fans during the 2002 Brazilian Championship.

In October 2016, as part of the celebrations for the centenary of Vila Belmiro, Santos inaugurated the "Casa Meninos da Vila," a five-room property that will house athletes from the under-20 team. The accommodation is located on Rua Tiradentes, near Vila Belmiro.

Chácara Nicolau Moran

Chácara Nicolau Moran was the former concentration site of Santos Futebol Clube. Located at kilometer 34 on the north lane of Via Anchieta, in São Bernardo do Campo, the chácara was founded on September 14, 1968, and had football fields, industrial kitchen, lounge, ample rest and leisure space, accommodations, and a chapel. With an area of 60,000 square meters, the chácara was named in honor of former director and former Santos midfielder Nicolau Moran Villar.

In the early 1990s, Santos stopped concentrating at the chácara, and the place was abandoned, being ceded on loan to São Bernardo in 2009.

Market Value

In a report published in 2017 by the consulting firm BDO, Santos was shown to be the ninth most valuable brand in Brazilian football, with a value of R$ 402.8 million, with most of Peixe's revenues coming from television rights; in 2016, the Alvinegro increased revenues from television rights by 73%, an increase of R$ 63 million. On social media, in a survey conducted in July 2021 by Ibope Repucom, Santos ranks as the fifth Brazilian club with the most followers, with 9,539,284 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok combined.

Symbols

History

The first shirt followed the standard of the club's official colors at the time, it was white with blue stripes and had fine golden trimmings; this uniform was used in the three first and only presentations of what was then known as Santos Foot-Ball Club in 1912. However, on March 31, 1913, due to the difficulty of making a shirt in those colors, member Paulo Peluccio suggested that the team switch to a different uniform with a black-and-white striped shirt and white shorts.

In 1915, Santos had to temporarily change its name to compete in the Santista Championship due to APEA (the league it was affiliated to) not allowing it to use its official name, thus the club adopted the name União Foot-Ball Club. The team became Santista champions while wearing a white uniform, with a diamond-shaped crest on the chest bearing the name "União FC" on a white diagonal stripe against a black background.

In 1925, the team used a uniform that was entirely white with a black stripe at the waist, resembling a belt; this model was worn in the 1925 Paulista Championship and featured a crest quite similar to the one currently used by the club.

In the mid-30s, Santos wore perhaps the most unusual uniform in its history, with white shorts and a reddish shirt; this uniform was only used in a few matches. The uniform worn in the conquest of the Paulista Championship of 1935 was entirely white, except for the socks which had black details.

In the early 1940s, Santos wore a shirt with wide horizontal black and white stripes, and the shield used was different from the traditional one, with the acronym SFC interlaced and written in black on a white background.

The uniform used in the 1960s,([)(needs sources)(]) considered the club's most victorious decade, was entirely white, except for the waistband which had a black elastic, and the collar on the shirt was "V." The shield was large and located on the left side of the chest. In 1963, Santos decided to innovate the uniform, but the new model did not please many fans who preferred the plain white shirt; that year, to compete in the Brazilian Championship, the team wore a white shirt with thin black stripes, and the shorts and socks remained white; using this uniform in games, Santos would win its third national title. In 1968, Santos added two stars above the shield on the shirt, representing the world titles of 1962 and 1963, and there are records of a third star on the shirt after winning the Intercontinental Recopa in 1968.

From the 1970s onwards, the white (number 1) and striped (number 2) uniforms underwent only two major modifications. The first occurred in the 1980s when sponsors began to appear on club shirts, and the second in the 1990s when Santos even wore shorts with checkered and star patterns to differentiate itself from rival Corinthians.

In 2008, Santos launched a third uniform in navy blue, recalling the colors of its foundation, but it was little used. In the year of the club's centenary, in 2012, a third turquoise uniform was launched, referencing the city's colonial and port heritage, and the colors of the Itororó fountain located on Monte Serrat, one of the city's tourist attractions.

To honor the Brazilian National Team, in the year the World Cup was hosted in the country, in 2014, Nike launched yellow uniforms for five national clubs, including Santos. The shirt adopted as the third uniform had yellow, black, and white colors.

In 2018, Santos returned to wear Umbro's uniform, launching a blue one with red and white details to honor England; this uniform is part of the Nations 2018 series, which also had other versions in other Brazilian clubs provided by Umbro. In 2020, Santos returned to have a blue uniform as the third standard, a color that refers to the club's origins and is somewhat similar to the color of the uniform released in 2012; in addition to the color, Santos changed the shield in reference to the one used between 1942 to 1944 with the intertwined letters SFC on a white background.

Shield

The initial colors of Santos were blue, white, and gold. These colors were adopted by the club's organization in its first year of existence, in 1912.

In 1913, Santos became black and white, and then the first shield was created. It was composed of a globe with latitude parallels from an equatorial line and longitude meridians, the continents were yellow and the oceans blue, having at the center of the globe a shield with nine vertical stripes alternating in black and white, with a football in the center, inscribed with the acronym SFBC (Santos Foot-Ball Club), and above the shield, there was a crown. Despite all this elaboration, the shield was never used on the shirt, only at the club's social headquarters.

In 1915, the club adopted the pseudonym União FC to compete in the Santista Championship. With this, the club had to temporarily change its shield, using one that was predominantly black, with the name União FC written inside a white stripe.

The current shield emerged in 1925 and was implanted on uniforms in 1927. It is classified in heraldry as a Polish or Russian shield: a shield with a rounded tip, with symmetrical rounded cutouts on the sides and generally also at the top; The eleven stripes in black and white symbolize the players, and the stars above the shield were added in 1968 to represent the two world titles won in 1962 and 1963.

In 1942, Santos adopted a shield in which the letters SFC were written in black and interlaced on a white background, but this shield was only used for 2 years, returning to the traditional one in 1944.

On November 27, 2022, the club added a crown in honor of Pelé, with the honor positioned above the emblem, between the two stars referring to the world titles of 1962 and 1963. The honor was proposed in the new statute, which was approved in November. Article 103 of the text states that "Santos will start using in professional, amateur, and futsal football matches, both in the male and female categories, on all its shirts, a crown over the existing stars of the world titles, as a permanent tribute to Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the King Pelé."

Flag

Based on the phrase: “The white of peace and the black of nobility,” the first flags in Santos' history were created. In a general assembly held on March 31, 1913, the first flag was created, and white and black were defined as the club's colors, as suggested by Paulo Peluccio, one of Santos' members at the time.

By suggestion of Raymundo Marques, one of the founders of Santos, the first flag had a black diagonal stripe from left to right with the club's initials in white letters.

Years later, a triangular flag in the shape of a pennant was created, which had a white background with two black stripes, one horizontal at the center and the other vertical in the first third, with the shield at the confluence of the two stripes. Other flags were created, but all followed the same standard and model.

Mascot

According to the Social Statute approved in 2011, the official mascot of Santos is the whale. Over the years, the Santos mascot has undergone various modifications and there were even suggestions to adopt other symbols, such as the sailor, for example. According to the latest surveys, the first time the Santos team was identified by a mascot was in 1921 represented by a fish. The São Paulo newspaper Ítalo Paulista, IL Pasquino Coloniale, referred to Santos with the symbol in a cartoon, where a representative of Palestra Itália by the seaside admired a fish, representing the Santos team. Years later, a Portuguese named João Brito (João do Charuto) began illustrating the Fish to refer to Santos in the pages of A Gazeta Esportiva in the 1930s. In 1943, the same Brito suggested a sailor (Garboso) to be the Santos symbol, in the magazine A Gazeta Esportiva Ilustrada. In 1944, the symbol gained great popularity with the amusing cartoons of Gazeta Esportiva by artist Nino Borges. The whale is said to have been invented in the 1950s by cartoonist Messias de Mello from the newspaper A Gazeta Esportiva. The idea was to replace the previous symbol, the fish, with another stronger and more imposing marine animal. In the city of Santos, cartoonist JC Lobo was responsible for publicizing the whale in the newspaper A Tribuna. In 1955, the artist known as Pace suggested a fisherman, while Otávio in 1962 suggested a fish vendor, and finally, Ziraldo bet on the dolphin in 1989. Fish, whale, sailor, fish vendor, fisherman, and dolphin, Santos has always had a strong identification with its coastal city, and even with most of these symbols or mascots not being official club ones, newspapers and cartoonists always thought of something related to the sea to identify the Santos team.

In August 2006, the club created the duo Baleinha and Baleião, to entertain the fans before the beginning of the matches and during the intervals of Santos games.

Anthem

There is great controversy regarding the official anthem of Santos Futebol Clube. In the first decades of existence, Santistas adopted as the club's anthem a parody of a song that English soldiers sang during World War I. The situation changed when Mangeri Neto and Mangeri Sobrinho decided to honor Santos by creating the march "Leão do Mar" when the club was the Paulista champion in 1955.

Amid the success of the march "Leão do Mar," Carlos Henrique Paganetto Roma (son of former president Modesto Roma) created in July 1957 the song "Sou alvinegro da Vila Belmiro," which would become the official anthem of Santos. However, the club's Deliberative Council only officially recognized it in 1996, thanks to a proposal from councilor Júlio Teixeira Nunes.

Fans

In a survey conducted by Pluri Consultoria and published in March 2022, Santos is indicated as the sixth largest fan base in Brazil, with 6,831,662 fans, representing 3.18% nationally. This survey conducted by Pluri has a different method than others, being a sort of "real-time," where numbers are updated daily.

In another survey conducted by Stochos Sports, it shows that from 2010 to 2012, Santos increased its number of fans by about 20%, also indicating that the Santista fans surpassed the Palmeiras fans in the interior of São Paulo with 14.2% against 11%, while in the capital, Palmeiras still has an advantage of 13.5% to 7.4%. According to the Enfoque Comunicação/Boqnews survey, in the Baixada Santista region, more than a third of people support Santos; the survey shows that between 2010 and 2014, the Santista fan base increased from 30.8% to 36.4% in the region, leading ahead of Corinthians fans (23.8%), São Paulo fans (10.7%), and Palmeiras fans (9.6%). In the city of Santos, in a survey also conducted by Enfoque/Boqnews, Santos FC accounts for 53.1% of fans in the municipality; the survey was conducted at the end of October 2020 with 806 people over 16 years old interviewed, with a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points more or less; below are Corinthians with 16.9%, Palmeiras with 7.4%, and São Paulo with 6.9%, while those who do not support or do not know correspond to 10.2%.

In addition to São Paulo, Santos also has a strong presence of fans in the states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. In a partnership between Globoesporte.com and Facebook, it showed that Santos is the second most liked club in the paranaense cities of Nova Aurora and Jardim Alegre (in both, only behind Corinthians); still in Paraná, Santos is third in cities like Sarandi, Ubiratã, Alto Piquiri, Cândido de Abreu, Ivaiporã, Querência do Norte, Andirá, and Siqueira Campos. The club also ranks third in the sul-mato-grossense cities of Cassilândia, Batayporã, and Itaporã.

Santos had the second-largest fan base in Brazil in the 1960s. With a great football team led by Pelé, the club filled stadiums across Brazil, with the largest attendance being the final of the Intercontinental Cup in 1963 at Maracanã against Milan, where 132,728 people witnessed Santos' victory by 4-2. Santos is the São Paulo club with the highest average attendance in a Brazilian Championship edition, averaging 49,306 paying spectators per game in the 1983 championship.

Regarding member fans, Santos has a program called Sócio Rei, which has about 30,500 members; the club has members in all states of Brazil. In Timemania, Santos is ranked fourth among the clubs most bet on in the lottery with a percentage of 3.3%.

Organized Fans

Current organized fans legalized by the Paulista Football Federation.

Torcida Jovem do Santos
Torcida Jovem New York
Sangue Jovem do Santos
Força Jovem do Santos
A-10 Brigada Santista
Torcida Garra Santista
Torcida Meninos da Vila
Torcida Santos, Sempre Santos
Torcida Tatu Santista
Torcida Tsunami Santista
Movimento de Arquibancada Punk Santista
Torcida Organizada Camisa 10

Rivalries

Although Santos is not a club based in the capital, it has as its main rivals the trio of iron clubs from São Paulo formed by Palmeiras, Corinthians, and São Paulo. In the city of Santos, the club maintains a friendly relationship with Portuguesa Santista. In the 1950s and 1960s, the club held great matches against Botafogo, a rivalry that gained notoriety due to the presence of Pelé and Garrincha, as well as other players who were part of the Brazilian national team’s two-time world championship in 1958 and 1962.

Clássico Alvinegro

The Clássico Alvinegro is the clash against Corinthians and receives this name in reference to the colors of both clubs. The match between Santos and Corinthians is considered one of the oldest classics in Brazilian football. The first game between the two teams took place on June 22, 1913, at the Parque Antarctica field, ending with a score of 6-3 in favor of Santos. In decisive final matches, the two faced each other six times in the Paulista Championship, with Santos winning three of them; in 1935, Santos would win its first Paulista title against Corinthians, the two teams also faced each other in the final of the 2002 Brazilian Championship, where Santos were crowned champions. In the Libertadores, the two clubs met in the semifinals in 2012 where Corinthians advanced to the tournament decision.

The most striking fact of this rivalry are the "great taboos," long periods in which one club remained without defeating the other. Corinthians went 11 years without beating Santos in Paulista Championships (1957 to 1968), while Santos went 7 years without winning against their rival, considering the overall confrontation. Another peculiarity is the fact that Corinthians is the club that has suffered the most goals from Pelé, with 50 goals scored by the former Santos number 10 against the Alvinegro from Parque São Jorge.

Clássico da Saudade

Clássico da Saudade is the confrontation between Santos and Palmeiras in São Paulo football. It receives this name, in reference to the two biggest teams in São Paulo football during the peak of Brazilian artistic football in the 1960s, when Palmeiras had Ademir da Guia and Santos had Pelé. The first match took place on August 3, 1915, at the Velódromo de São Paulo, with Santos defeating Palmeiras, which was still named Palestra Itália, by a score of 7-0. On March 6, 1958, Santos and Palmeiras played at Pacaembu what was dubbed the most exciting game in history, the first half ended 5-2 for Santos, in the second half, Palmeiras managed to turn the score to 6-5, but in the final minutes, Santos won the match 7-6, with two goals from Pepe.

The two clubs have faced each other five times in championship finals, three of them in the Paulista Championship, with Palmeiras winning in 1927 and 1959, and Santos in 2015; one in the Copa do Brasil in 2015, and another in the Libertadores in 2020, where Palmeiras emerged victorious in both.

San-São

The classic against São Paulo is called San-São; it was nicknamed in 1956 by Tomás Mazzoni, a journalist from A Gazeta Esportiva. The first match between the two teams occurred on May 11 at Vila Belmiro, valid for the 1930 Paulista Championship, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw. The two teams played in 1933, the first professional football match in the country. It was in this match that the nickname of Santos, "fish," was mentioned for the first time. This was a provocation before the match's start from the tricolor fans with the Santos players, calling them "fish vendors" in a pejorative way; the Santos fans retorted saying, "We are fish vendors, and with great honor!" From then on, the nickname was adopted by the Santos club, and the mascot, the Whale, was created.

In championship finals, the two have faced each other six times, with four victories for the Alvinegro (Paulistas in 1956, 1967, 1969, and 1978) and two for the Tricolor (Paulistas in 1980 and 2000). While in knockout matches, Santos emerged victorious in seven confrontations (2002 Brazilian, 2004 Sudamericana, 2015 Copa do Brasil, and 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015 Paulistas), while São Paulo triumphed on four occasions (1981 and 1990 Brasileiros, 1992 Supercopa Libertadores, and 1983 Paulista). A notable fact between the two clubs is the tradition of having idol players on both sides, such as Serginho Chulapa, the all-time top scorer for São Paulo and a great Santos idol.

International Classics

Santos vs. Independiente

The rivalry against Argentines began in the 1964 Libertadores semifinals, where Santos was fighting for its third consecutive title against Independiente. In a true war on the field, marked by hard fouls and controversial refereeing, the Argentine team achieved a historic feat by eliminating the current two-time world champion at the Maracanã with a score of 3-2 in the return leg; in the first leg, the Argentines also had the upper hand with a score of 2-1.([)(needs sources)(])

In June 2014, Argentine TV brought to light phone recordings between Abel Gnecco, the Argentine representative on the refereeing committee of Conmebol, and the former president of AFA, Julio Grondona, who died in 2014. In the phone calls, Grondona implies that he conspired with the refereeing of the semifinal between Santos and Independiente in that year's Libertadores, so that the Brazilian team, which played both matches without its biggest stars, would not qualify. Julio Grondona says in the audio: "In '64, when we played against Santos, I won the (referee) Leo Horn, who was Dutch, with the two linesmen."

For former Santos players, the recording was a confession from Grondona: "The refereeing was strange in the game we played in Rio... it let Independiente hit at will. In dubious situations, the whistle was against Santos. In counterattacks, the linesmen called nonexistent offsides against Santos, sometimes the referee called a foul to stop our attack. These are not so clear situations of refereeing interference, but there is a loss... So I'm not surprised that the case has been brought up," said former Santos athlete Lima. Decades later, the two teams would become embroiled in another off-field controversy. It all happened in the 2018 Copa Libertadores, where Santos and Independiente were drawn to face each other in the round of 16; the first leg would take place in Avellaneda and the return leg in São Paulo. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw, until a week later, hours before the return match, the alvinegra team was notified by CONMEBOL that it was being awarded the victory to Independiente by 3-0 in the first leg due to Santos' irregular lineup of Carlos Sánchez. This resulted from an unserved suspension caused by the Uruguayan midfielder's expulsion in a match valid for the 2015 Copa Sul-Americana. On that same occasion, the confederation in charge of notifying Santos of this irregularity (COMET system) failed to function, and still, the Peixe ended up punished. In a tense return match, the game was stopped at 0-0 in the 75th minute due to conflicts involving Santos fans and military police, with bomb explosions, flares thrown on the field, and attempts at mass invasion. In an agonizing and traumatizing manner, Santos bid farewell to the competition.([)(needs sources)(])

Two years later, in 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) recognized CONMEBOL's fault, as the club pointed out the entity as the creator of the complaint and not Independiente, and followed the guidance of the COMET system, which indicated Carlos Sánchez as eligible to play, and removed the expenses of the process with attorney fees from Alvinegro.([)(needs sources)(])

In 2021, the two teams met again through a draw, this time in the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana; Santos won in Brazil 1-0, and again, days before the return match, the Argentines appealed to CONMEBOL requesting a 3-0 victory be awarded for the first leg, this time claiming that forward Kaio Jorge should not have played as he had received three yellow cards in the 2021 Copa Libertadores. The South American confederation deemed the request unfounded, as the athlete was punished in another competition and therefore was eligible to play in the Copa Sudamericana. The return match ended 1-1, ironically, the Santos goal was scored by Kaio Jorge with an assist from Carlos Sánchez. The alvinegra team advanced in the competition and made several provocative posts to Independiente on its social media.

Santos vs. Peñarol

The rivalry against the "aurinegros" began in 1962 in the final of that year's Libertadores, where Santos would win its first title in America against then two-time champion Peñarol. In the first leg of the final, Brazil won 2-1 at Estadio Centenario, with two goals from Coutinho. In the return leg, the Uruguayans won 3-2 at Vila Belmiro, however, the match became known as "The Night of the Bottles" due to the occurrences in the match; only 51 minutes were played because the Chilean referee Carlos Robles, citing security issues (a bottle thrown from the stands hit the assistant), ended the match while the Uruguayans were leading 3-2. The Santos players also complained about two uncalled penalties and that Uruguayan striker José Sasía had thrown sand at goalkeeper Gilmar. Fearing for his physical integrity, the referee continued the match after the assistant's treatment. Santos equalized, with Pagão, and the fans left the stadium celebrating the title. Only the next day did fans learn that the match's completion and the equalizing goal counted for nothing; the referee only considered what happened until the assault on his assistant. In the tiebreaker match, Santos won 3-0 at Monumental de Nuñez and the title of the competition.

The two clubs would meet again in a Libertadores final in 2011, and like 49 years earlier, Santos became champion, this time with 0-0 in Montevideo and 2-1 in São Paulo.

Peñarol is the foreign team Santos has faced the most times: the two clubs have faced each other 22 times, with Santos winning 10 matches, Peñarol winning 7, and 5 draws. In official competitions, there were 8 matches between the two in the Copa Libertadores, 6 in the Supercopa Libertadores, 4 in the Recopa Intercontinental Champions, and the other 4 in friendlies.

Santos vs. Boca Juniors

Another foreign team that Santos has faced several times in major decisions is Argentine Boca Juniors. The first encounter between the teams took place on March 17, 1956, at Vila Belmiro, where Santos defeated the xeneizes 3-2 in the FPF International Tournament.

In history, the two teams have had three knockout encounters in the Copa Libertadores: the first occurred in the final of 1963, where the famous Santos team of the 1960s won the title against the xeneizes with two victories at Maracanã and the feared La Bombonera, securing the title for the second time.

Exactly forty years later, the two teams met again in a Libertadores final, this time with the Argentine team avenging the 1963 final with two victories: 2-0 at La Bombonera and 3-1 at Morumbi. At that time, Santos had the base of the Brazilian championship-winning team of 2002 with well-known names like Robinho, Diego, Paulo Almeida, Renato, Fábio Costa, etc., while Boca had a great team with Tevez, Abbondanzieri, Marcelo Delgado, Schiavi, etc., led by the successful coach Carlos Bianchi.

In the 2020 edition, the teams faced each other again, this time in the semifinals of the Libertadores with Santos coming out on top after a 0-0 draw at La Bombonera and a 3-0 victory at Vila Belmiro.

In total, the two teams have played 16 matches, with 8 victories for Santos, 3 draws, and 5 victories for Boca Juniors. Considering only official competitions (all of them held in the Libertadores), there have been 8 confrontations with 4 wins for Santos, 1 draw, and 3 wins for the xeneizes.

Historic Achievements and Records

Santos has 46 official titles in its gallery, considered competitions organized by FIFA, CONMEBOL, CBF, and the Paulista Federation.
Of the 46 official titles, 27 were won in 15 years.
Santos holds the record for the most official titles won in the same decade (1960-1969), with 23 titles.
In 1962, Santos became the only Brazilian club to win the state championship, national championship, continental championship, and world championship in the same year.
Santos is the club that has won the most official or unofficial competitions in the same year: 8 titles in 1968.
Santos was the first team to reach the mark of 12,000 goals. This milestone was achieved on February 1, 2014, with a goal from striker Gabriel in Santos' 5-1 victory against Botafogo-SP at Vila Belmiro.
The first club to reach the mark of 5,700 matches played.
Santos is the world record holder for most matches played in a single season: 99 matches in 1959.
Santos has the best campaign in a points-based system in the Paulista Championship. In 1968, there were 22 victories, 1 draw, and 4 losses.
Santos appears as the best club in the Americas on FIFA's list of greatest clubs of the 20th century, ranking fifth, tied with Ajax from the Netherlands.