Santa Cruz FC

Eleven boys aged fourteen to sixteen kicked a ball around the grounds of the Santa Cruz church in the Boa Vista district of Recife, and when they formalised the habit on 3 February 1914, they kept the church's name for the club. They started out in black and white. Weeks later, in April 1914, another Recife side, Sport Club Flamengo, registered the same colours, and the Liga de Sport Pernambuco, which barred two clubs from sharing a kit, settled it by draw. Flamengo-PE won the toss. Santa Cruz added red, and the black-white-red tricolour has stayed since.

The club plays at the Estádio do Arruda, which it owns outright. Built for over 60,000, safety reviews in 2024 capped it at 50,000. Supporters call the club O Mais Querido, "the most beloved," and its derby against Sport is known locally as the Clássico das Multidões, the derby of the crowds.

The name that carries furthest beyond Pernambuco is Nunes, who played up front for Santa Cruz between 1976 and 1978 before moving on to Flamengo, where he won the World Club Cup in 1981 and three Brazilian titles. Before him came the run that supporters still measure everything against: five straight state championships from 1969 to 1973, sealed by an Argentine forward, Ramón, who scored the winner against Sport in the 1973 decider. For that unbeaten South American tour in 1979, the club was awarded the Fita Azul, the blue ribbon.

Santa Cruz has since added a Copa do Nordeste in 2016 and a Série C title in 2013, but the state championship remains its measure: 29 titles.