Santos

Vila Belmiro still carries the memory of a teenager who made his debut there in 1956 and stayed, on and off, until 1974.

Santos Futebol Clube was founded on 14 April 1912 by three local sportsmen, Raimundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos and Argemiro de Sousa Júnior. Money trouble forced a brief rebrand to União Futebol Clube in 1915, before the original name returned, and the club turned professional in 1933.

The teenager was Pelé, and by the time he left he had scored 1,091 goals for Santos, won six Brazilian championships and lifted the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup twice each, in 1962 and 1963. Those years sat inside a run of five straight Taça Brasil titles between 1961 and 1965.

Santos did not win the Libertadores again for 48 years. In 2011, it was a squad built around another academy graduate, Neymar, who scored 138 goals in 230 appearances. Between the two eras came a quieter landmark: Robinho led Santos to the Série A title in 2002, ending an 18-year wait for a national championship.

None of that settles the older, more local argument. Santos and Palmeiras still meet in the Clássico da Saudade. In the state championship, the Paulistão, Santos have won more often than anyone else in São Paulo — 22 times.