About

Clube Atlético Mineiro, commonly known Atlético and referred to as Galo, is a Brazilian multisport club based in Lourdes, a bairro nobre (noble/high class neighborhood) in the city of Belo Horizonte. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Atlético is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Mineiro, the State of Minas Gerais's premier state league, as well as the Brasileirão, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system. The club was founded on March 25, 1908 by 22 Belorizontino students, being led by Margival Mendes Leal and Mário Toledo as a response to the social discrimination practiced by many clubs elsewhere in Brazil. Despite being founded by upper class founders, the club opened its doors to everyone regardless of social class, quickly establishing itself as a "people's club". As a result, the club has the most supporters in the city and the largest supporters in the state. Atlético is also the oldest club of Belo Horizonte. Atlético play their home games at the Estádio Independência, better known as the Independência, which currently holds up to 23,018 spectators. Atlético's regular kit is black and white striped shirts, with black shorts, accompanied by white socks. Puma are the kit manufacturers currently. The Galo is one of Brazil's most successful clubs, having won the Brasileirão in 1971, while also finishing runners-up on four occasions. Atlético has also won the defunct Champions Cup 1937 (FBF) and Champions Cup 1978 (CBD) once each. They have won the Campeonato Mineiro 42 times, being the record-holders as the most successful club in that competition. Atlético is also the best performing club of the now-defunct Copa CONMEBOL after the victories in 1992 and 1997; they were also finalists in 1995. Atlético also won the Copa Libertadores in 2013 with a squad composed of stars such as Bernard, Diego Tardelli, Jô, Victor and Ronaldinho, and are thus one of ten Brazilian clubs to have won it. The club managed to perform a double in 2013, winning both the Campeonato Mineiro and the Copa Libertadores. The following year after winning Copa Libertadores, Atlético managed to win Copa do Brasil 2014. Atlético hold a long-standing rivalry against Cruzeiro. It has contributed many key and famous players towards Brazil's FIFA World Cup squads such as Dario, Reinaldo, Luizinho, Toninho Cerezo, Éder, Elzo, Cláudio Taffarel, and Gilberto Silva. The club is the 9th most valuable in Brazil, worth almost $162 million. In terms of revenue, Atlético is also one of Brazil's richest sports club and the 10th biggest football club in Brazil, generating an annual turnover of over $100 million in 2013.