Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas


Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, also known as Botafogo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Botafogo is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league. In 2000, Botafogo finished 12th in a vote by subscribers of FIFA Magazine for the FIFA Club of the Century.
In addition, the club has some of Brazilian football's most notable records, as the largest number of unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978; the most unbeaten matches record in the Brazilian Championship games: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; the largest number of player participations in total matches of the Brazil national football team : 1,094 participations and the largest number of players assigned to the Brazilian national team for World Cup. The club is still responsible for the greatest victory ever recorded in Brazilian football: 24-0 against Sport Club Mangueira in 1909.

History

Formation and merger

On July 1, 1894, Club de Regatas Botafogo was founded.
On August 12, 1904, another club was founded in the neighborhood: the Electro Club, the name first given to the Botafogo Football Club. The idea came during an algebra lesson at Alfredo Gomes College, when Flávio Ramos wrote to his friend Emmanuel Sodré: "Itamar has a football club in Martins Ferreira Street. Let's establish another one, in Largo dos Leões, what do you think? We can speak to the Wernecks, to Arthur César, Vicente and Jacques". The Electro Club was founded, but its name did not last. After a suggestion from Dona Chiquitota, Flávio's grandmother, the club finally became the Botafogo Football Club, on September 18 of the same year. The colors were black and white like those of Juventus FC, the team of Itamar Tavares, one of the club's founders. Its badge was drawn by Basílio Vianna Jr., in Swiss style with the BFC monogram. The Botafogo Football Club would soon become one of the strongest football teams in Rio de Janeiro, winning the championships of 1907, 1910, 1912 and more.
With the same name, the same location, the same colours and most important the same supporters, it seemed inevitable that the clubs would merge. They did so on December 8, 1942 after a basketball match between both clubs, when Botafogo Football Club player Armando Albano died suddenly, that the idea of a merger began. On this tragic occasion, the president of Club de Regatas Botafogo, , spoke: "At this time, I declare to Albano that his last match ended with the victory of his team. We won't play the time left on the clock. We all want the young fighter to leave this great night as a winner. This is how we salute him." Eduardo Góis Trindade, Botafogo Football Club's president said: "Between the matches of our clubs, only one can be the winner: Botafogo!." And then Schmidt declared the fusion: "What else do we need to our clubs become one?." Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas finally came into being. The Football Club's badge became black, and the monogram substituted by Clube de Regatas' lone star.

On the field

The team won the Campeonato Carioca in 1907, 1910 and 1912. In 1909 the team beat Mangueira 24–0, which remains the highest score in Brazilian football.
They won further state titles in 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1935.
In the 1940s, after the creation of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, the team's best player was Heleno de Freitas. However, Heleno did not win a championship for Botafogo. He scored 204 goals in 233 matches, but went to the Boca Juniors in 1948, the year Botafogo won its 9th state championship.
They won the Campeonato Carioca in 1957, 1961 and 1962, and in 1968 they won Serie A, becoming the first carioca club to win the Brazilian league.
1989 ended a period of 21 years without a title when the club won the state championship, retaining the trophy in 1990.
In the 1990s, Botafogo won Copa Conmebol. And in 1995 they won the Brazilian League for the second time in club's history, after drawing 1–1 the second leg of the Final against Santos FC at São Paulo.
Botafogo would be relegated to the Second Division after ranking last in the Brazilian League of 2002. In 2003, Botafogo ranked second in Brazil's Second division and returned to the First Division.
In 2006, the club won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship for the 18th time, and again in 2010 and 2013 with the iconic players Loco Abreu and Seedorf, respectively.
Nowadays, Botafogo is the only club to have won titles in three different centuries, including the state championship for rowing in 1899.

Stadium

The team's home ground is the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, named in honor of Nilton Santos, a former club player and two time world champion with the Brazilian national football team, and some feel the greatest left back of all time, .
Other stadiums used by the club during its history are:

Rivals

Its biggest rivals are the other most important Rio clubs: Fluminense, Flamengo, and Vasco da Gama.
The derby with Fluminense is known as the "Clássico Vovô" because it is the oldest derby in the whole country. Both teams faced each other for the first time in 1905.
The match with Vasco is known as the "Friendship Derby" because the supporters of both club have been friends historically. It is the only derby in the city that tends to be nonviolent.
The derby against Flamengo, "The Rivalry Derby", is the biggest one for the club, and one of the more important for the country. The clubs strongly dislike each other and the rivalry goes from the players on the pitch, to the fans, to both clubs' boardrooms. Players who participate in these matches usually become club idols. Some examples include: Garrincha, Manga, Jairzinho, Túlio Maravilha, and more recently Loco Abreu and Jefferson. Manga is known for a remarkable quote about this derby when he used to say that the player's prize money was already guaranteed because it was easy to beat Flamengo. Flamengo's biggest star Zico once said that at his childhood, Botafogo was the club he hated more because the Glorioso used to win all the derbies.
From outside the city, the club has had a historic rivalry with Santos FC since the 1960s.

Supporters

Botafogo is in the top 10 of Brazil's largest fanbases; it is the third-most popular club in the state of Rio de Janeiro, behind only Flamengo and Vasco. However, most of the club's supporters are located outside the state of Rio de Janeiro; it has numerous fans in all parts of the country, especially in the state of Minas Gerais, on Espírito Santo, in the northeast region of Brazil, and in Brazil's capital city Brasília.

Symbols

Lone Star

The Lone Star is currently present in Botafogo's flag and crest. This star was the principal symbol of Club de Regatas Botafogo. After the two Botafogos merged, the Lone Star became one of the most important symbols of Botafogo's football team.

Flag

The old flag of Club de Regatas Botafogo was white with a small black square which contained the Lone Star. The Football Club had a flag with nine black and white stripes with the club's crest localized in the center. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas then based its flag on that of the two old clubs. The flag has five black and four white stripes, with a black square at the upper left side with the Lone Star.

Uniform

Their primary uniform consists of a black jersey with vertical white stripes, black shorts and grey socks. Their secondary uniform is all white. An all black uniform may also be used. The socks, although traditionally grey, may also be black or even white on rare occasions.

Mascots

In 1948 a stray dog named Biriba, known for urinating on the players, was the mascot that led them to the Campeonato Carioca. For some time before the adoption of Manequinho as mascot, Donald Duck was Botafogo's mascot as he represented the fans' fiery temper. Because of image rights problems with the Walt Disney Company, Donald did not become an official mascot.

Financial situation

In 2006 Botafogo had Supergasbras and Alê as sponsors, the arrangement during that year earned the team $3.2 million. The next year, Botafogo managed to sign the sixth highest sponsorship deal in Brazil the new sponsor Liquigás, a Petrobrás subsidiary paid the club $3.9 million under the terms of the one-year contract. In 2008 not only was the agreement with Liquigás renewed for another year, but it also became more lucrative since the sponsorship was raised to around $5 million.
In 2007, Botafogo generated the 12th largest amount of revenue for all Brazilian Football clubs— a total $20.8 million but Botafogo had a net loss of $1.9 million. Also at the end of 2007 Botafogo had total debts of $106.1 million.

Honours

The club has some of Brazilian football's top records, as the largest number of unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978; the matches unbeaten record in the Brazilian Championship games: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; the largest number of player participations in total matches of the Brazil national football team : 1,094 participations and the largest number of players assigned to the Brazilian national team for World Cup.

International

The only to win four times in a row.

International Tournaments

Out on loan

First-team staff

Records

World Best Players--
#NameYear
1. Didi1958
2. Garrincha1962

, one of the greatest players of the 1930s and the 2nd. topscorer in club's history with 261 goals.
Most appearances----
#NameMatchesGoalsYear
1. Nílton Santos723111948–64
2. Garrincha6122431953–65
3. Jefferson459*2003–2005 and 2009–2018
4. Waltencir45361967–76
5. Quarentinha4443061954–64
6. Manga442394*1959–68
7. Carlos Roberto442151967–76
8. :pt:Ifigênio de Freitas Bahiense|Geninho4221151940–54
9. Jairzinho4131861962–74, 1981
10. Wágner412503*1993–02
11. Osmar38741970–79
12. Juvenal384121946–57
13. Gérson dos Santos37121945–56
14. Wilson Gottardo354131987–90, 1994–96
15. Roberto Miranda3521541962–73
16. Pampolini347271955–62
17. Mendonça3401161975–82
* goalkeeper.---

Most goals----
#NameGoalsMatchesG/M
1. Quarentinha3064440,68
2. Carvalho Leite2613030,86
3. Garrincha2436120,39
4. Heleno de Freitas2092350,88
5. Nilo1902010,94
6. Jairzinho1864130,45
7. Octávio Moraes1712000,85
8. Túlio Maravilha1592230,71
9. Roberto Miranda1543520,43
10. Dino da Costa1441760,81
11. Amarildo1362310,58
12. Paulinho Valentim1352060,65
13. Nílson Dias1273010,42
14. Mendonça1163400,34
15. :pt:Ifigênio de Freitas Bahiense|Geninho1154220,27
16. Didi1143130,36
17. Zezinho1101740,63
18. Pascoal1051580,66
19. Patesko1022420,42
20. Gérson962480,39

Basketball