Atlético Mineiro

Clube_Atlético_Mineiro

Clube Atlético Mineiro (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklubi ɐˈtlɛtʃiku miˈne(j)ɾu]), commonly known as Atlético, Atlético Mineiro, Mineiro and colloquially as Galo (pronounced [ˈgalu], "Rooster"), is the biggest and oldest professional football club of Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The team competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first level of Brazilian football, as well as in the Campeonato Mineiro, the top tier state league of Minas Gerais.

Clube Atlético Mineiro, the biggest and oldest active football club in Minas Gerais, was founded on 25 March 1908, by twenty-two students from Belo Horizonte. Despite having upper-class founders, the club immediately opened its doors to players of every social class, establishing itself as a "people's club" and becoming one of the most supported clubs in Brazil. The club's mascot, the rooster, has been strongly associated with Atlético since its introduction in the 1930s. Over the years, the word Galo (Portuguese for "rooster") became a common nickname for the club itself. The team's regular home kit comprises black-and-white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks.

Atlético has won the Campeonato Mineiro a record 48 times. At the national level, the club has won the Campeonato Brasileiro three times and has finished second on five occasions. It has also won Copa do Brasil twice and the Supercopa do Brasil and the Copa dos Campeões Brasileiros once each. In international club football, Atlético has won the Copa Libertadores and the Recopa Sudamericana once each, and a record two Copa CONMEBOL; the team has also reached three other continental finals. The club has also competed in other sports throughout its history, with the futsal department becoming especially notable.

The club plays its home games at the Arena MRV, which has an operational capacity of over 46,000 spectators. Arena MRV's construction began on April 20, 2020, its inauguration was on April 15, 2023, and its first official match took place on August 27, 2023. Occasionally, Atlético also plays its home games in the Mineirão stadium, owned by the local state government.

Atlético holds a strong local rivalry with Cruzeiro, named as the Clássico Mineiro. The club also holds a local rivalry with América Mineiro and an interstate one with Flamengo. Atlético has the sixth most valuable brand in Brazil, worth R$515.5 million (€143 million) as of 2016, the 8th largest football crowd in Brazil and ranks seventh in the country in terms of turnover, generating R$244.6 million (€62.2 million) in 2015.

On November 1, 2023, it was announced that Galo Holding completed the purchase of controlling interest (75%) of the club's SAF. Of a total of 913 million reais paid by new investors, a third of the amount was used to pay debts.