Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama was founded in 1898 in Rio de Janeiro as a rowing club by Portuguese immigrants and Brazilian workers, later establishing a football department in 1915. Named after the famous explorer Vasco da Gama, the club is known as O Gigante da Colina (The Giant of the Hill) and plays in white with a diagonal black sash. Their home ground, São Januário stadium, opened in 1927. Vasco has a distinguished history of social inclusion, being one of the first Brazilian clubs to field Afro-Brazilian and working-class players. Their titles include four Campeonato Brasileiro Série A crowns, the Copa Libertadores (1998), and four Copa do Brasil trophies. In 1957, Vasco beat Real Madrid 4–3 in the final of the Tournoi de Paris, and in 1948 became the first Brazilian club to win an international title abroad.