Palmeira

Foundation

At the beginning of the 20th century, several young Italians decided to start a club whose main goal was to form a football team that would be representative of the Italian community, and face the big names of São Paulo's football elite. Just over three decades earlier, Italy had been unified – a fact that was not known to some Italian-Brazilians and to some non-Italian Brazilians.

There were numerous Italian clubs, but each one represented an Italian province or was geared to activities other than football. At the time, the game was starting to take hold and drew many players and fans.

The founders of the club sought out the Fanfulla newspaper, which was the media outlet that defended the interests of Italians in Brazil, and entrusted young Vincenzo Ragognetti – another supporter of the idea – to draft an invitation to those interested in forming a sports club.

After several meetings, 46 interested individuals (led by Luigi Marzo and Luigi Cervo) gathered at the Alhambra Room on what is now Rua do Riachuelo, and founded a sports club for all Italian-Brazilians named "Palestra Italia" on 26 August 1914. Ezequiel Simone was named club president. The Italian Consulate in São Paulo became interested in the new club because it would help spread the word among Italians that their country now had one flag and one anthem.

After some initial difficulties, Palestra Italia played its first game in the town of Votorantim (São Paulo State) – beating Savoia 2–0 with goals from Bianco and Alegretti to win the Taça Savoia, the club's first title.

1920–1945: First state title and new stadium

In 1916, the team joined the city's main sports league and played its first official championship match. The following year it would be runner-up in the São Paulo State Championship, facing Corinthians for the first time. Palestra won that initial game 3–0 with three goals from Caetano; it also won the rematch 3–1 of what would become the team's chief rivalry. In 1920, Palestra Italia captured the São Paulo State championship with a victory over the rugged Paulistano squad in the deciding match.

Palestra continued to grow as a sports club and also began acquiring more assets. Estádio Palestra Itália, purchased in 1920, was remodeled and expanded in 1933, when it became the first Brazilian stadium with concrete grandstands and barbed-wire fences. Starting in 1964, the playing field would be suspended, which gave fans a complete, broad view and also created space in the lower levels.

The club continued to grow and win more championships, and at the outset of the 1930s became the three-time São Paulo State football and basketball champion – a feat that prompted Palestra fans to chant in celebration: "With the feet or with the hands, Palestra is the best in the land."

A Leader Dies, A Champion is Born

In 1942 during World War II, the government of President Getúlio Vargas issued a decree banning any organization from using names related to the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan). Palestra Italia was forced to change its name and became Palestra São Paulo ("palestra" is a Greek word, loosely translated as "gymnasium," which therefore did not violate this rule). However, the change still did not soothe political and sporting pressures to alter the name completely. At risk of forfeiting all its assets to other clubs and being ejected from the championship that it currently led, Palestra was forced to change its name a second time. The night before the last game of the state championship, scheduled for 20 September 1942, the Palestra board of directors held a heated meeting and changed the club's name. When the debate reached its peak, Dr. Mario Minervino took the floor and asked club secretary, Dr. Pascoal W. Byron Giuliano, to note in the minutes:

– "They don't want us to be Palestra, so then we shall be Palmeiras – born to be champions."

Tensions flared during the final league match, where Palmeiras's opponent was São Paulo Futebol Clube (SPFC), which was laying claim to the assets of the former Palestra Italia.

Palmeiras took the field carrying the Brazilian flag under the leadership of army Captain Adalberto Mendes. Palmeiras was leading the match by 3–1 when a penalty was given in its favor. At that moment, the SPFC ordered its players to consider the Palmeiras squad an enemy of the homeland and pulled its side off the field amid jeers from even the club's own fans. The celebrations began on the spot. The next day, newspapers contained a photograph of Palmeiras entering the field with the headline: "A Leader Dies, A Champion is Born."

Copa Rio: 1951

On 27 October 2017, the FIFA Council changed its position: while not promoting the statistical unification of the Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup, in respect to the history of the two tournaments (which merged in 2005), it made the Intercontinental Cup an official world title, recognizing all its winners as club world champions with the same title as FIFA Club World Cup winners: "FIFA Club World Champions."