This famous Brazilian club started life in 1914 when it was started as Palestra Italia by four members of Sao Paulo’s Italian community and taking to the field in their original colors of red, white and green (the colors of Italy). The club was founded not just to represent the Italian community of the city, but also to provide a challenge for Sao Paulo’s elite football teams. The Italian community there was huge, with thousands leaving the old country and descending on Sao Paulo to capitalize on its booming industries after the fall of slavery in 1888. They battled their homesickness by gathering to eat pasta, enjoy musical performances and partake in another favorite past time: football. Rather than join one of the many existing clubs in the metropolis however, they wanted to start one of their own. And why not? The city had a German club, a Portuguese club, and English clubs, clubs for Catholics and for Protestants, but the largest group in Sao Paulo had nothing to call their own.Eventually, there were numerous Italian ethnic clubs in the city, with each one representing a different province or geared towards activities other than football, but Palestra Italia, or Palmeiras as they would become known, were one for the ages.

 

Over the following couple of decades, they established themselves in the world of Brazilian football, winning their first state championship in 1920 by defeating a tough Paulistano outfit. They also purchased some land off the Antarctica company and constructed their first proper stadium, Estadio Palestra Italia, that year. By 1933, Palestra were in a position where they could remodel and expand this stadium. It became the first one in Brazil to feature concrete grandstands and barbed-wire fences, and remained as the home of Palmeiras until 2010. They won the first of many Campeonato Paulista’s in 1932, they year they gave up their club rooms to house soldiers fighting in the Constitutionalist Revolution, and that year they enjoyed an unbeaten season and the best campaign record in the competions history: 11 games, 11 wins , 48 goals for and only 8 against.

 

In 1933, Palestra became the first champions of the Toreno Rio-Sao Paulo, at the time Brazil’s main football competition. They also became the national basketball champion, leading fans to chant “With the feet or with the hand, Palestra is the best in the land.” Between the years 1932 and 1944, Palestra won the Campeonato Paulista no less than 8 times (1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944) thanks to players such as Luisinho, legendary goalkeeper Oberdan Cattani, Waldermar Fiume, Villadoniga and Liminha. The aforementioned 1933 Rio-Sao Paulo victory was the most significant as it took place during their first season at their new stadium and in the first season of professional football in Brazil. It was also their first double. The final against Bangu was a 6-0 Palestra victory. Earlier, Palestra thrashed their rivals Corinthians Paulista 8-0, the biggest loss in that clubs history. Palestra became famous outside of Brazil as well, with a series of friendlies against clubs like Boca Juniors, Estudiantes, Huracan, Espanol and Barcelona. Palestra inaugurated the Pacaenbu Stadium with a 6-2 drubbing of Cortiba in 1940.

 

When World War II began, Brazil kept a neutral position for the initial three years of the conflict, but in 1942 they broke relations with the Axis countries after they torpedoed Brazilian ships in the Atlantic Ocean. Brazil declared war on the Axis, and as a result, clubs with names or histories inspired by Axis countries were forced by the Brazilian government to change their identities. Palestra Italia tried to change their name to Palestra Sao Paulo, but this wasn’t good enough. On the night before the final game of the 1942 state championship, the clubs board convened to discuss a new identity, and during hours of heated talks, Dr. Mario Minervino announced, “They don’t want us to be Palestra, so we then we shall be Palmerias – born to be champions!” Palmeiras met the requirements of the authorities, however they sneakily put their goalkeeper in a blue uniform in a subtle nod to the Italian national team, and kept their colors of green and white – the true colors of the House of Savoy.

 

The next day, Palmeiras played a tense match against FC Sao Paulo who were laying claim to the clubs assets – under a new law, the Brazilian government could sieze the belongings of Axis-associated communities and Palmeiras were in the firing line. Palmeiras, facing boos and jeers from their own fans, took to the field carrying a giant Brazilian flag. Leading 3-1, Palmeiras were awarded a penalty. FC Sao Paulo were incensed at this, and stormed off the pitch arguing that the once-Italian club are now the enemies of Brazil. Palmeiras won the game, and the championship, and in homage to the death of Palestra Italia and the birth of Palmeiras, the newspaper headlines the following day read, “A leader dies – a champion is born!”

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Achievements: 
Torneo Rio-Sao Paolo – Winners x 1
Campeonato Paulista – Champions x 8

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Star player: Oberdan Cattani, dob June 2, 1919 pob Sao Paulo, Brazil nickname: Flying Fortress

Cattani was the clubs goalkeeper in the 1940’s and 1950s, and is thought to be the greatest keeper in the history of Palmeiras. The son of Italian immigrants from Tuscany, Cattani was introduced to Palestra Italia by his brother and left his job as a truck driver to gaurd the Palmeiras net in 351 games. Known for his refrigerator-like stature and his giant hands that were so big, he could hold the ball only using one, Cattani would have been the first choice goalkeeper for Brazil, had there been any World Cups held when he was in his prime. With Palmeiras, he won the Campeonato Paulista 4 times, the Rio Sao-Paulo Tournament once and he had a famous victory over Italy’s Juventus in the Copa Rio international tournament, a precursor to the Club World Cup. He died from pneumonia in 2014 aged 95.