Santos was founded on 14 April 1912 in the Brazilian port city of the same name. On 14 April 2027 "Peixe" (the Fish) turns 115. It is Pelé's club, but its story begins long before him.

A meeting at Clube Concórdia

The founding assembly took place at the headquarters of Clube Concórdia, on Rua do Rosário. The founders are considered to be Raymundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos and Argemiro de Souza Júnior.

Names such as Brasil Atlético, Euterpe and Concórdia were suggested. In the end Edmundo Jorge de Araújo proposed Santos Foot-Ball Club, and the proposal was approved unanimously.

From blue to black and white

The first colours were white, sky blue and gold, as a tribute to Clube Concórdia. The first shirt was white with blue stripes and gold details. Sources differ slightly in the description, as Lance speaks of white and sky blue stripes.

These colours were hard to find in fabric, and the blue faded quickly in the wash. On 31 March 1913, after a proposal by Paulo Peluccio, Santos became black and white, with a striped shirt and white shorts.

Today the first kit is all white and the second is the black and white stripes. Third shirts have been tried over the years, such as the turquoise one of 2012 and the blue one of 2020.

A crest with eleven stripes

The first crest, from 1913, had a globe and nine stripes, but it never appeared on the shirt. The current one was designed in 1925 and sewn onto the kits in 1927. It has eleven stripes, as many as the players in a starting line-up.

In 1968 two stars were added for the world titles of 1962 and 1963. On 27 November 2022 a crown was placed above it in honour of Pelé.

The nickname "Peixe", the Fish, was born in 1933 in a derby against São Paulo. Rival fans called the players "fishmongers" to tease them, but Santos supporters adopted it with pride. As English Wikipedia notes, it refers to the importance of the port for the city.

Vila Belmiro, home of the Fish

The Vila Belmiro ground was inaugurated on 12 October 1916. In the first match, on 22 October, Santos beat Ypiranga 2-1.

The purchase of the land was approved at a general assembly on 31 May 1916 and completed on 16 June. Within a few months the team had its own home, where it still plays today.

Since 1933 it has officially been called Estádio Urbano Caldeira. It honours Urbano Caldeira, who served the club as player, coach and director.

The King and the "Santásticos"

Pelé made his debut in the São Paulo state championship in 1957. Around him was built the team of the 1960s, with Pepe, Coutinho, Zito and Gilmar, which won five Brazilian titles in a row.

In 1962 and 1963 Santos won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup. On 19 November 1969, at the Maracanã against Vasco da Gama, Pelé scored from a penalty the goal recorded as his thousandth.

Later Robinho and Diego shone, and then Neymar with Ganso, who brought a third Libertadores in 2011. In 2023 the team was relegated for the first time in its history, but it came straight back by winning Série B in 2024.

Celebrate with us

From a faded blue fabric to the most famous black and white shirt in Brazil, Santos made history with its King. Happy 115th birthday to Peixe!

See our Santos jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: Inside the Estádio Urbano Caldeira (Vila Belmiro) – Nikolas Maciel Fabrício, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.