Author: Soorya G
The long wait for Atlético-MG fans has come to an end. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) accepted Galo’s request and officially recognized the 1937 Tournament of Champions as the first Brazilian Championship in history. With this decision, the club becomes three-time national champions, having lifted the trophy in 1971 and 2021. Ednaldo Rodrigues, the organization’s president, received the club’s management at CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro to formalize the achievement.
Representing Atlético were president Sérgio Coelho, vice-president José Murilo Procópio, investor Rubens Menin, the president of the Deliberative Council, Ricardo Guimarães, and some authorities from Minas Gerais. Last year, Atlético submitted a dossier to the CBF requesting that the 1937 victory be recognized as the first Brazilian Championship. Galo were aiming for a similar recognition to the one they received in 2010, when the organization considered the winners of the Brazil Cup and the Roberto Gomes Pedrosa Tournament to be national champions.
In the dossier, Atlético presented newspaper clippings from the time. In these publications, Galo was referred to as the “champion of champions”. This term even forms part of the club’s anthem, written and composed by Vicente Motta in 1969. The tournament was organized by the Brazilian Football Federation (FBF) and brought together state champions: Fluminense (Rio de Janeiro), Rio Branco (Espírito Santo) and Portuguesa (São Paulo), as well as guest teams Liga da Marinha and Aliança, who were eliminated in the preliminary round.
Although Fluminense were the big favorites for the 1937 title, Atlético managed to beat the team from Rio de Janeiro. In their opening match, Athletico MG suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat away from home. It turned out to be Galo’s only defeat of the tournament. The team then drew 1-1 with Rio Branco, also away from home.
From then on, Alvinegro started a run of four consecutive wins, paving the way for the championship. There were three consecutive home wins: 5-0 over Portuguesa, 4-1 over Fluminense and 5-1 over Rio Branco. The latter secured the title early. Atlético also beat Portuguesa 3-2 away from home, completing their title-winning campaign.
Atlético also had the competition’s top scorer. Striker Paulista scored eight times in the tournament. He is the 24th top scorer in the club’s history, with 87 goals.