3 February 2011 - A Scoreline So Good They Should Make A Show About It

On 3 February 2011, Coritiba beat Iraty 5-0 to start their world-record winning streak of 24 consecutive games.

Founded in 1909, Coritiba is one of the most dominant teams in the Brazilian state of Paraná, winning the state title a record 36 times. It was in that competition, the Campeonato Paranaense, that they defeated Iraty by the score of 5-0, which turned out to be the league's top margin of victory that season.

They followed that win by reeling off another 23 in a row, including victories in the state league and the Copa do Brasil. Their final win of the record run was their largest, a 6-0 victory over Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals on 3 May 2011.

The streak helped them to another Campeonato Paranaense title with an overall record of 9 wins and 2 draws. They also reached the Copa do Brasil final, where they lost to Vasco da Gama on away goals after losing the first match 0-1, then winning 3-2 at home.

22 December 2010 - If You Think It Was A Minor Change, You Don't Know Brazilian Football

On 22 December 2010, the Brazilian Football Confederation shook up the Brazilian top flight by officially recognizing the winners of past tournaments as national champions.

Although Brazilian football dates back to the 1890s, a formal national league system did not exist until 1971. Prior to that, teams competed in regional and local leagues, as well as a couple of national tournaments, the Taça Brasil (not to be confused with the Copa do Brasil), played from 1959 to 1968, and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as the Taça de Prata, played from 1967 to 1970.

In 1971, the Taça de Prata became the Campeonato Brasileiro, the current league system, of which Série A is the top flight. Initially, the CFB recognized only the Série A winners as national champions, which meant that, as of 2010, São Paulo's six league titles were the most of any team, followed by Flamengo's five (Flamengo claims a disputed sixth title from 1987, though the CFB does not recognize it).

But in 2010, a handful of clubs, including Palmeiras and Santos, petitioned the CFB to recognize the winners of the earlier competitions as national champions. Not coincidentally, the change meant that Palmeiras and Santos each had a shared-record eight combined titles, ahead of Sáo Paulo, who were still stuck at six. 

Palmeiras won the league in 2016 to extend the record to 9. 

28 June 1999 - Palmeiras Get Their Hands On The Cup

On 28 June 1999, Palmeiras won their first (and to date only) Copa Libertadores, beating Deportivo Cali on penalties. The win concluded Brazil's domination of the tournament in the 1990s, with six out of ten titles.

Palmeiras had to go through two Brazilian teams to reach the final, including defending champions Vasco da Gama in the Round of 16 and rivals Corinthians in the quarterfinals. They then beat River Plate over two legs in the semifinals to advance to the final. Meanwhile, Deportivo Cali reached the final over Colo-Colo, Bella Vista, and Cerro Porteño.

The final was played over two legs, with Deportivo Cali winning 1-0 at home thanks to a 42nd-minute goal from striker Víctor Bonilla. For the second leg, the teams met at the Estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo, where a crowd of 32,000 gathered to watch.

After a scoreless first half, Palmeiras went ahead with a penalty kick in the 65th minute, but Deportivo Cali equalized five minutes later with a penalty kick of their own. Penalties would go on to decide the title, after Palmeiras forward Oséas Reis dos Santos scored the final goal of regulation in the 76th minute to level the series at one win each. From there, the match went into a shootout, which Palmeiras won 4-3.

8 March 2009 - Ronaldo's Return To Form

On 8 March 2009, Brazilian three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo scored an injury-time equalizer for Corinthians in their match against Palmeiras. It was his first goal after recovering from a potentially career-ending knee injury suffered over a year earlier while playing for AC Milan.

The striker had a history of knee problems, with two separate injuries to his right knee while playing for Inter (1997-2002). He battled back both times and recovered in time to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup and claim his third FIFA World Player of the Year award. In January 2007, he joined Milan after five seasons with Real Madrid. On 13 February 2008, he injured his left knee while leaping for a cross in a 1-1 draw with Livorno. The injury ended his season and there was speculation that it would end his career as well.

Ronaldo, however, was determined to return. He returned to Brazil and started training with Flamengo to rehabilitate his knee. The Rio club indicated their willingness to sign him once he was able to play, but, in December 2009, he controversially signed instead with their league rivals Corinthians.

On 4 March 2009, he made his first appearance for Corinthians, coming on as a substitute in Copa do Brasil match against Itumbiara. In the match against Palmeiras on 8 March, he again entered as a substitute, coming on in the 63rd minute with his side down 1-0. He quickly made his presence felt, sending a booming strike off the crossbar in the 78th minute, before heading in the equalizing goal in the 93rd minute. He ran behind the goal to celebrate with the Corinthians supporters, causing a mild pitch invasion.

Ronaldo finished the season with 10 goals in 14 matches and recently signed an extension to remain at Corinthians through 2011.

7 June 1970 - With That Many, He Could Open His Own Millinery

On 7 June 1970, Marcos Evangelista de Moraes, better known as "Cafu," was born in São Paulo. He went on to become Brazil's all-time appearances leader with 142 caps.

A right back, Cafu started his professional career with São Paulo in 1990 and played there for five seasons before moving to Spain in 1994 to play for Real Zaragoza. But after only one season in La Liga, he returned to Brazil, joining Palmeiras in 1995. Two years later, he was back in Europe, this time in Italy, where he spent the remainder of his career, first with Roma (1997-2003), then with Milan (2003-2008).

He won silverware at each step along the way, including multiple league titles in Brazil and Italy, the 1992 and 1993 Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cups with São Paulo, the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup with Zaragoza, and the 2007 Champions League with Milan. (His only trophy with Palmeiras was a local one, the 1996 Campeonato Paulista).

But despite those successes, he is best known for his time with the Brazilian national team. After earning his first cap in 1990, he was a member of the teams that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups (appearing primarily as a substitute in the former), as well as two Copa América titles in 1997 and 1999. His last appearance, however, came during their disappointing 2006 World Cup, as a 1-0 loss to France eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals.

3 February 2011 - A Number So Good They Should Make A Show About It

On 3 February 2011, Coritiba beat Iraty 5-0 to start their world-record winning streak of 24 consecutive games.

Founded in 1909, Coritiba is one of the most dominant teams in the Brazilian state of Paraná, winning the state title a record 36 times. It was in that competition, the Campeonato Paranaense, that they defeated Iraty by the score of 5-0, which turned out to be the league's top margin of victory that season.

They followed that win by reeling off another 23 in a row, including victories in the state league and the Copa do Brasil. Their final win of the record run was their largest, a 6-0 victory over Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals on 3 May 2011.

The streak helped them to another Campeonato Paranaense title with an overall record of 9 wins and 2 draws. They also reached the Copa do Brasil final, where they lost to Vasco da Gama on away goals after losing the first match 0-1, then winning 3-2 at home.

22 December 2010 - If You Think It Was A Minor Change, You Don't Know Brazilian Football

On 22 December 2010, the Brazilian Football Confederation shook up the Brazilian top flight by officially recognizing the winners of past tournaments as national champions.

Although Brazilian football dates back to the 1890s, a formal national league system did not exist until 1971. Prior to that, teams competed in regional and local leagues, as well as a couple of national tournaments, the Taça Brasil (not to be confused with the Copa do Brasil), played from 1959 to 1968, and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also known as the Taça de Prata, played from 1967 to 1970.

In 1971, the Taça de Prata became the Campeonato Brasileiro, the current league system, of which Série A is the top flight. Initially, the CFB recognized only the Série A winners as national champions, which meant that, as of 2010, São Paulo's six league titles were the most of any team, followed by Flamengo's five (Flamengo claims a disputed sixth title from 1987, though the CFB does not recognize it).

But in 2010, a handful of clubs, including Palmeiras and Santos, petitioned the CFB to recognize the winners of the earlier competitions as national champions. Not coincidentally, when the confederation announced its decision, both Palmeiras and Santos each had a shared-record eight combined titles, ahead of Sáo Paulo, who were still stuck at six.

The 2012 season recently ended and those three teams remain the top three with an unchanged tally.

16 May 1968 - Estudiantes Were Quick Learners

On 16 May 1968, Estudiantes beat Palmeiras in a playoff to win the first of three consecutive Copa Libertadores trophies.

They qualified for the tournament--their first--by finishing as runners-up in the Argentina Primera División behind Independiente. But they beat their league rivals twice in the cup's first round and twice more in the second on their way to the final.

There, they met Palmeiras in what was scheduled as a two-legged tie, home and away. Estudiantes won the first match, played in La Plata on 2 March, by the score of 2-1, but lost the second 3-2 in São Paulo to set up a playoff at the neutral venue of Montevideo's Estadio Centenario.

There, a crowd of 55,000 turned out to see Estudiantes take a 1-0 lead with a goal from forward Felipe Ribaudo in the 13th minute. Their defense managed to stifle the Palmeiras attack, which included Tupázinho, the tournament's leading scorer with 11 goals, then Estudiantes forward Juan Ramón Verón delivered an 82nd-minute strike to seal the 2-0 victory.

Estudiantes followed the win by beating Manchester United in that year's Intercontinental Cup, then repeated as Copa Libertadores champions in 1969 (over Nacional) and 1970 (over Peñarol). In 2009, they won it for a fourth time, beating Cruzeiro.

28 June 1999 - Palmeiras Get Their Hands On The Cup

On 28 June 1999, Palmeiras won their first (and to date only) Copa Libertadores, beating Deportivo Cali on penalties. The win concluded Brazil's domination of the tournament in the 1990s, with six out of ten titles.

Palmeiras had to go through two Brazilian teams to reach the final, including defending champions Vasco da Gama in the Round of 16 and rivals Corinthians in the quarterfinals. They then beat River Plate over two legs in the semifinals to advance to the final. Meanwhile, Deportivo Cali reached the final over Colo-Colo, Bella Vista, and Cerro Porteño.

The final was played over two legs, with Deportivo Cali winning 1-0 at home thanks to a 42nd-minute goal from striker Víctor Bonilla. For the second leg, the teams met at the Estádio Palestra Itália in São Paulo, where a crowd of 32,000 gathered to watch.

After a scoreless first half, Palmeiras went ahead with a penalty kick in the 65th minute, but Deportivo Cali equalized five minutes later with a penalty kick of their own. Penalties would go on to decide the title, after Palmeiras forward Oséas Reis dos Santos scored the final goal of regulation in the 76th minute to level the series at one win each. From there, the match went into a shootout, which Palmeiras won 4-3.

8 March 2009 - Ronaldo Returns To Form

On 8 March 2009, Brazilian three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo scored an injury-time equalizer for Corinthians in their match against Palmeiras. It was his first goal after recovering from a potentially career-ending knee injury suffered over a year earlier while playing for AC Milan.

The striker had a history of knee problems, with two separate injuries to his right knee while playing for Inter (1997-2002). He battled back both times and recovered in time to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup and claim his third FIFA World Player of the Year award. In January 2007, he joined Milan after five seasons with Real Madrid. On 13 February 2008, he injured his left knee while leaping for a cross in a 1-1 draw with Livorno. The injury ended his season and there was speculation that it would end his career as well.

Ronaldo, however, was determined to return. He returned to Brazil and started training with Flamengo to rehabilitate his knee. The Rio club indicated their willingness to sign him once he was able to play, but, in December 2009, he controversially signed instead with their league rivals Corinthians.

On 4 March 2009, he made his first appearance for Corinthians, coming on as a substitute in Copa do Brasil match against Itumbiara. In the match against Palmeiras on 8 March, he again entered as a substitute, coming on in the 63rd minute with his side down 1-0. He quickly made his presence felt, sending a booming strike off the crossbar in the 78th minute, before heading in the equalizing goal in the 93rd minute. He ran behind the goal to celebrate with the Corinthians supporters, causing a mild pitch invasion.

Ronaldo finished the season with 10 goals in 14 matches and recently signed an extension to remain at Corinthians through 2011.