# CR Vasco da Gama

Active departments of Vasco da Gama :
| Football (men's) | Football (women's) | Beach soccer | Basketball |
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Portuguese pronunciation:; English: Vasco da Gama Club of Rowing), commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Vasco is mostly known for its men's football team, which currently competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the Campeonato Carioca, the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league.
Named after Vasco da Gama 400 years after his European–Asian sea route in 1498, the club was founded in 1898 as a rowing club by Brazilian workers, Portuguese Brazilians and newly arrived Portuguese immigrants. Vasco created its football department in 1915, with professionalism officially adopted in 1933 – pioneer in Brazil. In addition to its main departments of football and rowing, Vasco has other sports departments since the 1910s. Its youth academy, which has brought up international footballers such as Romário, Philippe Coutinho, Hilderaldo Bellini, Roberto Dinamite and Edmundo, is well known for its socio-educational methodology.
At the national level, Vasco da Gama has won four Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, three Torneio Rio–São Paulo and one Copa do Brasil. In international club football, the club has won one Copa Libertadores, one South American Championship of Champions, and one Copa Mercosur. At the state level, the club has also won 24 Campeonato Carioca. The golden generation of Vasco da Gama, dubbed Expresso da Vitória (Victory Express), won five state titles in the eight-year span between 1945 and 1952, and led Vasco to become the first continental club champion ever with the 1948 South American Championship of Champions title. This team, which included Moacir Barbosa, Ademir de Menezes, Friaça, Danilo Alvim, Augusto da Costa, and Chico, among others, is considered one of the greatest teams of its generation and of all time.
With fans worldwide, Vasco da Gama is one of the most widely supported clubs in Brazil, the Rio de Janeiro state and the Americas. Vasco plays its home matches in São Januário stadium since its inauguration in 1927. Occasionally, the club has also played their home matches in Maracanã stadium since its inauguration in 1950. Vasco holds long-standings rivalries with Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo. Originally from rowing in the 1900s and extending to football in the 1920s as O Clássico dos Milhões (the Derby of Millions), the Vasco–Flamengo rivalry is considered of the main rivalries of Brazilian sports and one of the most prominent football rivalries in the world.

## History
### Foundation

In the late 19th century, rowing was the most important sport in Rio de Janeiro. At this time, four young men – Henrique Ferreira Monteiro, Luís Antônio Rodrigues, José Alexandre d'Avelar Rodrigues and Manuel Teixeira de Souza Júnior – who did not want to travel to Niterói to row with the boats of Gragoatá Club, decided to found a rowing club.
On 21 August 1898, in a room of the Sons of Talma Dramatic Society, 62 members (mostly Portuguese immigrants) formed Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Rowing Club). Inspired by the celebrations of the 4th centenary of the first sail from Europe to India, the founders named the club in honor of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. The club's colors were chosen as black and white; black was chosen as a representation of the unknown seas Vasco da Gama sailed through, and white represented his victorious route. The first kit used these colors in a half and half combination, with the Order of Christ Cross in the center symbolizing the Christian faith just like in the sails of Gama's São Gabriel carrack. The emblem was created shortly after too; it was round with a sailboat bearing the Cross pattée.
On 26 November 1915, Vasco and Lusitania Sport Clube, another sports club founded by the local Portuguese community in Brazil and named after Lusitania which is often used as an alternative name for Portugal itself, merged, resulting in the creation of Vasco's footballing department. Beginning in the lower leagues, the club's first match was played on 3 May 1916; a 10–1 loss to Paladino FC.

### 1920s: Overcoming social & class inequality

During the 1920s, football in Brazil was a sport for the elites, and Vasco da Gama's racially diverse squad did not appease them. Some players were required to take a literacy exam before putting on their boots.
Vasco won its first top-division title with the 1923 Campeonato Carioca, becoming champion with a team including whites, blacks and "mulatto" players of different social classes.
In 1924, Vasco da Gama was pressured by the Metropolitan League to ban some players who were not considered adequate to play in the aristocratic league, notably because they were black or mulato and/or poor. After Vasco refused to comply with such a ban, the other big teams, including Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo created the Metropolitan Athletic Association and prohibited Vasco from participating unless it complied with their racist demands.
As a result, the former President of Vasco, José Augusto Prestes, responded with a letter that became known as the Historic Response (Resposta Histórica), which revolutionized the practice of sports in Brazil. After a few years, the racism barriers fell, and Vasco became known as "Clube de todas as raças" (Club of all races). The club had led the move toward a more inclusive football culture, forward-thinking not employed by leaders from other Rio-based clubs like Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo.
Even though the club was not the first to field black players, it was the first one to win a league with them, which led to an outcry to ban "blue-collar workers" from playing in the league—a move that in practice meant barring blacks from playing.
In 1925, Vasco was readmitted into the "elite" league, with its black and mulatto players. By 1933, when football became professional in Brazil, most of the big clubs had black players.
On 21 April 1927, Vasco's Stadium was inaugurated with a match against Santos. Santos won the match 5–3. On 26 April 1931, Vasco had a historic 7–0 victory over rivals Flamengo; this is the largest victory margin between the two clubs.

### 1944–53: Expresso da Vitória

Between 1944 and 1953, the club was nicknamed Expresso da Vitória (Victory Express), as Vasco won several competitions in that period, such as the Rio de Janeiro championship in 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, and 1952, and the South American Club Championship, the world's first ever continental club tournament, in 1948. In 1953, Vasco da Gama won its first intercontinental trophy, the Torneio Intercontinental Octogonal Rivadavia Correa Meyer. Players such as Ademir de Menezes, Moacyr Barbosa, Bellini and Ipojucan starred in Vasco's colors during that period. Also that year the club won the Santiago International Tournament [es], defeating Colombian champions Millonarios and Chilean club Colo-Colo.

### 1956–59: Super-Superchampions Generation

In 1956, the Vascaínos became Campeonato Carioca champions and Little World Cup runner-up, losing the title to Di Stefano's Real Madrid, which Vasco would beat in a friendly shortly after the tournament, becoming the first non-European club to defeat a European Champion. In 1957, this generation toured Europe and won 10 consecutive matches, including yet another victory against European champion Real Madrid (4–3) on 14 June, which sealed the 1957 Tournoi de Paris title - this match was the first ever, at a competitive level, between two continental champions. It also was the only international tournament Real didn't win between 1955 and 1960. Vasco would also beat Athletic Bilbao (Spanish League and Cup champions in the previous year) by winning the Teresa Herrera Trophy with a 4–2 scoreline, and Barcelona (Spanish Cup champion a week earlier) inside Les Corts, with a historic scoreline of 2–7, the second worst defeat ever suffered at home by the Catalan team, and largest in international matches. Benfica (Portuguese champion and Latin Cup runner-up) was also a victim of Vasco on this tour, losing to the Brazilian club with another impressive result, 5–2, in Lisbon on 30 June 1957.
In early 1958, just before the World Cup, Vasco won the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, the most important championship in Brazil at the time, which included legendary teams such as Pele's Santos, Garrincha's Botafogo, Zagallo's Flamengo, and Tele Santana's Fluminense. After this memorable title, three Vasco players had important parts in the campaign for Brazil's first World Cup title: Vavá (who scored five goals in the World Cup, including two in the final) and defenders Orlando and Bellini (Bellini was still the Brazilian captain). After the World Cup, the team then won one of the greatest Carioca Championships of all time. In an epic competition against Zagallo's Flamengo and Garrincha's Botafogo, which ended in a three-way tie on 32 points and required two extra tiebreaker tournaments to decide the champion, Vasco became the 1958 Campeonato Carioca "super-superchampion".
In 1959, the team went on to beat great European teams like Italian champion Milan and Atletico de Madrid (European Cup semi-finalist that year). Vasco was also Rio-São Tournament runner-up that year, only behind Pele's Santos. Still in 1959, five Vasco players were called up for the 1959 Copa America: Paulinho, Orlando, Bellini, Coronel (defenders) and Almir (striker), with the four aforementioned Vasco players almost always being included in the starting eleven. Vasco, together with Botafogo, was the club that gave the most players to the Brazil national team in that period. Many think this Vasco was one of the best clubs of the world at the time, and maybe the best in 1957–58.

### 1960s: Mediocre campaigns

The 1960s were a difficult period for the club, having only average performances with the exception of 1965 and 1966; in the 1965 Campeonato Brasileiro (known as Taça Brasil at the time), Vasco reached the final, losing to Pele's Santos 1–6 on aggregate. In the 1966 Torneio Rio-São Paulo, the club ended the tournament in a four way tie. Since there was no tiebreaking criteria, a quadrangular involving Botafogo, Corinthians, Santos and Vasco should have been played, but due to the preparation of the Brazil national team for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, the CBD decided to proclaim all four clubs as champions.

### 1970s: First League Title

In 1970, under star players Roberto Dinamite and Edgardo Andrada, Vasco won the Campeonato Carioca for the first time in 12 years. In 1974, they won their first league title, with Roberto Dinamite as the top scorer. In addition, they became the first team from Rio to win the league. Cruzeiro and Vasco had ended the season with the same number of points, meaning that a second match had to be played; Vasco later beat Cruzeiro 2–1 and won the title.

### 1997–2000: Second Golden era

After winning the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1997, beating Palmeiras in the final, Vasco started its Projeto Tóquio, and invested US$10 million to win the 1998 Copa Libertadores. Vasco da Gama won the Copa Libertadores in its Centenary Year, beating Barcelona of Ecuador in the finals 4–1 on aggregate, and 50 years after winning its first South American trophy (South American Championship of Champions).
By winning the Copa Libertadores title, Vasco da Gama earned a berth in the 1998 Intercontinental Cup, where they faced the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid and lost 2–1.
As a result of their Copa Libertadores title two years prior, Vasco earned a berth for the inaugural 2000 FIFA Club World Championship held in Brazil. They beat Manchester United of England, Necaxa of Mexico, and South Melbourne of Australia in the group stage to reach the final. It finished 0–0 after extra time in an all-Brazilian clash with Corinthians, but Vasco lost 3–4 in the penalty shootout.
Vasco's Copa Mercosur campaign that year began with a 4–3 loss to Peñarol, but Vasco eventually qualified to the knockout round with ten points. In the quarter finals, Vasco eliminated Rosario Central on penalties after the Argentine side scored a late equalizer to send the game to a penalty shootout. In the semi-finals, Vasco eliminated River Plate 5–1 on aggregate, with a famous 4–1 victory at Estadio Monumental in the first leg. Vasco qualified to the finals against Palmeiras, and typically the finals are played over two legs, but a third match would be needed if a different team won each leg. This ended up being the case; Vasco had won the first leg 2–0, but Palmeiras won the second leg 1–0 six days later. On 20 December 2000, in a match which is still considered as one of the best in Brazilian football history, Vasco found itself trailing 3–0 at half-time, and Palmeiras had scored 2 goals in less than a minute; Vasco managed to score 3 goals to level the match at 3–3 with five minutes remaining, while playing with 10 men after Júnior Baiano got a red card in the 77th minute. In the 93rd minute, Romário scored a decisive goal and Vasco won the match 4–3.
Vasco also won the Copa João Havelange in 2000. Seen as a controversial competition organized by Clube dos 13 rather than CBF, Vasco played São Caetano in the finals. The club drew the first game 1–1 at Estádio Palestra Itália, and the second game was called off by Rio de Janeiro State Governor Anthony Garotinho in the first half because a fence collapsed at São Januário, which resulted in many injuries. Despite the disaster, Vasco won the rescheduled second leg 3–1 at the Maracana to lift the trophy for its fourth national league title.

### 2001–2008: Decline

In the 2001 Copa Libertadores, Vasco became the first team to win all six group games, which included big victories (0–3 and 4–1), against Colombian champions América de Cali. In the round of 16, the club eliminated Deportes Concepción, but then suffered a 4–0 aggregate loss against eventual champions Boca Juniors, which was considered a disappointing elimination despite the high hopes that were set after their perfect group stage run.
Shortly after the 2001 season, the club experienced a sharp decline, finishing 15th in 2002 and narrowly avoiding relegation in 2003 and 2004, although in 2005 they qualified for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana with a 12th-placed finish. Vasco's 2006 season was decent, finishing sixth in the league and gaining qualification for the following years Sudamericana, as well as reaching the Copa do Brasil final for the first time, losing to Flamengo.

#### 2008: Relegation

The team finished the 2008 Série A in a disastrous 18th place and was relegated to the second division for the first time since its foundation after a 0–2 home loss against Vitória. Until then, it had been one of only six clubs to have never been relegated from the first division, along with Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Santos and São Paulo. (The last two did not participate in the 1979 Brazilian Championship, in order to avoid conflicts with Paulista Championship schedule.)
Despite suffering relegation, Vasco had a respectable run in the Copa do Brasil, making it al the way to the semi-finals where they were eliminated by eventual champion Sport Recife on penalties.
Vasco immediately secured their return to Serie A, sealing promotion to the 2010 Série A on 7 November 2009 with a 2–1 victory over Juventude in front of a Serie B-record 81,000 fans at Maracanã, and finishing as Serie B champions as well.

### 2010–present: Inconsistency

In the 2010 league season, their first season back in the top flight since relegation, Vasco finished in 11th place, and qualified for the 2011 Copa Sudamericana. In the 2010 Copa do Brasil, Vasco reached the quartefinals, being eliminated by Vitória on away goals.

#### 2011–2012: Copa do Brasil title and Return to Copa Libertadores

Vasco had a poor start to the 2011 season, losing four consecutive games in the Guanabara Cup, which led to the sacking of Paulo Gusmāo and the appointment of Ricardo Gomes. With the arrival of Gomes, combined with the arrivals of Alecsandro, Bernardo, and Diego Souza, the club fared better in the Rio Cup, losing only once on their way to the final, where they lost on penalties to Flamengo. In the Copa do Brasil, Vasco were unbeaten on their way to the finals, where they beat Coritiba on away goals and lifted the trophy for the first time in the club's history; just three days after the first leg, Coritiba beat Vasco 5–1 in the league. Despite the heavy defeat, Vasco enjoyed an excellent league campaign, finishing only 2 points behind Corinthians. A win on the last matchday would've given them the title, as Corinthians drew their match, but Flamengo held Vasco to a draw. The club also ended the year as semifinalists in the Copa Sudamericana, a competition that saw the club defeat Palmeiras on away goals, and achieve comeback victories against Aurora and Universitario, before being eliminated by eventual champion Universidad de Chile. The season was dubbed as Vasco's "Redemption Year", with many lauding Vasco as one of Brazilian football's elite teams once again.
Vasco's played their first final of the 2012 season in the Guanabara Cup, losing 1–3 to Fluminense after eliminating Flamengo in the semifinals. Two months later, they were playing a final again, this time losing to Botafogo in the Rio Cup, eliminating Flamengo in the semifinals again.
Vasco qualified for the 2012 Copa Libertadores as Brazilian Cup champion, marking a return to the top South American competition after 12 years. In the group stage, Vasco finished second tied with Libertad on points and only losing once. Vasco beat Lanús on penalties in the round of 16, to set a quarterfinal matchup with Corinthians, who eliminated Vasco 1–0 with an 88th-minute goal by Paulinho. In the Brazilian Championship, the team set the record for 54 consecutive rounds in the top 4 (continuing from the 2011 and 2012 seasons), although they ultimately finished in fifth and missed out on qualifying for the Libertadores the following year due to poor form, losing six of their last ten games.

#### 2013: Second relegation

After a good season in 2012, Vasco started their 2013 poorly and were hampered by financial issues. In the Taca Rio, the club had a terrible campaign and finished seventh of eight in the table. By the end of the year, the club had been relegated for the second time in 5 years and just the second time in their history, which was secured with a 5–1 defeat to Atletico Paranaense on the final matchday. In the Copa do Brasil the team entered in the round of 16, beating Nacional and then being eliminated by Goiás on away goals, despite winning the second leg 3–2.

#### 2014–2021: Double relegation, back-to-back Carioca titles

After one season in the Série B during 2014, Vasco gained promotion and in May 2015 won the Campeonato Carioca after a 12-year hiatus. However, they were relegated again in the 2015 edition, placing eighteenth. In 2016, Vasco became back-to-back Carioca champions and had a 34-match unbeaten streak, their longest in official games. Once again, they were promoted after one season in Série B. However, in the 2020 season, they were relegated for the fourth time and then failed to gain promotion during the 2021 season, placing tenth.

#### 2022: Takeover by 777 Partners and return to Série A

On 22 February 2022 it was announced that 777 Partners, a Miami-based private investment firm founded by Steven W. Pasko and Josh Wander, bought a controlling stake in Vasco da Gama. According to the terms of the deal, 777 Partners acquired a 70% stake in the club which was valued at approximately $330 million.
On 6 November 2022, Vasco sealed their return to Série A after a two-year absence, finishing fourth in the league table. Their promotion was secured after a difficult 1–0 victory against Ituano, through a penalty scored by Nenê.
The club finished 15th in the 2023 Série A and improved this with a 10th-placed finish in the 2024 Série A.

## Identity
### Logo

Vasco's first shield was created in 1898. The current shield with the diagonal sash was not adopted until the 1920s. The current shield bears a black background, with a white diagonal sash going left to right, that has a sailboat in the center, and letters CR and VG being directly left and below the sailboat respectively.
In 1980, an outline was added to the logo. The logo has gone through various changes throughout the years, but still resembles the main layout used in 1920. The current logo, adopted in 2021, curved the sails of the sailboat and the flag on top, emphasized the waves, added a front spine to the sailboat, and removed the rectangles that had been present in the 2015 logo.
Given the 2017 Royal Patronage, the shied logo can be topped by the Portuguese royal heraldic crown.

### Kit evolution

Vasco da Gama is one of the oldest Brazilian clubs and has had several different kits in its history. Vasco da Gama's first kit, used in rowing, was created in 1898, and was primarily black, with a left white diagonal sash.
Vasco's first football kit, created in 1916, was completely black, and was easily identified because of the presence of a white tie and a belt. In 1929, the tie and the belt were removed. However, the kit remained all-black. In the 1930s, the home kit's color was changed again; it became black with a white right diagonal sash.
In 1945, the kit's color was changed to white, and a black diagonal sash was introduced. The sash was introduced because the club's manager at the time, Uruguayan Ondino Viera liked the sash used in his previous club's kit, River Plate of Argentina, and adopted this pattern in Vasco's away kit. So, both kits had a right-to-left diagonal sash.
In the 1970s the Order of Christ Cross was replaced with the cross pattée, which is still used today.
In 1988, the sash located on the back of the shirt was removed. At the beginning of the 90s, stars representing the club's titles began to be used above the logo, and numbers were black and white instead of red. In 1996, the sash located on the back was returned. This kit became very similar to the 1945 one, with the exception of the addition of a thin red line that outlines the sash.
Vasco currently has three kits. The home shirt's main color is black with a white sash. The short and the socks are black. The away kit is similar to the home kit, but the main color is white, the sash is black, and the shorts and socks are white. In 2009–10 the third kit was all white, with a red "cross of the Knights Templar". In 2010, the away kit changed to black in honor of 1923's team, which was willing to give up playing in the following year due to other clubs' opposition to Vasco having black players.
From July 2009, after breaking the partnership with Champs, to 2013, the official jerseys were produced by Penalty. Since 2020, the kits are made by Kappa (brand).

### Anthems

Vasco's official anthem was composed in 1918, by Joaquim Barros Ferreira da Silva, and it was the club's first anthem. There is another official anthem, created in the 1930s, called "Meu Pavilhão" (meaning My Pavilion), whose lyrics were composed by João de Freitas and music by Hernani Correia. This anthem replaced the previous one. The club's most popular anthem, however, is an unofficial anthem composed by Lamartine Babo in 1942.

### Royal Patronage

Since 2017, Vasco has been able to use the word Royal before its name, "Real Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama", through the Royal Decree of the Head of the Portuguese Royal House, Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança, which renewed and conferred the Royal Patronage on Vasco da Gama. The royal title would be granted to the club in 1908, in its first decade of existence, on the occasion of the visit of the King Carlos I to Brazil, who had already decided to renew and confer the title of "Royal Society", which Vasco had already enjoyed during the period when Luís I was King of Portugal, but was prevented from doing so by the regicide of February 1, 1908.

## Stadium

Vasco da Gama's stadium is São Januário, inaugurated in 1927, with a maximum capacity of 35,000 people. For national matches, however, the stadium could only fit at most 21,880 people for security reasons. Occasionally, Vasco uses the 78,000-seater Maracanã for derbies or international matches.

## Supporters

According to census and polls, Vasco da Gama is the second most supported club in Rio de Janeiro state, and varies between the third and fifth most supported club in Brazil, with an estimate of more than 15 million supporters in the country. Vasco fans are very diverse stretching across social class lines, however the core of most Vasco support lies within the working class of the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro and Rio outskirt cities like Niterói. Vasco da Gama have significant support in other regions in Brazil, notably the Northeastern and North regions as well as strongholds in southern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and in Santa Catarina. Vasco also have a huge support in Distrito Federal; a study conducted by TV Globo concluded that Vasco were the second-most supported team in the city, behind Flamengo. As of 29 June 2022, the club has 60,326 sócios in its membership program, having its peak in December 2019 with more than 178,000 memberships. In April 2023, CNN carried out a survey that revealed that Vasco is the team with the most fans considered "fanatics" in the Southeast Region clubs and among the G-12 (Big Twelve), in addition to being the third in the country.

### Main torcidas organizadas

* Força Jovem do Vasco
* Guerreiros do Almirante
* Ira Jovem
* Torcida Organizada do Vasco
* Rasta do Vasco
* Força Independente
* Mancha Negra
* Vasconha
* União Vascaína
* Super Jovem
* Loucos pelo Vasco

### Notable or public supporters

* Agepê (1942–1995): singer.
* Aldir Blanc (1946–2020): writer.
* Antônio Pitanga (1939–): actor.
* Aracy de Almeida (1914–1988): singer.
* Bia Feres (1988–): swimmer.
* Branca Feres (1988–): swimmer.
* Sérgio Cabral Filho (1963–): journalist, politician, Governor of Rio de Janeiro state from 2007 to 2014.
* Camila Morgado (1975–): actress.
* Camila Pitanga (1977–): actress.
* Carlos Drummond de Andrade (1902–1987): poet.
* Casimiro (1993–): streamer.
* Chacrinha (1917–1988): communicator.
* Chico Anysio (1931–2012): comedian.
* Philippe Coutinho (1992–): footballer, former Vasco da Gama player (2009–2010).
* Cabo Daciolo (1976–): firefighter, politician, Federal Deputy of Brazil for Rio de Janeiro from 2015 to 2019.
* Edmundo (1971–): former footballer, former Vasco da Gama player (1992; 1996–1997; 1999–2000; 2003; 2008).
* Eduardo Paes (1969–): bachelor, politician, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro city since 2021 and from 2009 to 2017.
* Erasmo Carlos (1941–2022): singer.
* Fátima Bernardes (1962–): journalist.
* Fernanda Abreu (1961–): singer.
* Ferreira Gullar (1930–2016): poet.
* Gonzaguinha (1945–1991): singer.
* Iza (1990–): singer.
* Jamelão (1913–2008): singer.
* João Gilberto (1931–2019): singer.
* José Paulo Lanyi (1970–): journalist, writer, and filmmaker.
* Juliana Paes (1979–): actress.
* Kevin O Chris (1996–): singer.
* Lexa (1995–): singer.
* Lindbergh Farias (1969–): politician, Federal Deputy of Brazil for Rio de Janeiro since 2023.
* Luiz Melodia (1951–2017): singer.
* Marcelo Camelo (1978–): singer.
* Marcos Palmeira (1963–): actor.
* Mart'nália (1965–): singer.
* Martinho da Vila (1938–): singer.
* Miguel Falabella (1955–): actor.
* Murilo Rosa (1970–): actor.
* Nelson Cavaquinho (1911–1986): singer.
* Nelson Sargento (1924–2021): singer.
* Paulinho da Viola (1942–): singer.
* Paulo Coelho (1947–): writer.
* Pelé (1940–2022): former footballer, three-time World Cup champion.
* Nelson Piquet (1952–): former racing driver, three-time Formula One world champion.
* Fábio Porchat (1983–): comedian.
* Rachel de Queiroz (1910–2003): author.
* Renato Aragão (1935–): comedian.
* Roberto Carlos (1941–): singer.
* Rodrigo Hilbert (1980–): actor.
* Rodrigo Santoro (1975–): actor.
* Rubem Fonseca (1925–2020): writer.
* Sônia Braga (1950–): actress.
* Taís Araújo (1978–): actress.
* Tay Melo (1995–): professional wrestler.
* Teresa Cristina (1968–): singer.
* João Ubaldo Ribeiro (1941–2014): writer.
* Viviane Araújo (1975–): actress.
* Whindersson Nunes (1995–): comedian.

## Honours

Vasco's first trophy was the 1923 Campeonato Carioca, during the club's debut season in the state's first division, won by a squad in which the majority of players were black and which greatly influenced the fight against racism in Brazilian football. For a large portion of fans, the club's most important honour is not a trophy, but rather the Resposta Histórica, a letter sent in 1924 refusing the discriminatory order of the Rio de Janeiro league, which wanted to ban Vasco from its competitions if it did not disaffiliate twelve of its players (all black).
Vasco is the first Brazilian team (club or national team) to win an international tournament and the first club in the world to win a continental-level tournament, the 1948 South American Championship of Champions. The club was also the first to win an intercontinental tournament contested by two continental champion clubs, the 1957 Tournoi de Paris, against Real Madrid in the final.
In terms of the number of trophies won, Vasco's most successful decade was the 1990s, when the club won two Campeonato Brasileiro titles, four Campeonato Carioca, one Torneio Rio–São Paulo, one Copa Libertadores and one Copa Mercosul.

### Official tournaments

Intercontinental :
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Tournoi de Paris | 1 | 1957 |
| Torneio Octogonal Rivadavia Correa Meyer | 1 | 1953 |
| Continental |
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Copa Libertadores | 1 | 1998 |
| South American Championship of Champions | 1 | 1948 |
| Copa Mercosul | 1$^s$ | 2000 |
| National |||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | 4 | 1974, 1989, 1997, 2000 |
| Copa do Brasil | 1 | 2011 |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série B | 1 | 2009 |
| Inter-state |||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Torneio Rio–São Paulo | 3 | 1958, 1966, 1999 |
| Torneio João Havelange | 1 | 1993 |
| State |||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Carioca | 24 | 1923, 1924, 1929, 1934, 1936, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1970, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003, 2015, 2016 |
| Copa Rio | 2 | 1992, 1993 |
* record
* $^s$ shared record

### Others tournaments
#### International

* Torneio Luiz Aranha (1): 1940
* Chile International Tournament (1): 1953
* Torneio Internacional do Rio de Janeiro (2): 1953, 1965
* Teresa Herrera Trophy (1): 1957
* Chile International Triangular Tournament (1): 1957
* Lima Quadrangular Tournament (1): 1957
* Santiago Tournament (2): 1957, 1963
* Pentagonal Tournament of Mexico (1): 1963
* Trofeo Ciudad de Sevilla (1): 1979
* Festa d'Elx Trophy (1): 1979
* Colombino Trophy (1): 1980
* Torneio Madeira Autonomia (1): 1981
* Summer Tournament (1): 1982
* TAP Cup (1): 1987
* Los Angeles Golden Cup (1): 1987
* Ramón de Carranza Trophy (3): 1987, 1988, 1989
* Metz Tournament (1): 1989
* Friendship Tournament (1): 1991
* Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy (1): 1993
* Trofeo Ciudad de Zaragoza (1): 1993
* Troféu Ciudad de Palma de Mallorca (1): 1995
* Trofeo Bortolotti (1): 1997

#### Inter-state

* Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio–São Paulo: 1936
* Torneio Cinquentenário da Federação Pernambucana (1): 1965
* Torneio Imprensa de Santa Catarina (1): 1977
* Torneio José Fernandes (1): 1980
* Torneio João Castelo (1): 1982
* Taça Cidade de Juiz de Fora (2): 1986, 1987
* Copa da Hora (1): 2010

#### State

* Taça Guanabara (13): 1965, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2016, 2019
* Taça Rio (11): 1984, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2017, 2021
* Other Campeonato Carioca rounds (9): 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1997
* Torneio Municipal (4): 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947
* Torneio Relâmpago (2): 1944, 1946
* Torneio Extra (2): 1973, 1990
* Torneio Início (10): 1926, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1942, 1944, 1945

### Runners-up

* FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2000
* Intercontinental Cup (1): 1998
* Copa Interamericana (1): 1998
* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (4): 1965, 1979, 1984, 2011
* Copa do Brasil (1): 2006
* Supercopa do Brasil (1): 1990
* Torneio Rio–São Paulo (7): 1950, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1965, 2000
* Campeonato Carioca (26): 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1944, 1948, 1961, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979-I, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2014, 2018, 2019

### Youth team

* Copa do Brasil Sub-20 (1): 2020
* Supercopa do Brasil Sub-20 (1): 2020
* Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (1): 1992
* Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores (3): 1991, 1992, 2013
* Copa Macaé de Juvenis (1): 1998

## Statistics

Key:
* Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
* Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
* Promoted
* Relegated

## Players
### First team squad

    As of 27 February 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | BRA | Léo Jardim (vice-captain) |
| 2 | DF | URU | José Luis Rodríguez |
| 3 | MF | BRA | Tchê Tchê |
| 4 | DF | URU | Mauricio Lemos |
| 5 | MF | BRA | Souza |
| 6 | DF | BRA | Lucas Piton |
| 7 | FW | BRA | David (on loan from Internacional) |
| 8 | MF | BRA | Jair |
| 10 | MF | FRA | Dimitri Payet |
| 11 | MF | BRA | Philippe Coutinho (on loan from Aston Villa) |
| 12 | DF | BRA | Victor Luis |
| 13 | GK | BRA | Daniel Fuzato |
| 15 | FW | ARG | Benjamín Garré |
| 16 | FW | BRA | Maxsuell (on loan from Nova Iguaçu) |
| 17 | FW | POR | Nuno Moreira |
| 18 | MF | BRA | Paulinho |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 20 | MF | ARG | Juan Sforza |
| 21 | FW | CHI | Jean Meneses |
| 25 | MF | BRA | Hugo Moura |
| 26 | MF | SUI | Maxime Dominguez |
| 28 | FW | BRA | Adson |
| 29 | DF | BRA | Lucas Oliveira |
| 37 | GK | BRA | Pablo |
| 38 | DF | BRA | João Victor |
| 43 | DF | BRA | Lucas Freitas |
| 45 | FW | ANG | Loide Augusto |
| 77 | FW | BRA | Rayan |
| 85 | MF | BRA | Mateus Carvalho |
| 90 | FW | BRA | Alex Teixeira |
| 96 | DF | BRA | Paulo Henrique |
| 99 | FW | ARG | Pablo Vegetti (captain) |

#### Youth academy

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | MF | BRA | Estrella |
| 19 | FW | BRA | GB |
| 22 | DF | BRA | Paulo Ricardo |
| 30 | MF | BRA | Lukas Zuccarello |
| 33 | DF | BRA | Lyncon |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 40 | GK | BRA | Phillipe Gabriel |
| 44 | DF | BRA | Luiz Gustavo |
| 70 | MF | BRA | Euder |
| 72 | FW | BRA | Bruno Lopes |
| 98 | MF | BRA | JP |

#### Other players with contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 55 | GK | BRA | Alexander |
| 58 | MF | BRA | Lucas Eduardo |
| — | GK | BRA | Allan Vitor |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ARG | Manuel Capasso |
| — | DF | BRA | Riquelme |
| — | MF | BRA | Patrick de Lucca |

### Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 66 | DF | BRA | Leandrinho (on loan at Al-Shabab until 30 June 2025) |
| 88 | MF | BRA | Cauan Barros (on loan at América Mineiro until 30 November 2025) |
| — | DF | BRA | Maicon (on loan at Coritiba until 31 December 2025) |
| — | DF | BRA | Roger (on loan at Água Santa until 6 April 2025) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | BRA | Ray (on loan at Pouso Alegre until 28 September 2025) |
| — | FW | BRA | Erick Marcus (on loan at Ludogorets until 30 June 2025) |
| — | FW | BRA | Figueiredo (on loan at América Mineiro until 30 November 2025) |
| — | FW | BRA | Paixão (on loan at Polissya Zhytomyr until 30 June 2025) |

## Personnel
### Coaching and medical staff

* Head coach: Fábio Carille
* First-team goalkeeping coach: Mateus Famer
* First-team fitness coach: Cyro Bueno, Marcelo Arouca
* Medical staff: Ricardo Bastos, Rodrigo Sasson
* Academy director: Rodrigo Dias
Source:

### Management staff

* Associative club (69% SAF):
** Chairman: Pedrinho
** Vice-chairman: Paulo Cesar Salomão
* 777 Partners (31% SAF): Joshua Wander, Andres Blazquez, Donald Dransfield, Nicolas Maya, Steven W. Pasko
* Football director: Marcelo Sant'Ana
* Technical director: Felipe Jorge Loureiro
* Football manager: Clauber Rocha
Source:

## Former head coaches

* Ramón Platero (1922–1926)
* "Harry" Welfare (1927–1937)
* Floriano Peixoto Corrêa (1937–1938)
* Russinho (1938)
* Carlos Scarone (1938–1939)
* Ramón Platero (1939–1940)
* Gentil Cardoso (1940)
* "Harry" Welfare (1940–1942)
* Telêmaco Frazão de Lima (1942)
* "Harry" Welfare (1942–1943)
* Ondino Viera (1943–1946)
* Ernesto Santos (1946)
* Roque Calocero (1946–1947)
* Otto Glória (1947)
* Flávio Costa (1947–1951)
* Otto Glória (1951–1952)
* Gentil Cardoso (1952–1953)
* Flávio Costa (1953–56)
* Martim Francisco (1956–1957)
* Gradim (1957–1959)
* Yustrich (1959–60)
* Ely (1960)
* Filpo Núñez (1960)
* Ely (1960)
* Abel Picabea (1960–1961)
* Martim Francisco (1961)
* Ely (1961)
* Paulo Amaral (1961–62)
* Jorge Vieira (1962–1963)
* Otto Glória (1963)
* Eduardo Pelegrini (1963)
* Duque (1964)
* Ely (1964)
* Zezé Moreira (1965–1966)
* Ely (1966)
* Célio de Souza (1966)
* Zizinho (1967)
* Gentil Cardoso (1967)
* Ademir (1967)
* Paulinho (1968)
* Pinga (1968–1969)
* Evaristo de Macedo (1969)
* Paulinho (1969)
* Célio de Souza (1969)
* Tim (1970)
* Paulo Amaral (1971)
* Admildo Chirol [pt] (1971)
* Zizinho (1972)
* Célio de Souza (1972)
* Mário Travaglini (1972–75)
* Paulo Emilio (1976)
* Orlando Fantoni (1977–78)
* Carlos Froner (1979)
* Gílson Nuñes (1979)
* Otto Glória (1979)
* Orlando Fantoni (1980)
* Gílson Nuñes (1980)
* Mário Zagallo (1980–81)
* Antônio Lopes (1981–83)
* Zanata (1983)
* Júlio César Leal (1983)
* Otto Glória (1983)
* Júlio César Leal (1983)
* Edu Coimbra (1984–1885)
* Antônio Lopes (1985–1886)
* Cláudio Garcia (1986)
* Joel Santana (1986–1887)
* Sebastião Lazaroni (1987–1988)
* Zanata (1988–1989)
* Orlando Lelé (1989)
* Sérgio Cosme (1989)
* Alcir Portela (1990)
* Nelsinho Rosa (1989)
* Alcir Portela (1990)
* Mário Zagallo (1990–1991)
* Antônio Lopes (1991)
* Nelsinho Rosa (1992)
* Joel Santana (1992–1993)
* Alcir Portela (1993)
* Gaúcho (1993)
* Jair Pereira (1994)
* Sebastião Lazaroni (1994)
* Nelsinho Rosa (1995)
* Abel Braga (1995)
* Alcir Portela (1995)
* Jair Pereira (1995)
* Zanata (1995–1996)
* Alcir Portela (1996)
* Carlos Alberto Silva (1996)
* Alcir Portela (1996)
* Antônio Lopes (1996–2000)
* Abel Braga (2000)
* Alcir Portela (interim) (2000)
* Tita (1 January 2000 – 30 June 2000)
* Oswaldo de Oliveira (2000)
* Joel Santana (2000–01)
* Alcir Portela (2001)
* Hélio dos Anjos (2001)
* Paulo César Gusmão (2001)
* Evaristo de Macedo (2002)
* Antônio Lopes (2002–03)
* Mauro Galvão (2003)
* Geninho (15 December 2003 – 27 September 2004)
* Joel Santana (27 September 2004 – 20 April 2005)
* Dário Lourenço (2005)
* Renato Gaúcho (18 July 2005 – 12 April 2007)
* Celso Roth (15 April 2007 – 22 October 2007)
* Romário (interim) (22 October 2007 – 25 October 2007)
* Valdir Espinosa (26 October 2007 – 31 December 2007)
* Romário (1 January 2008 – 9 February 2008)
* Alfredo Sampaio (2008)
* Antônio Lopes (31 March 2008 – 7 August 2008)
* Tita (7 August 2008 – 17 September 2008)
* Renato Gaúcho (18 September 2008 – 7 December 2008)
* Dorival Júnior (12 December 2008 – 7 December 2009)
* Vágner Mancini (12 December 2009 – 26 March 2010)
* Gaúcho (interim) (30 March 2010 – 18 May 2010)
* Celso Roth (18 May 2010 – 12 June 2010)
* PC Gusmão (13 June 2010 – 28 January 2011)
* Ricardo Gomes (2 February 2011 – 28 August 2012)
* Cristóvão Borges (29 August 2011 – 10 September 2012)
* Gaúcho (interim) (11 September 2012 – 13 September 2012)
* Marcelo Oliveira (13 September 2012 – 5 November 2012)
* Gaúcho (6 November 2012 – 21 March 2013)
* Paulo Autuori (22 March 2013 – 9 July 2013)
* Dorival Júnior (11 July 2013 – 28 October 2013)
* Adílson Batista (2013–14)
* Joel Santana (2014)
* Doriva (Jan 2015 – July 2015)
* Celso Roth (July 2015 – Aug 2015)
* Jorginho (Aug 2015 – Nov 2016)
* Cristóvão Borges (Dec 2016 – March 2017)
* Milton Mendes (March 2017 – Aug 2017)
* Zé Ricardo (Aug 2017 – Jun 2018)
* Jorginho (Jun 2018 – Aug 2018)
* Alberto Valentim (Aug 2018 – April 2019)
* Vanderlei Luxemburgo (May 2019 – December 2019)
* Abel Braga (January 2020 – May 2020)
* Ramon Menezes (May 2020 – October 2020)
* Ricardo Sá Pinto (October 2020 – December 2020)
* Vanderlei Luxemburgo (December 2020 – February 2021 )
* Siston (interim) (2021)
* Cabo (2021)
* A. Gomes (interim) (2021)
* Lisca (2021)
* Diniz (2021)
* Cortez (interim) (2021)
* Zé Ricardo (2022)
* Faro (interim) (2022)
* M. Souza (2022)
* Maurício Barbieri (2023)
* Ramón Díaz (15 July 2023 – 27 April 2024)
* Rafael Paiva (interim) (28 April 2024 – )
* Álvaro Pacheco (2024)

## Top scorers

Source:
| Rank | Player | Years | Goals |
| 1. | Roberto Dinamite | 1971–79, 1980–89, 1991–93 | 702 |
| 2. | Romário | 1985–88, 2000–02, 2005–06, 2007–08 | 326 |
| 3. | Ademir Menezes | 1942–45, 1948–56 | 301 |
| 4. | Pinga | 1953–61 | 250 |
| 5. | Russinho | 1924–34 | 225 |
| 6. | Ipojucan | 1944–54 | 225 |
| 7. | Vavá | 1952–58 | 191 |
| 8. | Sabará | 1952–64 | 165 |
| 9. | Lelé | 1943–48 | 147 |
| 10. | Valdir Bigode | 1992–94, 2002–04 | 143 |
| 11. | Edmundo | 1992, 1996–97, 1999–00, 2003, 2008 | 138 |

## Rivalries

Vasco's biggest rivals are the other clubs in Rio de Janeiro: Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense. However, Vasco also attracts antipathy from fans of several other clubs across the country. According to a survey released by ESPN, Vasco is the third most hated club in the country, behind Flamengo and Corinthians, the clubs with the largest number of fans. This is mainly due to the past history of controversial managers and players who passed through the club.
Vasco's biggest rivalry is against Flamengo, called the Clássico dos Milhões (Derby of the Millions), usually played at the Maracanã and whose name comes from the fact that Flamengo and Vasco have the largest fanbases in the Rio de Janeiro and two of the 5 largest of Brazil. The teams first met in 1922, with Flamengo winning 1–0. This rivalry has the highest average attendance in the Serie A.
Vasco holds other strong local rivalry with Fluminense, whose matches are known as Clássico dos Gigantes (Giants Derby). The derby gets its name because of the "giant" matches between the two, mainly the finals of the 1984 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, which Flumiense won, and the 1985 Copa Libertadores group stage matches, which ended in two draws. The 1984 final had an attendance of 128,781 people, one of the largest in the history of Brazilian football.
The Clássico da Amizade (Friendship Derby) is the rivlary between Vasco and Botafogo, that gets its name due to the "mild" rivalry both have, due to Vasco having a large margin of victories over Botafogo and there being few decisive matches between them. Nevertheless, Botafogo is one of Vasco's cross-city rivals and their matches usually draw crowds. In 2021, Botafogo beat Vasco 4–0 in the Serie B, virtually eliminating any possibility of promotion for Vasco, while Botafogo put themselves closer to promotion. The first match between the two clubs was in 1923, a 3–1 victory for Vasco.
The matches between Vasco and America are known as Clássico da Paz (Peace Derby). During the 20th century America was one of the top clubs in Rio, but towards the turn of the 21st century it declined in performance. On 12 February 2011, Vasco thrashed America 9–0, one of the worst defeats of any derby.

## Legacy

Due to Vasco's tradition, several clubs are named after it, including Associação Desportiva Vasco da Gama, of Acre state, founded in 1952, Vasco Esporte Clube, of Sergipe state, founded in 1931, Esporte Clube Vasco da Gama, of Americana, São Paulo state, founded in 1958, Vasco Sports Club, which is an Indian football club founded in 1951, and CR Vasco da Gama Football Club, which is a South African football club founded in 1980. Tomazinho Futebol Clube, from São João de Meriti, Rio de Janeiro state, founded in 1930, has a logo strongly inspired by Vasco's logo, and share the same colors.

## Other sports

Although best known as a football, rowing and swimming club, Vasco da Gama is actually a comprehensive sports club. Its basketball section, CR Vasco da Gama Basquete (three times Brazilian Champion and four times South-American Champion) produced former NBA player Nenê. The club is also the first Brazilian club to play against an NBA team, against San Antonio Spurs, in 1999, in the McDonald's Championship final. Its rowing team is one of the best of Brazil and of the continent, which swimmers regularly represent Brazil in international competitions. Vasco da Gama also has a four-times National Champion women's soccer team as well. Vasco's beach soccer team is one of the best in the world, being once World Champion, three times South-American Champion and many times National Champion. In addition to these, Vasco has many other sports with World, South American and Brazilian titles.