Vasco da Gama Jersey

Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈklubi dʒi ʁeˈɡatɐz ˈvasku dɐ ˈɡɐ̃mɐ]; 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–Indian 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.

The club is recognized as the first continental champion of the world, having won the South American Championship of Champions in 1948, on its 50th anniversary. They defeated Real Madrid, then European champions, in the 1957 Tournoi de Paris, considered by FIFA as "the most notable encounter between teams from two continents before 1960". They won the Copa Libertadores in 1998, on their 100th anniversary. At the national level, Vasco da Gama has won four Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, one Copa do Brasil title and three Torneio Rio–São Paulo titles. At the state level, the club has also won 24 Campeonato Carioca titles.

Vasco da Gama News: