Atlético Monte Azul

Club founded in Monte Azul Paulista, in the interior of São Paulo, one of the most traditional teams in interior São Paulo football. Gained national repercussion in 2024 when it became a Football Public Company (SAF), with Neymar Sr. and Emerson Sheik among the investors.

History

Atlético Monte Azul was founded on April 28, 1920, by a group of residents of Monte Azul Paulista, including José Cione, who suggested the club's name in reference to the city itself. In the following decades, the team established itself as the main sports organization in the municipality. In the late 1940s, the club professionalized its football department and began competing in the São Paulo Championship starting in 1950. Its stadium, opened in 1944 with the name 'Nest of the Big Blue', was renamed in 2010 to Otacília Patrício Arroyo Stadium, in tribute to a matriarch of a family of club supporters. Among its main achievements are the Second Division title of the São Paulo Championship in 2004 and the title of the São Paulo Series A2 in 2009, obtained after defeating Rio Branco in the final, a result that guaranteed promotion to the elite of São Paulo football in 2010. In 2024, Monte Azul returned to national news when it became a SAF (Football Public Company), with the entry of investors linked to Neymar Sr. and former player Emerson Sheik, a move that brought new spotlight to the century-old club in the interior of São Paulo.