Palmeiras 1963

Palmeiras team that won the 1963 Campeonato Paulista, a conquest achieved in the midst of Pelé's Santos' hegemony and which preceded the formation of the so-called Primeira Academia palmeirense.

History

Founded in 1914 as Palestra Itália by the Italian community in São Paulo, Palmeiras adopted its current name in 1942. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the club remained among the protagonists of São Paulo and national football, competing for titles with Santos, São Paulo, and Corinthians. The 1963 Campeonato Paulista was won at a moment when Pelé's Santos dominated state, continental and world competitions. Breaking this sequence gave Palmeiras' title even greater symbolic weight. The squad brought together names of great prominence, such as winger Julinho Botelho, a standout at the 1954 World Cup, fullback Djalma Santos, two-time world champion with the Brazilian National Team, and young midfielder Ademir da Guia, who would become the greatest idol in the club's history and the player with the most appearances for Palmeiras. This group was the foundation of the team that, from 1965 onwards, became known as Primeira Academia, considered one of the most striking ensembles in Brazilian football and winner of state and national titles in the second half of the decade.