At a time marked by the expansion of railroads in Brazil, students from the Culto à Ciência school had the idea of founding a football team for the region. The year was 1900 and the neighborhood was located in the South Zone of Campinas, in São Paulo.
The students were inhabitants of Ponte Preta, named after a bridge built to integrate different parts of the city. A tar coating was applied to the bridge to reduce the effects of smoke emitted by the trains. Hence the name of the neighborhood and, later, on August 11, 1900, of Associação Atlética Ponte Preta.
Miguel do Carmo, Luiz Garibaldi Burghi, Antonio Oliveira (known as Tonico Campeão), Alberto Aranha, Dante Pera, Zico Vieira and Pedro Vieira da Silva are the founders of the club, which turns 123 this Friday (11). Pedro even became the first president in the history of Ponte Preta.
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Ponte Preta has its roots in the fight against racism. One of its founders, Miguel do Carmo, is the first black player in Brazilian football to play for a club. He played for the team between the years 1900 and 1904.
Among the nicknames, Macaca is the best known. The origin is linked to the way black Ponte Preta fans were received in opposing stadiums. To counter the chants, the crowd saw the offenses as an act of affirmation and adopted Macaca (monkey) as their mascot and one of the symbols of the club.
The Campinas team plays its matches at the Moisés Lucarelli Stadium, a name that pays homage to Moysés Lucarelli, the historical figure of Ponte and responsible for raising funds for the construction of the stadium.
In 2023, Ponte Preta competes in Serie B of the Brazilian Championship and occupies the 13th position. Macaca is looking to return to the national football elite, a competition in which it has not participated since 2017.
Some well-known Ponte Preta players
- Luis Fabiano
- Fábio Luciano
- Edson Boaro
- Juninho Fonseca
- Polozzi
- Waldir Peres
