Copa Sudamericana finalist Fortaleza celebrates 105 years of history

Leão do Pici could become the first team of the Northeast of Brazil to become champion of a continental competition

sambafoot_admin

2023-10-18 14:00:58

Image Credits: © (@FortalezaEC on X)

This Wednesday, October 18, Fortaleza Esporte Clube celebrates 105 years of history. Amidst the anniversary celebration, the club is 11 days away from playing the Sudamericana final against LDU (EQU) and might become the first team of the Northeast of Brazi lto win a continental competition.

But the history of Tricolor de Aço dates back to 1918, the year the club was founded. Alcides Santos was the creator of Fortaleza, initially named Fortaleza Sporting Clube. The change to the current name came in the 1940s.

One of the team’s brands is the Lion, symbolizing the strength of the team. In 2020, the club created a female mascot, called Stella, which dates back to the Stella Sporting Club team. The team was the inspiration for the creation of Fortaleza, which carries the colors blue, red and white throughout Brazil.

In 1920, Fortaleza lifted the Cearense Championship cup, the first of 46 victories in the tournament, being the greatest champion in history. The shelf of titles also includes the 2018 Series B and two Northeast Cups in 2019 and 2022.

Currently, Leão do Pici is experiencing one of the most important periods in its history on the national and international scene. Since 2019, the club has competed in Series A of the Brazilian Championship and achieved its best campaign in the competition in 2021, with fourth place, a position that guaranteed Fortaleza’s unprecedented participation in Libertadores the following year. That same year, the club reached the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil.

The president of Fortaleza, Marcelo Paz, described the emotion of leading the club on this anniversary and commented on what he expects from the club in the coming years.

“It’s a feeling of gratitude and joy. The club reaches 105 years with strength, with a young spirit, growing, both on and off the field. It’s a work of all the people who make up the club: management, councils, fans, players , employees, technical committee. Everyone has the same objective, which is for Fortaleza to win and progress. That we can continue with this mentality of doing what is right, of always putting the club first and representing our club well state and Brazilian football”, he stated.