In order to measure the strength of the two first centers of association football in Brazil, the need arose to hold fixtures between footballers who played in the states of São Paulo and the Federal District of Rio de Janeiro. In 1901, the first combined teams were formed, later to later to become the more formalised state teams.
These were the ones responsible for holding the first international football match to take place in Brazilian territory. On 31 July 1906, at the Velódromo da Consolação, São Paulo (called "Brazilian representatives") against the South Africa FA took place. The South Africans (at the time, known as the All-White Team),[1]was touring across South America to play against Argentine teams, much more developed than the incipient Brazilian football. The result was a resounding 6–0 for the Africans.
In 1907, the first interstate competition in Brazil took place, the Taça Brasil de Seleções, putting rivals Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo face to face. São Paulo won both matches and conquered the first trophy in its history.[2]
With the growth of football in the country, the games of the São Paulo team became more frequent in the 1910s, with emphasis on international matches representing Brazil (which had not yet had the national team established) against Argentina in 1912 and Chile twice during 1913. The difference in development between Brazilian football and its neighbors at that time was still large, and São Paulo was defeated in all three matches.[1]
"The Tiger" Friedenreich era
The great name of the São Paulo team is undoubtedly Arthur Friedenreich. "The Tiger", as he became famous after CA Paulistano's tour of Europe in 1925,[3] the first great Brazilian footballer recognized internationally, lived his heyday during the 1920s, a time when state selections were consolidated as de facto like teams, and not merely representations of the leagues.[4]
This time, it was the state of São Paulo that was far ahead in development compared to the others, so big wins, some into double digits, were frequent in front of the other competitors. Friedenreich scored exactly 80 goals with the Seleção Paulista team shirt, more than Pelé for Brazil (77 goals). Another monster of that period, Feitiço, scored 69 goals, followed by Petronilho de Brito with 54.
Brazilian State Teams Championship
At that time, the state teams from Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Bahia were established, which would accompany Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in the first major competition of the category, the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais (English: Brazilian State Teams Championship). Organized from the 1920s to the 1960s almost without interruption, this was the golden age of state teams.[citation needed]
Large attendances were drawn to the grounds, which gradually stopped being simple pitches and became stadiums, a fundamental step for Brazil to develop the fever for football we know today. São Paulo is the second most successful team in the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais, with 13 titles (against 14 by Rio de Janeiro). The Minas Gerais and Bahia team also achieved the glory once.[citation needed]
Clubs football, schedule and decline
With increasingly professionalized football, international club competitions, transfers of great athletes to Europe, and the Brazil national team being a world phenomenon after the 1970 FIFA World Cup, the football of state teams began to fade. Just over twenty matches was played from the 1980s to 2010, the date of the last appearance of the São Paulo team; the state model so acclaimed at the beginning of the 20th century seems to no longer please the conventional supporter. No longer featuring the great idols, and especially, with no space in the tight schedule of Brazil's football calendar, state teams ended up practically buried. Officially, the federations do not consider the teams extinct, but in practice, there is no longer any interest in reactivating them.[citation needed]
With the creation of ConiFA, a São Paulo team was considered for the entity's competitions (São Paulo FAD),[5] but that has no relationship with the Federação Paulista de Futebol, and therefore, with the historical São Paulo state football team.[6]
Players
Following is the information about the players who appeared for the São Paulo state team:[7]
.png)
