Santos' historic debut in 1912 | OneFootball

By Gabriel Pierin, from the Memory Center

The historic clash brought together Santos Foot-ball Club and its namesake, Santos Athletic Club — today famous as the “Englishmen’s Club” — at Velo Santista, the former ground of SC Internacional.

On that distant September 15, 1912, under a radiant sunny Sunday, the young left winger Arnaldo Silveira, “Miúdo,” just 18 years old, scored the first goal for the fledgling team. The club, which at the time had its headquarters at Largo do Rosário, originally wore white and blue colors with golden trim.

That first official match of the squad presided over by Sizino Colatino Martins Patusca served as a prelude to the many decades of glory and major achievements the newly founded club would go on to draw over the years to come.

Santos, which used to train in Villa Macuco, near the Santos docks, lined up for this pioneering match with French goalkeeper Julien Fauvel, Sidnei and Arantes; Ernani, Oscar and Montenegro; Adolpho Millon, Hugo, Nilo, Simon and Arnaldo Silveira.

On the other side, the team from the José Menino neighborhood fielded Parsons, Kent and Deweck; Woodon, Seddon and Lee; Saul, De Saone, Allen, V. Cross and Harold Cross. Curiously, one of Santos Athletic’s forwards was Harold Cross, one of Santos’s own founders, who in the following fixtures would join Santos’s attacking line.

The inaugural meeting ended with a 3-2 scoreline in favor of Santos FBC. The winning goals were scored by Arnaldo Silveira (2) and Adolpho Millon (1), while Lee netted twice for the British side.

On that same pitch, set on the charming and well-known Ana Costa avenue, Santos played 14 matches, collecting 11 wins and three draws, and also won the 1913 Campeonato Santista on that ground.

The press of the time immortalized the event with the following account:

“With a crowd the likes of which we had not seen for quite some time, the match between the distinguished English Club and Santos Foot-Ball Club was held yesterday. Around the field were the most distinguished English and Brazilian families. People discussed who would take the victory, some favoring the Brazilians, others the English. Once the contest began, at 2:30, the kick-off fell to the nationals, who soon lost the ball, though they quickly struck back, putting the English goal in serious danger. After a hard-fought battle, the first half ended with the following result: Santos Athletic Club 1 goal. Santos Foot-Ball Club 1 goal.

In the second half the contest became even fiercer, and the fine play of Montenegro, Oscar and Belmarço could be seen, increasing the score with 2 more goals for their team. The English, in turn, redoubled their efforts and got another goal, scored by Lee. It is worth highlighting goalkeeper Fauvel, who played admirably, as well as Montenegro, Simon, Belmarço and Arantes. Among the English, goalkeeper Person, Lee and Cross stood out. At 3:30 the game ended with the victory of Santos Foot-Ball Club by 3 goals to 2.”

That afternoon, with the gates open to the public, the Santos players took the field wearing white long-sleeved dress shirts, with a blue ribbon on their arms.

The first Meninos da Vila

Adolpho Millon Jr., son of captain Adolpho, and Arnaldo Silveira, nephew of president Sizino Patusca, emerged as the first two idols in the history of the Alvinegro Praiano. Both Meninos da Vila played a decisive role throughout the club’s first decade of existence.

The duo’s brilliance up front opened the way for them to be called up as starters for the first Brazil National Team in history, which played in the 1914 Copa Roca in Argentina. Their partnership with the national team lasted until the 1919 South American Championship, when they were crowned champions wearing Brazil’s colors.

Right winger Millon wore Santos’s black-and-white shirt until 1922, making 118 appearances and scoring 52 goals. Right winger Arnaldo Silveira, meanwhile, represented the Vila Belmiro eleven 132 times, finding the net 74 times.

Both stand out among the select group of the 39 founders of the most famous black-and-white club in the world.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.