The little World Cup of 1955 | OneFootball

In 1955, São Paulo enjoyed a victorious tour of Latin America. After leaving Mexico, the São Paulo delegation traveled to Colombia and Venezuela. In the latter country, by nomination of the CBD, they competed in and won the famous Little World Cup, a kind of club world tournament of that era, defeating major teams of the time: Benfica and Valencia.

The trip

The tour was organized by a sports events company called Alfonso Doce & Cia, from Buenos Aires, which covered all expenses for the Tricolor party. Leaving Bogotá on July 12, the São Paulo delegation headed to Caracas. There, they stayed at the Hotel del Comércio and were welcomed directly by the Brazilian ambassador, Dr. Joaquim de Souza Leão Filho, at the embassy itself and later at the official residence, where a cocktail reception was offered.

The Instituto Nacional del Deporte also welcomed the São Paulo party. At the institute, Dr. Darzell Freira Gaspar and Mr. Vicente Feola recorded radio talks on the subject of “athletes’ nutrition.” On television, Feola also spoke about sports organization in Brazil. The São Paulo party also paid tribute to the Venezuelan people by honoring and posing for photos next to the monument of the national hero, Simón Bolívar.

Also worthy of note were the courtesies extended by the Iribarren and Pereira de Freitas couples, who hosted a cocktail reception and dinner for the delegation’s leadership. The Portuguese community, from the newsroom of O Luzitano, also offered a cocktail reception with the presentation of medals. And the Trio Marabá (musical group), which was also touring there, provided moments of relaxation by offering them a Brazilian-style feijoada.

To Venezuelan president Marcos Pérez Jiménez were presented a flag “with Brazilian motifs,” a gold shield, and a silk pennant; to the Brazilian ambassador, Joaquim de Souza Leão Filho, a gold shield; to Lieutenant Colonel Frank Risgues Iribaren, a gold shield; to the Instituto Nacional del Deporte, a silk pennant.

The stay in Venezuela lasted 27 days. On August 7, the Tricolor side returned to Brazil, with an overnight stop in Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago). The next day they arrived in Belém and from there departed for Rio de Janeiro, where the flight ended at 6:40 p.m. Due to bad weather, they did not return to the city of São Paulo by plane. By train, the delegation finally arrived at Estação do Norte (Roosevelt) at 8:30 a.m. on August 9.

The campaign

The title-deciding match

08/04/1955. Little World Cup – Marcos Pérez Giménez Cup: Single Stage (Second Half). Caracas (Venezuela), Estádio Universitário de Caracas. VALENCIA-ESP 1 X 1 SÃO PAULO

SPFC: Jose Poy; De Sordi and Mauro; Pé de Valsa, Bauer and Turcão; Maurinho, Lanzoninho (Paraíba), Gino Orlando, Dino Sani and Canhoteiro (Válter). COACH: Vicente Feola. GOAL: Lanzoninho, 13/1.

OPPONENT: Timor, Quincoces, Socrates, Passieguito, Sandra, Puchardes, Manho, Fuertes, Wilkes, Buque, Segui. COACH: Carlos Iturraspe. GOAL: Magno, 37/2.

REFEREE: Benito Jackson (Venezuela). GATE RECEIPTS: 97,105.00 bolívares. PAID ATTENDANCE: 15000

Bauer lifts the championship trophy

The awards

Curiously, winning the Little World Cup earned the Tricolor not one, but five trophies:

By Michael Serra / João Farah Historical Archive

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