19 December 2004 - Santos Returns To The Top

On 19 December 2004, Santos won a record-tying eighth Brazilian league title, beating Vasco da Gama on the season's last day.

Santos had been the most dominant Brazilian team of the 1960s, winning six league titles between 1961 and 1968. But the four following decades were relatively barren in terms of major trophies (though they did win the 1998 Copa CONMEBOL). They started a resurgence in the early 2000s, winning a seventh title in 2002, then finishing as runners-up in 2003.

In 2004, led by their top scorers Deivid de Souza (22 goals) and Robinho (21), they started the season's last day in the top spot, one point ahead of Atlético Paranaense. Atlético were at home against relegation-threatened Botafogo, while Santos were at home against Vasco, who were stuck firmly in mid-table.

Needing a win to ensure their title, Santos got off to a quick start with a goal from Ricardinho in the 5th minute. Elano then doubled the lead in the 30th minute. Marco Brito pulled one back for the visitors in the 61st minute, but it was their only goal and the match finished as a 2-1 Santos win.

It was their eighth league title, matching the record set by Palmeiras in 1994. Palmeiras reclaimed the record in 2016, however, by winning a ninth title.

2 September 2008 - Robinho Turns Blue

On 2 September 2008, Manchester City announced the signing of Brazilian striker Robinho for a then-British record fee of £32.5 million. He was the club's first signing since reaching an agreement to accept the Abu Dhabi United Group as their new owners.

Robinho began his professional career in 2002 with Santos and received his first senior cap for Brazil the following year. In 2005, he moved to Real Madrid, helping them to back-to-back La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. In his three seasons there, he made 132 appearances in all competitions, scoring 35 goals. By the summer of 2008, however, he had fallen out with club owner Ramon Calderon, who had tried to use Robinho as part of a deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the club, and demanded a transfer.

Initial speculation focused on Chelsea as Robinho's likely destination, as one of the few clubs who could afford him. But the deep pockets of Manchester City's new owners allowed them to make a shock move for Robinho on the last day of the transfer window. In addition to the record fee, the four-year deal included wages of £160,000 per week.

In his first season at Eastlands, he made 41 appearances, scoring 15 goals, while City finished in a disappointing 10th place. Injuries limited his effectiveness in his second season and he scored only a single goal in 12 appearances before returning to Santos on loan for the remainder of the season. On 31 August 2010, he moved to AC Milan for an undisclosed fee.

14 April 1912 - The Saints Go Marching In

On 14 April 1912, a group of footballers in the Brazilian city of Santos, located in the state of São Paolo, founded a new football club which they named Santos FC. The club credits their formation to three men in particular - Raimundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos, and Argemiro de Souza Júnior. But they are best known as the 17-year home of Pelé.

Santos enjoyed some modest early success, winning a handful of regional competitions starting with the Santos City Championship in 1913 and 1915, but they reached their highest heights only after the arrival of the then 15-year old Pelé in 1956. Within a few short years, Santos were established as a national power, winning five consecutive Brazilian Cups from 1961 through 1965. During that period, they also twice won South America's Copa Libertadores (1962 and 1963).

After Pelé's departure in 1974 for the New York Cosmos, Santos went into decline. They enjoyed a resurgence in the early 2000s, however, winning the Brazilian top flight in 2002 and 2004 with help from their skillful young forward Robinho.

Robinho left in 2005 for Real Madrid, triggering another dip in Santos' fortunes. Although they have not won a league title since then, they've enjoyed international success, winning the Copa Libertadores in 2011 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2012 helped in both cases by the play of star forward Neymar, who left for Barcelona in 2013.

19 December 2004 - Santos Returns To The Top

On 19 December 2004, Santos won a record-tying eighth Brazilian league title, beating Vasco da Gama on the season's last day.

Santos had been the most dominant Brazilian team of the 1960s, winning six league titles between 1961 and 1968. But the four following decades were relatively barren in terms of major trophies (though they did win the 1998 Copa CONMEBOL). They started a resurgence in the early 2000s, winning a seventh title in 2002, then finishing as runners-up in 2003.

In 2004, led by their top scorers Deivid de Souza (22 goals) and Robinho (21), they started the season's last day in the top spot, one point ahead of Atlético Paranaense. Atlético were at home against relegation-threatened Botafogo, while Santos were at home against Vasco, who were stuck firmly in mid-table.

Needing a win to ensure their title, Santos got off to a quick start with a goal from Ricardinho in the 5th minute. Elano then doubled the lead in the 30th minute. Marco Brito pulled one back for the visitors in the 61st minute, but it was their only goal and the match finished as a 2-1 Santos win.

It was their eighth league title, matching the record set by Palmeiras in 1994. And it remains the current record, as neither team has since added to their total.

2 September 2008 - Robinho Turns Blue

On 2 September 2008, Manchester City announced the signing of Brazilian striker Robinho for a then-British record fee of £32.5 million. He was the club's first signing since reaching an agreement to accept the Abu Dhabi United Group as their new owners.

Robinho began his professional career in 2002 with Santos and received his first senior cap for Brazil the following year. In 2005, he moved to Real Madrid, helping them to back-to-back La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. In his three seasons there, he made 132 appearances in all competitions, scoring 35 goals. By the summer of 2008, however, he had fallen out with club owner Ramon Calderon, who had tried to use Robinho as part of a deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the club, and demanded a transfer.

Initial speculation focused on Chelsea as Robinho's likely destination, as one of the few clubs who could afford him. But the deep pockets of Manchester City's new owners allowed them to make a shock move for Robinho on the last day of the transfer window. In addition to the record fee, the four-year deal included wages of £160,000 per week.

In his first season at Eastlands, he made 41 appearances, scoring 15 goals, while City finished in a disappointing 10th place. Injuries limited his effectiveness in his second season and he scored only a single goal in 12 appearances before returning to Santos on loan for the remainder of the season. On 31 August 2010, he moved to AC Milan for an undisclosed fee.

14 April 1912 - The Saints Go Marching In

On 14 April 1912, a group of footballers in the Brazilian city of Santos, located in the state of São Paolo, founded a new football club which they named Santos FC. The club credits their formation to three men in particular - Raimundo Marques, Mário Ferraz de Campos, and Argemiro de Souza Júnior. But they are best known as the 17-year home of Pelé.

Santos enjoyed some modest early success, winning a handful of regional competitions starting with the Santos City Championship in 1913 and 1915, but they reached their highest heights only after the arrival of the then 15-year old Pelé in 1956. Within a few short years, Santos were established as a national power, winning five consecutive Brazilian Cups from 1961 through 1965. During that period, they also twice won South America's Copa Libertadores (1962 and 1963).

After Pelé's departure in 1974 for the New York Cosmos, Santos went into decline. They enjoyed a resurgence in the early 2000s, however, winning the Brazilian top flight in 2002 and 2004 with help from their skillful young forward Robinho.

Robinho left in 2005 for Real Madrid, triggering another dip in Santos' fortunes. They finished mid-table in 2009, finishing 12th out of 20 teams, but will enter the 2010 season next month with renewed optimism, having signed Robinho back on loan from Manchester City, whom he joined in 2008.