Botafogo (Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas)

Botafogo, or more correctly, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, are a major force in Brazilian football, and one of the oldest clubs too. They are based in Rio de Janeiro and play out of Engenhao stadium which is in the district - wait for it! - Botafogo! 

Rio is home to 4 very big clubs and has one of the most dated rivalries in Brazilian soccer; Botafogo and Fluminense. The stadium which Botafogo play in is one of the newest in Brazil, it was actually built to house the Pan-American games before being handed over to the club. (they used to play at the Maracana). In typical Brazilian fun and humorous fashion the club's first mascot was Donald Duck, but due to some rather loud noises from Florida, abondoned the use of DD in favour of a Mannequin, which looks likely to be superceded by a dog, named; Biriba.

The club has a huge following in Brazil, and were at one point the 2nd most supported football club in Brazil, nowadays though, they are around the 8th or 9th best supported - interestingly, this drop in support has a relationship with the fact that most of Botafogo's support was gained during the 1950s and 60s, clearly they haven't managed to sustain and recruit the large volume of supporters needed to sustain 2nd spot in the supporters league. And finally, Botafogo's successes, surprisingly, they have only managed one national.first division title, but have been Rio de Janeiro State champions 18 times, in addition to winning, in 1993, the prestigious CONMEBOL Cup.