Corinthians

In 1910, the top clubs were formed by people who were part of the upper classes. Among them were Club Athletico Paulistano, São Paulo Athletic Club, & Associação Atlética das Palmeiras. Lower-class society, excluded from larger clubs due to the socioeconomic division, founded their own minnow clubs and only played "floodplain" football.^[]

Bucking the trend, a group of five workers of the São Paulo Railway, them being, Joaquim Ambrose and Anthony Pereira (wall painters), Rafael Perrone (shoemaker), Anselmo Correia (driver) and Carlos Silva (general laborer), residents of the neighborhood of Bom Retiro. It was 31 August 1910 when these workers were watching a match featuring a London-based club touring Brazil, Corinthian F.C. After the match, while the group returned home, the men talked about partnerships, business ideas, and general dreams of grandeur. They each surfaced one idea: the foundation of a club, after several exchanges in a lively argument, a common ground led those athletes the same dream. The arguments led to the conclusion that they would meet the next day to make their dream into reality.^[]

On 1 September 1910, the group agreed to meet after sundown in public sight. That night at 8:30pm, on Rua José Paulino ("Rua dos Imigrantes" (Immigrants Street), the five workers reunited alongside their guest and neighbors from Bom Retiro. That night the club was founded, alongside its board of directors, who elected Miguel Battaglia as the first Club President.

Corinthians played their first match on 10 September 1910, away against União da Lapa, a respected amateur club in São Paulo, and they were defeated by 1–0.

On 14 September, Luis Fabi scored Corinthians' first goal against Estrela Polar, another amateur club in the city, and Corinthians won their first game (2–0).

With good results and an increasing number of supporters, Corinthians joined the Liga Paulista, after winning two qualifying games, and played in the São Paulo State Championship for the first time, in 1913. Just one year after joining the league, Corinthians was crowned champion for the first time (in 1914), and were again two years later. There were many fly-by-night teams popping up in São Paulo at the time, and during the first practice held by Corinthians a banner was placed by the side of the field stating "This One Will Last".

1922, the Centennial of Brazilian Independence, marks the start of Corinthians hegemony in the São Paulo State Championship. As football was almost exclusively played at Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo by that time, the two state champions were considered to be the two top clubs in Brazil. After defeating the Rio de Janeiro State Championship champion of that year, América, Corinthians joined the company of the great teams in Brazil.

The same year also marked the first of three State Championships in a row, something that happened again in 1928–30 and 1937–39.

Corinthians seemed destined to win State Championships in threes; after six years without being a champions, they came won three more from 1937 the 1939. The 1940s were a more difficult time; and the club would win a championship in 1941 and would only win their next in 1951.

At the beginning of the 1950s Corinthians made history in the São Paulo Championship. In 1951, the team composed of Carbone, Cláudio, Luisinho, Baltasar and Mário scored 103 goals in thirty matches of the São Paulo Championship, registering an average of 3.43 per game. Carbone was the top goal-scorer of the competition with 30 goals. The club would also win the São Paulo Championships of 1952 and 1954. In this same decade, Corinthians were champions three times of the Rio-São Paulo Championship (1950, 1953 and 1954), the tournament that was becoming most important in the country with the increased participation of the greatest clubs from the two most important footballing states in the country.

In 1953, in a championship in Venezuela, Corinthians won the Small Cup of the World, a championship that many consider as a precursor of the Worldwide Championship of Clubs. On the occasion, Corinthians, substituting for Vasco da Gama, went to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital and recorded six consecutive victories against Roma (1–0 and 3–1), Barcelona (3–2 and 1–0) and Selection of Caracas (2–1 and 2–0). The club would also win the Cup of the Centenary of São Paulo, in the same year (1954).

After the triumphs in the São Paulo Championship and the Rio-São Paulo of 1954, Corinthians had a lengthy title drought. The breakthrough finally came when they won the São Paulo state championship in 1977, breaking a string of 23 years without a major title.

Under the leadership of Sócrates, Wladimir and Casagrande, Corinthians were the first Brazilian club in which players decided about concentração, a common Brazilian practice where the football players were locked up in a hotel days before a game, and discussed politics. (In the early 1980s, military dictatorship, after two decades, ended in Brazil). In 1982, before the election of government of São Paulo State, the team wore a kit with the words: DIA 15 VOTE (Vote on 15th), trying to motivate the biggest number of fans to vote.

In 1990, Corinthians won their first Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, beating their rivals, São Paulo in the final at the opponents' own stadium, Estádio do Morumbi. In the following year, Corinthians beat Flamengo and won the Supercopa do Brasil. In the 1995, the club won the Copa do Brasil for the first time, beating Grêmio in the final at the Estádio Olímpico Monumental in Porto Alegre. In the same decade, the club won the state championship in 1995, 1997 and 1999, and won the national championship again in 1998 and in 1999. In 2000, the club won the first FIFA Club World Cup, eliminating Real Madrid in the semifinals and beating Vasco da Gama on penalties in the final.

In 2002 the club won the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, and the Copa do Brasil in 2002, beating Brasiliense in the final.

The club's situation in early 2004 was among the most difficult in their history. Bad administration, lack of money and terrible campaigns both in the 2003 Brazilian Championship and in the 2004 São Paulo State Championship caused their millions of supporters to worry. Fortunately, some young players and a new manager Tite helped the team to improve from their terrible start. At the end of the championship, Corinthians finished in 5th place and gained entry to the Copa Sudamericana (a minor continental championship, similar to Europa League).

This situation was one of the factors which enabled Corinthians' president, Alberto Dualib, to convince the club's advisors to sign a controversial deal with an international fund of investors called Media Sports Investment. The deal granted the company a large degree of control over the club for 10 years in exchange for large financial investments in return. This has brought many quality players to the team, such as Carlos Tevez, Roger, Javier Mascherano and Carlos Alberto.

Despite the MSI investments, Corinthians experienced a slow start in the 2005 state championship, but managed to improve as it progressed, eventually managing to finish second. Their start to the Brazilian championship during 2005 was difficult, too, but after Daniel Passarella's dismissal (due to an unexpected 5–1 loss to Corinthians' rivals, São Paulo), the club finished the championship round well, and were eventually crowned Brazilian Champions for the fourth time, after a controversial annulment of eleven games due to a betting scandal. Tevez went on to win the Brazilian League Best Player award.

The relationship between Corinthians' managers and the MSI president, Kia Joorabchian was not good, and after being eliminated in the Copa Libertadores, the club experienced a crisis which was responsible for the bad performances for the rest of 2006. Eventually, the partnership came to an end.

On 2 December 2007, following a 1–1 draw away to Grêmio, Corinthians were relegated to the second division for the first time in the club history.

Corinthians, who won promotion to the top division of Brazilian football for 2009 by winning the Serie B tournament in 2008, with the best campaign in the history of the tournament, signed with three-time FIFA Player of the Year, Ronaldo. In 2009, led by Ronaldo, Corinthians won their 26th Campeonato Paulista and their third Brazilian Cup. Confirming the club's good moment, and the 100 years of the club, Corinthians announced the construction of their new stadium, Arena Corinthians, they finished the Campeonato Brasileiro 2010 in 3rd place, granting their place on the subsequent Copa Libertadores. After being eliminated from the South American tournament by the country rivals, Flamengo, though, Corinthians saw Ronaldo retire from football. To replace him, the club signed the with Inter Milan legend, Adriano. In 2011, Corinthians once again were eliminated in Libertadores, but this time in the playoff round by Deportes Tolima. After that, the team went on to win their fifth national title.

On 4 July, after reaching the final of the 2012 Copa Libertadores undefeated, Corinthians won its first title after a two-match final against 6-time champions Boca Juniors by drawing 1–1 in Argentina and winning 2–0 at the Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo, becoming the ninth Brazilian side to win the Copa Libertadores. The club won the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup after defeating English club Chelsea 1–0 on 16 December 2012.

In 2015, the team started the year by being eliminated in the Campeonato Paulista semifinal, and then being eliminated in Libertadores and Brazilian Cup last 16, but went on to win their sixth league title. In 2017 the team started the year winning the Campeonato Paulista for the 28th time, and ending the year winning the league title for the second time in three years, and doing a historic campaign by not losing in the first 20 games of the season. In 2018, the team won the Campeonato Paulista for the 29th time, this time against their biggest rivals, Palmeiras. In 2019, Corinthians won the Campeonato Paulista for the 30th time.

In 2020, Corinthians lost the Campeonato Paulista final to arch rivals Palmeiras on penaltis. In the league they finished only 10 points ahead of the first team in the relegation zone, that was the first season since 2007 that Corinthians fought against relegation. In 2021 the new president of the club brought back Willian who had left the club in 2007, helping Corinthians to finish in 5th, granting the club to the Copa Libertadores playoffs. In 2022 Corinthians had their best league season since 2017, finishing in 4th place, granting their place on the subsequent Copa Libertadores. In the Libertadores, the team finished in 2nd in the group stage, then went on to eliminate Boca Juniors in La Bombonera on penaltis, reaching the quarter finals for the first time since 2012, but were eliminated to Flamengo. In the Brazilian Cup, they lost once again to Flamengo, but this time at the final, on a penalti shoot out. After all, it was consired the club's best season since 2017.

In 2023, despite being eliminated from Libertadores, the club reached the Copa Sulamericana semifinals, where they were eliminated by Fortaleza. In the league once again fought against relegation.