Esporte Clube Bahia

Bahia´s team, 1959. National Archives of Brazil.

The Esporte Clube Bahia was founded in 1931, when players from two clubs decided to merge. The Associação Atlética da Bahia and the Clube Bahiano de Tênis had decided to discontinue their football divisions. A few years later Bahia became the most popular team in the Northeast of Brazil.

In the club's first year, Bahia won the Torneio Inicio and Bahia State Championship. The first Bahia president was Waldemar Costa, a doctor. Bahia's crest is based on Corinthians'. Bahia's state flag, created by Raimundo Magalhães, was used in place of the São Paulo state flag.

The team was founded with the motto "Nasceu para Vencer" (Born to Win). Bahia won 44 State Championships, 18 more than the Vitória (their rival club), and was the first club to participate in Taça Libertadores da America in 1960.

Between 1959 and 1963, and in 1968, the club represented the state of Bahia in Taça Brasil (the precursor of the Brazilian Championship), winning the title in 1959 and finishing as runner-up in 1961 and 1963.

The 1980s were the best in Bahia's history. Bahia won their second national title in 1988, finishing 5th in 1986 and 4th in 1990.

In 1989, Bahia won its second Brazilian Championship against the Internacional from Porto Alegre Bahia won the first leg in Salvador by 2–1. The second leg ended in an 0–0 tie in Porto Alegre at the Beira Rio Stadium. After these results Bahia won the Brasileirão, their second national title. The championship gave to Bahia the right to play Copa Libertadores for a third time. It was a shock for the southern press because Salvador is in the Northeast and the victory was over the Internacional, a team from southern Brazil, the region that has the highest Human Development Index in the country.

In 1997, Bahia was relegated to the Série B for the first time in its history after a 0–0 draw against the Juventude at the Fonte Nova stadium. In 1999 Bahia was close to being promoted to the Série A again. Bahia had a very good season, but finished in 3rd place, which was not enough to see them promoted.

In 2000, due to bribery scandals involving clubs such as the São Paulo and the Internacional, the team returned to the Brazilian First Division, invited by the Clube dos 13, along with the Fluminense, which was made a scapegoat for the controversy and was nationally victimized by the media (see Copa João Havelange).

In 2002 the bank that had sponsored the team went bankrupt and the Bahia began a descent down the Brazilian football pyramid. After the title of the Northeast Cup in 2001 and 2002, Bahia performed poorly in 2003, and were relegated to the Série B for the second time in the club's history. In 2004, the team was close to getting promoted to the Série A again, finishing 4th. In order to be promoted, Bahia would have to win the final match against the Brasiliense, but the referee Paulo César de Oliveira was assigned to that match and many people say he was all but fair on that day. In 2005, the club again competed in the Série B, finishing in 18th place, and was relegated to the Série C for the first time in the club's history.

Bahia finished 2007 among the first four teams of the Third Division, and were promoted to the Second Division for the 2008 season. The Bahia began strongly, but in the last game of the 3rd stage of the Série C against the already-eliminated Fast Club, Bahia needed a win to advance to the final. The victory came in the last minute of the game with a goal scored by Charles. In the final, the team finished the third division in 2nd place, only losing the title in the final round. This moment is called the "Fênix Tricolor" amongst Bahia fans. The phoenix represents Bahia rising from the ashes.

Despite playing in the Third Division of Brazilian football in 2007, Bahia had the largest average attendance in Brazil: 40,400 people per match. No club in the Third, the Second, or even the First Division was able to match it. However, this is not unusual for Bahia, having also achieved the biggest average attendance in Brazil in 2004 (Second Division), 1988 (First Division), 1986 (First Division), and 1985 (First Division).

From 2010 to 2014 Bahia remained in the first division. In 2014 they were relegated to the second division again, but came back in 2016. In 2017 they are playing in the first division. After 22 years out of international competition, Bahia returned in 2012 when they qualified for the Copa Sul-Americana. In addition, they have won the 2012, 2014 and 2015 Bahia State Championship and the Northeast Cup in 2017.

In February 2018 the intense rivalry between Bahia and Esporte Clube Vitória drew international attention when ten players (five from each team) were shown the red card in a State Championship match.[2]

• 38 seasons in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
• 9 seasons in Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
• 2 seasons in Campeonato Brasileiro Série C

• Série A

Winners (2): 1959, 1988

Runners-up (2): 1961, 1963

• Copa Nordeste:

Winners (3): 2001, 2002, 2017

Runners-up (4): 1997, 1999, 2015, 2018

• Taça Norte-Nordeste:

Winners (3): 1959, 1961, 1963

Runners-up (3): 1960, 1962, 1968

• Torneio dos Campeões do Nordeste:

Winners (1): 1948

• Campeonato Baiano

Winners (49): 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938,[3] 1940, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999,[4] 2001, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020

Runners-up (19): 1941, 1955, 1957, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1985, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2017

• Taça Estado da Bahia

Winners (3): 2000, 2002, 2007

Runners-up (2): 2004, 2006

• Torneio Início

Winners (9): 1931, 1932, 1934, 1937, 1938, 1951, 1964, 1967, 1979

• U-20

Winners (16): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014

• Copa International Renner

Winners (1): 1997

• Taça Maria Quitéria

Winners (1): 1998

• Taça Bernardo Martins Catharino

Winners (3): 1953, 1954, 1955

• Taça Bahia-Pernambuco

Winners (2): 1993, 1994

• International Football Tournament in Marseille (France)

Winners (2): 2001, 2002

• Trofeo "Angelo Dossena" – Torneo Internazionale di Calcio (Italy)

Winners (1): 2011

As of 9 January 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  BRA Douglas Friedrich 2 DF  BRA Nino Paraíba 4 DF  BRA Anderson Martins 7 FW  BRA Thiago Andrade 8 MF  BRA Daniel 9 FW  BRA Gilberto 10 MF  BRA Rodriguinho 11 FW  BRA Rossi 12 DF  BRA Zeca (on loan from Internacional) 14 DF  BRA Ernando 15 FW  COL Juan Pablo Ramírez (on loan from Atlético Nacional) 16 MF  BRA Ronaldo (on loan from Flamengo) 21 FW  BRA Alesson

No. Pos. Nation Player 25 FW  BRA Clayson 26 MF  BRA Gregore 28 DF  BRA Lucas Fonseca (captain) 29 DF  BRA Juninho Capixaba (on loan from Grêmio) 30 MF  BRA Marco Antonio 32 GK  BRA Matheus Teixeira 35 MF  BRA Edson 36 MF  BRA Ramon (on loan from Internacional) 39 FW  BRA Gabriel Novaes (on loan from São Paulo) 40 DF  BRA Juninho 70 FW  BRA Fessin (on loan from Corinthians) 77 GK  BRA Mateus Claus 79 DF  BRA Matheus Bahia

As of 5 March 2020[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 DF  BRA Douglas Borel 45 MF  BRA Patrick de Lucca

No. Pos. Nation Player 46 DF  BRA Hélio Júnior 72 DF  BRA Everson

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  BRA Ignácio (to CSA until 31 January 2021) — DF  BRA Jackson (to Fortaleza until 31 January 2021) — DF  BRA Jaques (to Joinville until 31 January 2021) — DF  BRA Moisés (to Internacional until 31 December 2021) — DF  BRA Mayk (to Joiville until 31 January 2021) — DF  BRA Tiago (to Ceará until 31 December 2021) — DF  BRA Willean Lepo (to Novorizontino until 31 January 2021)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  BRA Caio Mello (to Joiville until 31 January 2021) — MF  BRA Eric Ramires (to Red Bull Bragantino until 31 December 2021) — MF  BRA Paulinho (to Pelotas until 31 January 2021) — FW  BRA Fernandinho (to Chapecoense until 31 January 2021) — FW  BRA Geovane Itinga (to Brusque until 31 January 2021) — FW  BRA Rogério (to Sport until 31 May 2021) — FW  BRA Saldanha (to JEF United Chiba until 31 December 2021)