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São Paulo Quiz Questions and Answers

São Paulo questions in rounds of ten, with the answers kept separate so you can read them out. Free to use for a pub quiz, a matchday WhatsApp group or your own revision — no sign-up, and the page prints cleanly.

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4

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Round 1

  1. São Paulo FC was founded in 1930 by a merger between Associação Atlética das Palmeiras and which club, whose members had abandoned football after the sport turned professional?
  2. Before the Morumbi staged its first match in 1960, São Paulo played their big home games mainly at which municipal stadium?
  3. Which São Paulo striker joined Napoli in 1987 and became part of the attacking trio with Diego Maradona and Bruno Giordano?
  4. Telê Santana, who took charge at São Paulo in 1990, had previously managed Brazil at which two World Cups?
  5. São Paulo won the 1991 Campeonato Brasileiro under Telê Santana by beating which surprise finalist, a small club from the interior of São Paulo state?
  6. São Paulo won their first Copa Libertadores in 1992, beating which Argentine club on penalties in the final?
  7. Who scored both São Paulo goals in the 2-1 win over Barcelona in the 1992 Intercontinental Cup final in Tokyo?
  8. Raí, the captain of Telê Santana's great side, is the younger brother of which midfielder from Brazil's 1982 World Cup team?
  9. São Paulo retained the Copa Libertadores in 1993 by beating which Chilean club in the final?
  10. Milan played São Paulo in the 1993 Intercontinental Cup as European Cup runners-up, because that year's winners were barred from the competition. Which club was barred?
Answers — round 1
  1. Club Athletico Paulistano — Club Athletico Paulistano, the old amateur aristocrats of São Paulo football, walked away from the professional game; their footballing side joined AA das Palmeiras to create São Paulo FC in January 1930.
  2. Estádio do Pacaembu — The Pacaembu, the city-owned stadium opened in 1940, was São Paulo's main stage until the club moved into its own ground in Morumbi.
  3. Careca — Careca left the Morumbi for Naples in 1987, where he, Maradona and Giordano were nicknamed the Ma-Gi-Ca trio.
  4. 1982 and 1986 — Telê's celebrated Brazil sides played at Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986; he rebuilt his reputation at club level with São Paulo afterwards.
  5. Bragantino — Bragantino, from Bragança Paulista, reached the 1991 final and lost to São Paulo — the club's most famous run.
  6. Newell's Old Boys — Newell's Old Boys won the first leg in Rosario 1-0, São Paulo won the return at the Morumbi by the same score, and the shootout went to the Brazilians.
  7. Raí — Raí, the captain and playmaker, scored twice against Barcelona in Tokyo before leaving for Europe the following year.
  8. Sócrates — Sócrates, the Corinthians and Brazil captain, was Raí's older brother; Raí followed him into the Brazil side a decade later.
  9. Universidad Católica — Universidad Católica were thrashed 5-1 at the Morumbi in the first leg and their 2-0 win in Santiago was not enough.
  10. Marseille — Marseille beat Milan in the 1993 European Cup final but were shut out of the Intercontinental Cup amid the French match-fixing scandal, so Milan travelled to Tokyo and lost 3-2.

Round 2

  1. Who was São Paulo's first-choice goalkeeper through the Libertadores wins of 1992 and 1993?
  2. Which member of Telê Santana's Libertadores-winning São Paulo sides went on to lift the World Cup as Brazil's captain in 2002?
  3. Toninho Cerezo joined São Paulo in 1992 after nine seasons in Italy, in which he won the 1990-91 Serie A title with which club?
  4. São Paulo reached a third consecutive Copa Libertadores final in 1994, losing on penalties to which Argentine club?
  5. São Paulo won the Copa Libertadores again in 2005, beating which club in an all-Brazilian final?
  6. Who scored the only goal as São Paulo beat Liverpool 1-0 in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship final?
  7. Which manager led São Paulo to three consecutive Campeonato Brasileiro titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008?
  8. When Rogério Ceni retired in December 2015, roughly how many official goals had he scored as a goalkeeper for São Paulo?
  9. Which club did São Paulo beat 3-2 in the semi-finals of the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship?
  10. Who was São Paulo's head coach for the 2005 Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Championship double?
Answers — round 2
  1. Zetti — Zetti kept goal in both continental triumphs, with the young Rogério Ceni still behind him in the pecking order.
  2. Cafu — Cafu came through at São Paulo in the early 1990s and was the man who raised the trophy in Yokohama in 2002.
  3. Sampdoria — Cerezo was part of the Sampdoria side that won the club's only Scudetto in 1991 before returning to Brazil, where he added the 1993 Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups.
  4. Vélez Sarsfield — Vélez Sarsfield won the 1994 shootout and went on to beat Milan in that year's Intercontinental Cup.
  5. Atlético Paranaense — Atlético Paranaense drew the first leg 1-1 but were beaten 4-0 at the Morumbi in the return.
  6. Mineiro — Mineiro, the defensive midfielder, struck in the first half in Yokohama and São Paulo held on for the title.
  7. Muricy Ramalho — Muricy Ramalho's pragmatic sides won the league three years running — the club's tricampeonato of the late 2000s.
  8. 131 — Ceni finished on 131 official goals from free kicks and penalties, by far the most by any goalkeeper in the game's history.
  9. Al-Ittihad — Amoroso scored twice and Rogério Ceni added a penalty against the Asian champions on 14 December 2005.
  10. Paulo Autuori — Paulo Autuori left after Japan; Muricy Ramalho took charge during 2006 and began the three-in-a-row Brasileirão run.

Round 3

  1. In March 2011 Rogério Ceni became the first goalkeeper to reach 100 career goals. Against which club did he score No. 100?
  2. São Paulo signed the teenage Rogério Ceni in 1990 from which club?
  3. Five years after hanging up his gloves, Rogério Ceni won the 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro as head coach of which club?
  4. São Paulo sold Hernanes, the midfield engine of the 2007 and 2008 title sides, to which Italian club in 2010?
  5. Kaká came through São Paulo's academy and was sold to which Italian club in 2003?
  6. Which club agreed a deal worth around €40m with São Paulo for academy graduate Lucas Moura in 2012?
  7. Casemiro left São Paulo in 2013 for which club, joining initially on loan?
  8. Which club signed winger Antony from São Paulo in 2020, before selling him to Manchester United two years later?
  9. Éder Militão left São Paulo in 2018 for which Portuguese club, from where a €50m release clause took him to Spain a year later?
  10. São Paulo were awarded the 2012 Copa Sudamericana when which Argentine club refused to come out for the second half of the final at the Morumbi?
Answers — round 3
  1. Corinthians — A free kick in a 2-1 Campeonato Paulista win over Corinthians at Arena Barueri on 27 March 2011.
  2. Sinop — He was scouted at Sinop in Mato Grosso, where he had just won the state championship, and then spent 25 years at São Paulo.
  3. Flamengo — He replaced Domènec Torrent at Flamengo in November 2020 with the season two-thirds run, and took the title on the final day.
  4. Lazio — Lazio agreed the deal in August 2010; Inter and Juventus came later in his Italian career.
  5. AC Milan — Milan paid a reported €8.5m — Silvio Berlusconi later called it peanuts — and Kaká won the 2007 Ballon d'Or there.
  6. Paris Saint-Germain — PSG announced the transfer in August 2012 but Lucas stayed until January 2013; Tottenham signed him five years later.
  7. Real Madrid — Real Madrid took him on loan in January 2013 and made it permanent that summer; his season on loan in Portugal came in 2014-15.
  8. Ajax — Ajax paid São Paulo an initial €15.75m in 2020; United's 2022 fee was many times that.
  9. Porto — One season at Porto was enough: the €50m release clause in his contract was triggered in March 2019.
  10. Tigre — Tigre stayed in the dressing room after a half-time brawl with São Paulo 2-0 up through Lucas and Osvaldo.

Round 4

  1. Which Argentine coach led São Paulo to the 2021 Campeonato Paulista, the club's first trophy in nine years?
  2. In 2012 São Paulo signed playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso from which club?
  3. Which club did São Paulo take Alexandre Pato from in the 2014 swap deal that sent Jadson the other way?
Answers — round 4
  1. Hernán Crespo — Hernán Crespo's side drew 0-0 at Allianz Parque and won the Morumbi leg 2-0 against Palmeiras in May 2021.
  2. Santos — The September 2012 move from Santos split opinion; Ganso stayed four seasons and the fee is argued about to this day.
  3. Corinthians — Corinthians sent Pato to their city rivals in February 2014 in exchange for Jádson, and he spent two seasons at the Morumbi.

About these questions

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