Ball IQSantos FC Quiz
A Santos quiz that runs from the 1962-63 world titles and Pelé's 1,000th goal to the Meninos da Vila, Neymar's Libertadores and the 2023 drop.
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easy
Santos won the 1962 Intercontinental Cup by beating the reigning European champions 5-2 away from home, with Pelé scoring a hat-trick. Which club?
WhyBenfica, holders of the 1961 and 1962 European Cups, were beaten 3-2 in Rio and then 5-2 at the Estádio da Luz, where Pelé scored three. -
easy
Which No.10 playmaker formed a celebrated partnership with Neymar in Santos' 2011 Copa Libertadores-winning side?
WhyPaulo Henrique Ganso wore 10 to Neymar's 11; he returned from injury to start the second leg of the 2011 final and left for São Paulo in September 2012. -
medium
Santos reached the 2020 Copa Libertadores final after winning 3-0 at home against which Argentine club in the semi-finals?
WhyBoca Juniors were beaten 3-0 on aggregate in January 2021; Santos then lost the all-Brazilian final to Palmeiras at the Maracanã. -
medium
Santos retained the Intercontinental Cup in 1963, needing a third match to see off which Italian club?
WhyMilan won the first leg 4-2 at San Siro; Santos took the return 4-2 and then the Maracanã playoff 1-0 through a Dalmo penalty. -
hard
Neymar's 2011 Puskás Award-winning goal, a jinking solo run through the penalty area, was scored against which Brazilian club?
WhyScored on 27 July 2011 at home to make it 3-0 in the famous 5-4 defeat to Ronaldinho's Flamengo: Neymar drove in from near halfway, exchanged passes with Borges, jinked past Ronaldo Angelim in the box and lifted it over the keeper. -
medium
Which Santos centre-forward's one-two exchanges with Pelé — the famous 'tabelinha' — became the signature move of the club's 1960s attack?
WhyCoutinho (Antônio Wilson Vieira Honório) played alongside Pelé from 1958 to 1968; Pelé said that inside the box Coutinho was better than he was. -
medium
Santos won a second straight Copa Libertadores in 1963, clinching it by winning the second leg away in Argentina. Which club did they beat in the final?
WhySantos beat Boca Juniors 3-2 at the Maracanã and then 2-1 at La Bombonera, Coutinho and Pelé scoring in Buenos Aires. -
hard
Pelé arrived at Santos in 1956 as a 15-year-old, brought to the club by a former Brazil international who had coached him at Bauru. Who was he?
WhyWaldemar de Brito, who played for Brazil at the 1934 World Cup, coached Pelé at Bauru and presented him at home with the words 'this boy will be the best football player in the world'. -
medium
In 2018 Santos agreed to sell teenage winger Rodrygo for around €45m to which club, where he arrived a year later?
WhyReal Madrid announced the agreement in June 2018 when Rodrygo was 17, and he joined them in June 2019. -
medium
Who is Santos' second-highest goalscorer of all time, behind only Pelé?
WhyPepe scored 405 goals for Santos between 1954 and 1969, staying for his whole career; his left foot earned him the nickname 'Canhão da Vila' — the Vila's cannon. -
hard
Santos won the Copa CONMEBOL in 1998 — which Argentine club did they beat in the final?
WhySantos won the first leg 1-0 at home and drew 0-0 at the Gigante de Arroyito to take the cup 1-0 on aggregate. -
medium
Santos were relegated from Série A for the first time in their history at the end of which season?
WhyA 2-1 home defeat by Fortaleza on the final day in December 2023 sent them down; they won Série B in 2024 and came straight back. -
medium
Which club did Santos beat in the 2011 Copa Libertadores final?
WhyGoalless at the Centenário in Montevideo, then 2-1 at the Pacaembu, where Neymar and Danilo scored under Muricy Ramalho. -
hard
Which European club signed Diego from Santos in 2004?
WhyPorto, who had just won the Champions League and lost Deco to Barcelona, paid around €7m that July. Diego later starred at Werder Bremen and Juventus. -
medium
Santos won the Copa do Brasil for the first time in 2010 — which club did they beat in the final?
WhyAn 18-year-old Neymar was the competition's top scorer with 11 goals as Santos beat Vitória over two legs. -
medium
Who was the coach when Santos won the Brasileirão again in 2004?
WhyVanderlei Luxemburgo's side finished the 24-team, 46-round league on 89 points, three clear of Atlético Paranaense. -
hard
Which coach was in charge of Santos throughout their rise to world champions, managing the club from 1954 to 1966?
WhyLula — Luís Alonso Pérez — led Santos from 1954 to 1966, the most decorated spell in the club's history. -
medium
Neymar returned to Santos in January 2025. Which club did he leave to make the move?
WhyHe ended an injury-wrecked spell at Al-Hilal, the Saudi club he had joined from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. -
medium
Pelé played his last competitive match for Santos in October 1974, dropping to his knees on the pitch to say goodbye. Who were the opponents?
WhySantos beat Ponte Preta 2-0 in the 1974 Campeonato Paulista on 2 October; Pelé played around 20 minutes before dropping to his knees in the centre circle to bid farewell. Cláudio Adão scored the opener. -
hard
Neymar opened the scoring in the 2-1 second-leg win that sealed the 2011 Copa Libertadores. Which teammate scored Santos' other goal?
WhyRight-back Danilo made it 2-0 on 69 minutes at the Pacaembu before a late own goal gave Peñarol a consolation. -
medium
Santos ended a 34-year wait for a Brazilian national championship in 2002, with a young Robinho and Diego in the side. Whom did they beat in the two-legged final?
WhySantos beat Corinthians 2-0 and 3-2 under Émerson Leão; their previous national title had been the 1968 Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa. -
medium
How did Pelé score his 1,000th career goal for Santos?
WhyClodoaldo slipped him through, Vasco defender Fernando brought him down in the box, and Pelé converted the spot-kick himself late in the second half, beating goalkeeper Edgardo Andrada at the Maracanã on 19 November 1969. -
hard
Santos won five straight Brazilian national titles in the Taça Brasil during the 1960s. In which year did that run begin?
WhySantos won the Taça Brasil every year from 1961 to 1965. Bahia took the first edition in 1959 and Palmeiras the 1960 one. -
medium
In the 1962 Copa Libertadores final Santos became the first Brazilian club to win the competition, taking a playoff against the two-time defending champions. Which club?
WhyPeñarol had won the first two editions in 1960 and 1961; Santos beat them 3-0 in a Buenos Aires playoff, Pelé scoring twice. -
easy
Since 1916 Santos have played their home games at a compact ground universally known by the name of the neighbourhood around it. Which ground?
WhyVila Belmiro opened on 12 October 1916 and is one of the smallest grounds used by a major Brazilian club, holding only around 16,000. -
easy
In which year was Santos FC founded in the Brazilian port city of Santos?
WhySantos Foot-Ball Club was founded on 14 April 1912, at a meeting held at the Concórdia club by three local sports enthusiasts. -
easy
In which year did Neymar complete his move from Santos to European football?
WhyThe deal was announced on 25 May 2013 and he was unveiled at the Camp Nou on 3 June 2013; the fee, first reported as €57m, was later restated as far higher. -
easy
Santos reached the 2011 Club World Cup final in Japan. Which European side beat them there?
WhyBarcelona won 4-0 in Yokohama on 18 December 2011. Messi scored twice and took the Golden Ball, with Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas also on target. -
easy
Santos are known throughout Brazil as 'O Peixe'. What does that nickname mean?
WhyThe club sits on the São Paulo coast beside Brazil's largest port, so fans and press have long called them the Fish. -
easy
Santos' 2002 Brasileirão title was inspired by two teenagers out of the club's academy, hailed as a new generation of 'Meninos da Vila'. Who were they?
WhyDiego was 17 and Robinho 18 under coach Emerson Leão; Robinho was among the scorers in the 3-2 second leg of the final. -
easy
Santos compete in which of Brazil's state championships, a competition they have won more than 20 times?
WhySantos are from São Paulo state, so they play the Campeonato Paulista — the Carioca is Rio, the Mineiro is Minas Gerais and the Gaúcho is Rio Grande do Sul. -
easy
Pelé's 1,000th career goal, scored in November 1969 at the Maracanã, came against which club?
WhySantos won 2-1 at Vasco da Gama on 19 November 1969; Pelé converted a penalty past goalkeeper Edgardo Andrada for the milestone.
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Santos in the record books
Free reference tables — every winner, every top scorer, checked and dated.
What the Santos quiz covers
Every question is written and checked by football fans — soccer, if you're reading this in the US — across the topics that decide a real Santos expert:
Club history
Founding, golden eras and the moments that shaped Santos.
Players & legends
Cult heroes and record-breakers, past and present.
Managers
The bosses in the dugout and the trophies they won.
Trophies & honours
Every title, cup and big European night that counts.
Records & stats
Appearances, goals, transfers and all-time bests.
Iconic moments
Famous games, comebacks and unforgettable goals.
This is one set from a bank of thousands of questions spanning 72 clubs, every major league and eight decades of football.
How the Santos quiz is checked
Every question above was written by hand and verified before it went live.
All 32 Santos questions were checked twice before publication — once against the claim the question makes, and once against the wrong answers offered beside it. A question whose wrong options can be dismissed without knowing any football is not really a question, so those get rewritten or dropped rather than padded out. Anything that could not be confirmed was removed rather than guessed, which is why some sets are smaller than others. Every one of them carries a written explanation. Spot something wrong and tell us — corrections from players are how the bank stays accurate.
Santos quiz — FAQ
Where do Santos play their home games?
How many Copa Libertadores have Santos won?
Why are Santos called O Peixe?
Have Santos ever been relegated?
About the Santos quiz
Santos were founded on 14 April 1912 in the port city they are named after, and since 12 October 1916 they have played at a ground everyone calls the Vila. Its official name is the Estádio Urbano Caldeira; nobody uses it. It holds around 16,000, which makes it one of the smallest home grounds of any major Brazilian club, and it is where a lot of the football in this quiz actually happened.
The 1960s side is the reason the club is known worldwide. Under Lula, who managed from 1954 to 1966, Santos won the Taça Brasil five years running from 1961, took the 1962 Copa Libertadores by beating two-time holders Peñarol in a Buenos Aires playoff, and retained it in 1963 against Boca Juniors at La Bombonera. Then came the Intercontinental Cups: 5-2 away to Benfica at the Estádio da Luz with a Pelé hat-trick in 1962, and a third match against AC Milan at the Maracanã in 1963, settled by a Dalmo penalty. Pelé had arrived in 1956 as a 15-year-old, brought to the club by Waldemar de Brito, and his 1,000th career goal came from the penalty spot at the Maracanã against Vasco da Gama on 19 November 1969. He said goodbye at the Vila in October 1974 against Ponte Preta, dropping to his knees in the centre circle.
The questions do not stop in the 1970s, because Santos keep producing players. Diego was 17 and Robinho 18 when the 2002 Brasileirão was won over two legs against Corinthians, ending a 34-year wait; Vanderlei Luxemburgo's side took another title in 2004. Neymar was 18 when he scored 11 goals in the 2010 Copa do Brasil run, and 19 when he won the 2011 Libertadores alongside Ganso, scored the Puskás goal against Flamengo at the Vila, and then watched Barcelona win 4-0 in the Club World Cup final in Yokohama. Rodrygo's move to Real Madrid was agreed when he was 17.
Recent years give the bank its sharper edges. Santos were relegated from Série A for the first time in their history in December 2023, won Série B the following year, and Neymar came back from Al-Hilal in January 2025. If you know your Pepe from your Coutinho, and can name who Santos beat in Argentina in 1998 as well as in 1963, this one will suit you.
Ball IQ has 32 Santos questions — 10 easy, 15 medium and 7 hard.