Associação Atlética Internacional, commonly referred to as simply Inter de Limeira, is a Brazilian association football club in Limeira,

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

. They currently play in the Série D, the fourth tier of Brazilian football, as well as in the

Campeonato Paulista The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 16 clubs and t ...

, São Paulo's premier state league. The club's home colours are black and white and the team mascot is a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adu ...

History

On October 2, 1913, at Teatro da Paz (meaning ''Peace Theater'') members of an amateur football club called Barroquinha decided to professionalise their club, and established a monthly fee to be paid by its members and associates. On October 5, 1913, Associação Atlética Internacional was officially founded. The club was named after a

city club named

Internacional Sport Club Internacional (), commonly known as Internacional or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the Brazilian league, as well as in Campeonato ...

(not to be confused with the still active Internacional of Porto Alegre).Club history and trivia at Futebol Interior
According to some fans, the club is named to honor the several immigrant communities in Limeira, like the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, Italian,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese, and Portuguese communities. In 1926, Internacional won its first title, the São Paulo Countryside Cup. In 1982, the club contested the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian"), and also known as Brasileirão Assaí due to sponsorship with Assaí Atacadista, is a Br ...

for the first time. Inter de Limeira finished in the 23rd position, ahead of big clubs like Cruzeiro and

Atlético Paranaense Club Athletico Paranaense (commonly known as Athletico and formerly known as Atlético Paranaense) is a Brazilian football team from the city of Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná, founded on March 26, 1924. The team ...

. In 1986, Internacional, managed by Pepe,''Especial Placar - 500 Times do Brasil'', São Paulo: Editora Abril: 2003. won the

. It was the first time that a countryside club won the competition. In the semifinals, Inter de Limeira beat Santos, and in the final, the club defeated

Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...

. In 1988, Inter de Limeira won its first national title, the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série B The Campeonato Brasileiro Série B is commonly referred to as the Brasileirão Série B (Série B), and until 2022 was officially called Brasileirão Sportingbet by sponsorship reasons. It is the second tier of the Brazilian football league syst ...

. In the final four, the club finished ahead of Náutico of

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the ...

state, Ponte Preta of

state and Americano of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

state. The club was promoted to the following year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.1988 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B at RSSSF

Achievements

: 1 :: 1988 *

: 1 ::1986 * Taça dos Campeões Estaduais Rio-São Paulo: 1 ::1986 * Campeonato Paulista Série A2: 3 ::1978, 1996, 2004 *

Campeonato Paulista Série A3 Campeonato Paulista Série A3 (also referred to as Paulistão A3 for short) is the third level of the São Paulo state professional football championship, one of the Brazilian state championships. The tournament has been known as Série A3 since ...

: 1 ::1966 * Campeonato Paulista Sub-20: 1 ::2003 *

Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores The Taça Belo Horizonte de Juniores (or ''Belo Horizonte Youth Cup'', in English), also known as Taça Belo Horizonte de Futebol Júnior or Taça BH, is a cup competition usually played by 36 Brazilian under-20 football teams, most of them from ...

: 1 ::1990

Stadium

Inter de Limeira's home stadium is Estádio Major José Levy Sobrinho, also known as Limeirão, inaugurated in 1977, with a maximum capacity of 23,475 people.Estádio Major José Levy Sobrinho at Templos do Futebol
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Notable managers

* Nelsinho Baptista * Pepe *

Valdir Peres Waldir Peres de Arruda (January 2, 1951 – July 23, 2017), known as Waldir Peres, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a goalkeeper, in particular with São Paulo and the Brazilian national team. Playing career Club At club level, ...

* Elano

Club colors

Internacional's colors are black and white.

Anthem

The club's anthem was composed by Joel Navarini, and it is called "Avante Leão!" (meaning "Go ahead Lion!").

Nickname

The club is nicknamed ''Leão da Paulista'' (meaning "Lion of Paulista"). The nickname appeared after a match between Internacional and Comercial-Ribeirão Preto of Ribeirão Preto. Comercial is nicknamed Leão, and after a successful trip when the club remained undefeated, the club was beaten by Inter de Limeira, which then adopted the nickname.

Mascot

Inter de Limeira's mascot is called Leão, meaning

. He is usually depicted wearing the club's home or away kit.Mascot depicted in Internacional's fansite
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References

External links

Official SiteInternacional at Futebol Interior
{{DEFAULTSORT:Associacao Atletica Internacional (Limeira) Internacional de Limeira Association football clubs established in 1913 1913 establishments in Brazil Limeira