New Brazilian soccer champions Atletico Mineiro are to treat fans with free tattoos to celebrate their first title win in half a century, a radio station in the club’s home city of Belo Horizonte said on Thursday.
The club won the Serie A trophy on Thursday night by beating Bahia 3-2 and their sponsor told fans it would pay for free tattoos next week, said Radio Itatiaia.
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The sponsor, construction company MRV, is to reveal more details on Friday. It has not yet said what size or designs it will pay for, nor whether the company logo, which will also adorn a new stadium it is currently building for the club, will appear.
“This action, which starts at 9 in the morning at the home of Galo, will be on a first-come, first-served basis,” Radio Itatiaia said on its web site.
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Crowds gathered at the club headquarters in Belo Horizonte as well as in the city centre to watch the game on big screens and celebrate the triumph with fireworks going off across the region.
Thousands are expected to greet the team when they arrive home in the early hours of Friday morning.
The last time Atletico won the Brazilian title was in 1971, the year Brazil inaugurated its first national league after decades of prioritising state championships.
“It’s been 50 years since we won the title, that’s a long time,” said Keno. “Now we have to celebrate.”
Away from home, Atletico were 2-0 down after 66 minutes but scored three times in the last 17 minutes, the last two from winger Keno, to give them an unassailable 11-point advantage at the top of the Serie A with their closest rivals having three matches to play.
Keno was the key man on the night but it was Hulk, the scorer of Atletico’s first goal, who was at the heart of their title run.
The former Brazil striker signed for the club in February and the 35-year-old has enjoyed an unforgettable season, scoring 18 goals to top the Serie A scoring charts.
Coach Cuca described it as “a magical year” for a player he said “fit like a glove” at Atletico.
Hulk has been assisted in attack by Argentines Matias Zaracho and Nacho Fernandez and Chilean Eduardo Vargas.
Diego Costa, the combative former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid centre forward, bolstered the strike force further when he joined the club in August.
Atletico have the second-best attack and the best defence in the league. In a calendar year of 82 matches, Atletico have lost only 10 games.
Cuca further cemented his name in the Atletico pantheon, eight years after leading the club to their first and only Copa Libertadores.
The club have two more league matches to play and then will aim to do the double with the Copa do Brasil, which is played over two legs against Athletico Paranaense on Dec. 12 and 16.
“It’s been a magic year and we’ve still got a title to play for against Athletico Parananese,” said Cuca.
“I can only imagine what the fans were going through when we were 2-0 down, they were probably shouting and swearing at us. But now, what a result, what happiness.”
