About

Villa Nova Atlético Clube (known as Villa Nova or simply Villa) is a Brazilian sports club based in Nova Lima, in the greater Belo Horizonte area. It was founded on June 28, 1908, under the name Villa Nova Athletic Club (the club's name was Portugueseized by subsequent statutory reforms) by English workers of the Saint John Del Rey Mining Company Limited. It is popularly known as The Lion of Bonfim, a nickname that refers to the mascot and the Bonfim neighborhood, where the club is based. Its stadium is the Castor Cifuentes Municipal Stadium, also known as Alçapão do Bonfim, where it has hosted its matches since 1930, having played a total of 3,112 matches throughout its history, up until the match against Palmas on November 27, 2020. Villa Nova has the largest fan base in the interior of Minas Gerais, according to a survey published in January 2008 by Datafolha, and is also considered the most successful club in the state's interior. Its traditional colors are red and white. Among Villa Nova's main achievements, the following stand out: 1 Brazilian Championship Series B, 5 Minas Gerais Championships, 2 Minas Gerais Cups and 4 Minas Gerais Interior Championships, also boasting 6 Minas Gerais runner-up titles in its record. Winning the 1971 Brazilian Championship Series B was the first time a club from the interior of its state had won any division of the Brazilian Championship. In the first half of the 1930s, it was the great Minas Gerais team, winning four state titles and three more in the Torneio Início.