Paulista Classics
The narratives of paulista rivalries
Paulista Classics
Rivalries thatmove São Paulo
In paulista football, each derby carries decades of rivalry, epic moments and statistics that span an entire century. Six matchups define the identity of football in São Paulo: the Majestoso between São Paulo and Corinthians, the Choque-Rei between São Paulo and Palmeiras, the Derby Paulista between Corinthians and Palmeiras, the San-São between São Paulo and Santos, the Clássico Alvinegro between Corinthians and Santos and the Clássico da Saudade between Palmeiras and Santos.
Discover the numbers, top scorers and biggest routs of each duel between Corinthians, Palmeiras, São Paulo and Santos.
Majestoso
São Paulo vs Corinthians
The matchup between Corinthians and São Paulo, known as Clássico Majestoso, is one of the most traditional and popular duels in Brazilian football. The name was coined by journalist Thomáz Mazzoni in the 1940s, in reference to the greatness of the clubs and the frequency with which they staged decisive matches in São Paulo.
The classic counts 366 official matches, with a Corinthians edge: 134 wins against 115 for São Paulo, plus 117 draws. A total of 1,014 goals have been scored, with an average of around 2.77 per game.
The first encounter took place on May 25, 1930, at Parque São Jorge, the old Corinthians ground, with a 2-1 Corinthians win. Goals came from Gambinha and Filó, with Siriri scoring for the then São Paulo da Floresta. Estádio do Morumbi is the classic's main venue, with more than 150 matches, and it also hosted the largest crowd: 119,858 fans on December 5, 1982, when São Paulo won 3-2.
The biggest routs sit at a curious balance: both clubs share their largest win at 6-1. Corinthians reached this score in 2015, at Neo Química Arena, on the day of the Brazilian Championship trophy ceremony. São Paulo recorded its 6-1 in 1933, in the Campeonato Paulista. The all-time top scorer is Teleco, with 25 goals for Corinthians; for the Tricolor, the top scorer is Serginho Chulapa, with 15.
366
115
117
134
474
540
Teleco (25)
2.77
Corinthians 6 x 1 São Paulo (Brasileirão 2015)
150
25/05/1930
Choque-Rei
São Paulo vs Palmeiras
The matchup between Palmeiras and São Paulo, known as Choque-Rei, is one of the most balanced and traditional derbies in Brazilian football. The nickname was created by journalist Thomáz Mazzoni in the 1940s, when the two teams led one of the greatest hegemonies in São Paulo football, winning every state title between 1942 and 1950.
In official matches, the classic has been played around 355 times, a number close to 380 when including all encounters. The record shows balance: 123 wins for Palmeiras, 116 for São Paulo and 116 draws. The average is roughly 2.6 goals per match.
The first encounter took place on March 30, 1930, in the Campeonato Paulista, ending 2-2. Estádio do Morumbi is the main stage of the classic, with more than 120 matches. The largest crowd was 115,484 on November 16, 1980, in the Campeonato Paulista final, with a 1-0 São Paulo win. The Tricolor holds the largest rout with 6-0 in 1939; Palmeiras has its biggest win at 5-0, achieved in 1965 and again in 2023. The top scorer is Müller, World Cup winner with the national team, with 15 goals across his stints at both clubs.
As of March 2026, Palmeiras holds an unbeaten run of 12 matches against the rival, including recent wins in the Campeonato Paulista and the start of the Brasileirão, reinforcing the constant renewal of this historic rivalry.
355
116
116
123
460
463
Müller (15)
2.60
São Paulo 6 x 0 Palmeiras (Paulista 1939)
120
30/03/1930
Derby Paulista
Corinthians vs Palmeiras
The duel between Corinthians and Palmeiras, called "Derby Paulista", sits among the most emblematic and intense matchups in world football. The name was coined by journalist Thomáz Mazzoni, who drew on the tradition of English horse racing as a metaphor for the elegance and importance of a clash that has stopped São Paulo since 1917.
According to the records, the teams have met 398 times: 141 wins for Palmeiras, 134 for Corinthians and 123 draws. Palmeiras has scored 556 goals, while Corinthians has 506.
The first football encounter happened on May 6, 1917, at Palestra Itália, in the Campeonato Paulista, with a 3-0 alviverde win and three goals from Caetano Izzo. Pacaembu is the venue that has hosted the most matches, accumulating 152 games. The biggest rout belongs to Palmeiras: 8-0, in the 1933 Campeonato Paulista and Torneio Rio-São Paulo. The average is 2.67 goals per match. The all-time top scorer is Cláudio Christóvam de Pinho, the "Gerente", with 21 goals for Corinthians; on the Palmeiras side, Heitor remains the top scorer with 17.
The rivalry is marked by decisions that shaped Brazilian football, like the 1994 Brasileirão final and the 2000 Libertadores semifinals. The largest crowd was 120,902 fans at Morumbi, in the 1974 Paulista final.
398
134
123
141
506
556
Cláudio (Corinthians) (21)
2.67
Palmeiras 8 x 0 Corinthians (Rio-São Paulo 1933)
152
06/05/1917
San-São
São Paulo vs Santos
The matchup between Santos and São Paulo, known since the 1940s as San-São, joins the opening syllables of the clubs to represent a rivalry that was already shaping in the early decades of the 20th century.
The classic counts 328 matches, with a São Paulo edge: 141 wins against 110 for Santos, plus 77 draws. The duel has surpassed the thousand-goal mark, with 540 scored by São Paulo and 463 by Santos.
The first encounter took place on May 11, 1930, at Vila Belmiro, ending 2-2 and starting a rivalry that would grow through the decades. Estádio do Morumbi became the main stage of the classic, with 143 matches. The largest crowd was on February 1, 1970, at Morumbi, with 71,244 fans on Santos' 2-1 win.
Among the great names of the San-São, Pelé is the top scorer with 31 goals. In duels against the rival, the King recorded 18 wins, 17 draws and 10 losses, including four goals in the 6-3 win on September 3, 1961. Another iconic curiosity is the "Jogo das Barricas" of 1938: amid a serious financial crisis at São Paulo, Santos agreed to play a friendly whose revenue, collected in barrels at the stadium gate, was entirely dedicated to helping the rival.
328
141
77
110
540
463
Pelé (31)
3.06
Santos 6 x 3 São Paulo (Paulista 1961)
143
11/05/1930
Clássico Alvinegro
Corinthians vs Santos
The matchup between Corinthians and Santos, known as Clássico Alvinegro, is the oldest active rivalry among the four big São Paulo clubs. It is marked by periods of alternating dominance, like the historic Santos "tabu" during the Pelé era and the Corinthians response decades later, with iconic routs that became part of the supporters' memory.
The classic counts 357 matches, with a Corinthians edge: 140 wins against 113 for Santos, plus 104 draws. In total goals, the Parque São Jorge side also leads, with 611 against 525 for Santos. The average is 3.18 goals per match, one of the highest among Brazilian classics.
The first encounter took place on June 22, 1913, at Parque Antarctica, with a 6-3 Santos win. Estádio do Pacaembu is the main stage of the classic, with more than 100 matches, but the largest crowd was on March 20, 1977, at Morumbi, with 120,782 fans in a goalless draw. Corinthians holds the biggest rout in the history of the matchup: 11-0 in 1920, also the largest win in the club's history. The 7-1 in 2005 also became iconic. Santos has its biggest win at 7-1, recorded in 1932.
The all-time top scorer is Pelé, with an impressive 50 goals against Corinthians, an absolute record for the matchup. On the Corinthians side, the top scorer is Cláudio Christóvam de Pinho, with 21 goals.
357
140
104
113
611
525
Pelé (50)
3.18
Corinthians 11 x 0 Santos (1920)
100
22/06/1913
Clássico da Saudade
Palmeiras vs Santos
The matchup between Palmeiras and Santos, known as Clássico da Saudade, brings together two of the most successful and technical teams in Brazilian football history. The nickname was created by journalist Thomáz Mazzoni to exalt the football-art of both clubs, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, when they staged great duels that left supporters yearning.
The classic counts 356 matches, with a Palmeiras edge: 155 wins against 109 for Santos, plus 92 draws. A total of 1,082 goals have been scored, with 593 by Palmeiras and 489 by Santos.
Estádio do Pacaembu is historically the venue that hosted the classic the most, with 74 matches, although in recent years Allianz Parque has become the main Palmeiras home for the duel in the capital. The largest crowd in the history of the matchup was on October 15, 1978, at Morumbi, with 127,723 fans. The all-time top scorer is Pelé, with 32 goals; on the Palmeiras side, the top scorer is Heitor, with 13.
Among the most striking episodes is the "Game of the Century" of paulista football, on March 6, 1958, when Santos won 7-6 in the Torneio Rio-São Paulo, in one of the most spectacular matches ever recorded in the state. Decades later, the rivalry gained a historic continental chapter in the 2020 Copa Libertadores final, at Maracanã, with a 1-0 Palmeiras win.
356
155
92
109
593
489
Pelé (32)
3.04
Santos 7 x 6 Palmeiras (Jogo do Século, 1958)
74
27/03/1916