Founded on August 21, 1898, in Rio de Janeiro, Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama began as a rowing club named in honor of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, and is now a major sports club best known for its football team competing in Brazil's top league. The club established its football department in 1915 and was a pioneer in Brazilian professionalism in 1933, while its renowned youth academy has produced stars like Romário, Philippe Coutinho, and Roberto Dinamite. Vasco achieved historic milestones by winning the South American Championship of Champions in 1948 (becoming the first continental champion) and the Copa Libertadores in 1998, exactly on its 100th anniversary. Nationally, it has secured four Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, one Copa do Brasil, and 24 Campeonato Carioca titles, with its legendary 1940s-50s team, the Expresso da Vitória, considered one of the best in the world. With a massive global fanbase, the club plays at São Januário stadium (since 1927) and occasionally the Maracanã, and holds fierce rivalries, especially the Clássico dos Milhões against Flamengo, making it one of the most iconic and widely supported clubs in the Americas.