Ceará Sporting Club (Brazil)

Ceará are from Fortaleza, the state capital of the north eastern Ceará province and the fifth largest city in Brazil. The club was formed in 1914 as the Rio Branco Football Club, and the following year changed their name to Ceará Sporting Club, and started a run of five Torneios Metropolitanos titles - the local city league. Spending most of their history in the local state league - the Campeonato Cearense - they've won the title a staggering 39 times. But once in a while they find their way up to the national Brazilian league, with some varying success.

Their most successful year, 1985, saw them come seventh in the Brasileirão - the highest finish ever for a team from Ceará. This in turn saw them enter the Copa CONMEBOL and play international football for the third time. Other successes saw them finish runners-up in the Brazilian Cup in 1994, losing to the tournament specialists Grêmio in the final, and getting to the semi-final of the same tournament in 2006, where they were beaten by Fluminense.

Their official home base is the 11,000 capacity Carlos de Alencar Pinto stadium, although they mainly play at the massive 60,326 Castelão Stadium or the slightly more cosy 22,228 Presidente Vargas Stadium, depending on who they're playing. They've also got a wealth of cracking nicknames. Most commonly called Big Grandpa, they're also known as The Northeast Vulture, and rather more sweetly, O Mais Querido - or The Most Loved. In 2010, they made their way back to the top flight of Brazilian football after some 17 years away. So best of luck to them in the new season.

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