Luis Amaral photographs the club he grew up worshipping, Clube Atlético Mineiro, at home in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Luis Amaral | Pitch Issue 16[ABOVE] LEADER OF THE PACK
Raised in Juatuba, Minas Gerais, Luis Amaral has spent a lifetime following ‘Galo’ (or Clube Atlético Mineiro, to give the club its official name). It’s a place he first dreamed of playing as a youngster and has “long since fantasised of working for as a photographer.”
Now on ‘The Roosters’ payroll, his boots-on-the-ground perspective grants a proximity to supporters, in the stands, where he has always stood. Amaral’s images reflect the three-time Campeonato Brasileiro Série A champions in all their black-and-white glory. One award-winning frame, chosen from more than 23,000 entries worldwide, captures a father and son in the crowd – a moment Amaral recognised instantly. In it, he saw his own beginnings, and the enduring pull of football passed from one generation to the next. It is, in many ways, his story too.
[BELOW] BE STILL MY BEATING HEART
A CAM fan ‘loses it’ in the northern sector of the 2023-built Arena MRV
BLACK-AND-WHITE PASSION
“Aside from being my most famous photograph, the fixture marked Hulk’s historic 500th career goal. I saw myself in that moment, I felt connected to the father-son duo because I remembered when I began to fall in love with football, just like them with my dad driving me to the stadium. Mineirão, as it was then.”
[LEFT] QUINHENTOS
In the arms of the Atlético supporters, Givanildo ‘Hulk’ Vieira de Sousa runs to celebrate half a thousand goals, a milestone that places him among the greatest active scorers in world football. An idol in the making, still taking firm steps to becoming an Atlético great, despite being 39 years old.
[RIGHT] EVERLASTING
Galo in its purest form, marked on the skin and present in the DNA. Being an Atlético supporter means carrying a love that cannot be measured, only felt. Permanently.
FAMILY TREE
“They say you do not become an Atlético supporter, you are born one. It is an inherited love that cannot be taught. It passes from parents to children as part of their identity. In the stands of Arena MRV, this comes to life. A shared passion that crosses time and never fades.”
ATLETICANISMO
