The history of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas begins in 1891 when the Botafogo Regatta Group was founded in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Three years later, the group became Club de Regatas Botafogo and, in 1904, the Botafogo Football Club was created. After 38 years of the two associations existing in parallel, the merger between the two clubs created Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, currently one of the most popular sports entities in Brazil. Known for the five-pointed star on its emblem, which gives it the nickname "Estrela Solitária Club" ("Lonely Star Club"), Botafogo's official colors are black and white. Since 2007, it has held its football matches at the Nilton Santos Stadium, formerly known as Engenhão. Its main rivals are Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama. It was nominated by FIFA to the select group of the greatest clubs of the 20th century. Among its main titles are twenty-one Carioca Championships, four Rio-São Paulo Tournaments, two Brazilian Championships, and a CONMEBOL Cup (precursor of the current Copa Sudamericana). In addition, the club holds some of the top records in Brazilian football, such as the record for the most matches unbeaten: 52 matches between the years 1977 and 1978; the record for undefeated matches in Brazilian Championship matches: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; the largest number of player participation in total Brazilian National team matches (considering official and unofficial matches): 1100 participations; and the largest number of players assigned to the Brazilian National Team for World cups. The club is still responsible for the largest victory ever recorded in Brazilian football: 24–0 over Sport Club Mangueira in the 1909 Carioca Championship. Foundation Predecessors Botafogo's history goes back to the 19th century, precisely 1891, when members of the Clube Guanabarense (from 1874), created the Grupo de Regatas Botafogo, having as one of its founders the rower Luiz Caldas, known as Almirante. Soon after Caldas' death, the group was regulated as Club de Regatas Botafogo. The club had as its headquarters a mansion, now demolished, in the south of Botafogo Beach, leaning against the Morro do Pasmado, where today the Pasteur Avenue ends. On 12 August 1904, in parallel to the regatta club, a new football team, the Electro Club, was created on the initiative of Flávio Ramos and Emmanuel Sodré, two young men between 14 and 15 years old who studied together at Colégio Alfredo Gomes. A little