Books that tell the history of Bahia

In new year’s goal lists, the topic “read more books” is a classic. From famous publications to those that are relics found hidden in second-hand bookstores or on the last shelf of bookstores, reading is a way to pass the time, seek out information and consume what interests us most. For those who like sport, the answer is clear – football.

In the world of football, each club has its story, its main characters, and its unforgettable moments. Many of them are immortalized as real-life fictions in books, and the Bahian tricolor is not left out. There are several books that tell the story of Bahia, from the two Brazilian Championships to the club’s trajectory told in cordel literature, to bring Esquadrão fans even closer to the team in 2025.

In 1959, the Brazilian Championship appeared, still under the name Taça Brasil, and with it, its first champion – Bahia. The story of the team that marked the lives of all fans and immortalized the tricolor name in football forever is told in many books, but mainly in two.

“59 is ours! EC Bahia primate champion of Brazil”, written by Alexandre Teixeira, tells how, on March 29, 1960, a 3-1 win over Santos at Maracanã gave Bahia its first national title. After beating Peixe 3-2 at Vila Belmiro and losing 2-0 at Fonte Nova, it was in the third game that Bahia overcame Pelé’s team and won the tournament.

The book tells the story of the entire championship, including the 14 matches played and the importance of names like Nadinho, Marito and Léo, also protagonists of the work “Heróis de 59”, by journalist Antônio Matos. Together, the two books promise to tell young fans what happened in the past, and made Bahia a club full of tradition.

The second Brazilian Championship in Bahia came to complete the song, and start to sound “59 is ours, 88 too” in the stands of Fonte Nova. In the 1980s, the club’s great campaign culminated in yet another national title, recounted by Miguel Leite in “One more, Bahêa: 80s, a decade of achievements”.

In a single decade, there were seven state titles – also very well explained in the work “Década de Ouro”, by Elton Serra -, leading the Brazilian Championship with 16 undefeated games, and many memorable matches starring Osni, Beijoca, Bobô, Cláudio Adão, Paulo Rodrigues and many others, all with their stories told in the book.

In addition to Miguel Leite, Bahian journalist Clara Albuquerque also wrote the story of these stars, in the work “The ten most of Bahia”, in celebration of the club’s 85th anniversary, remembering its main achievements.

Speaking of history, it is impossible to tell that of Bahia without thinking about 2013, when political movements fought against the group of top hats that had controlled the club since 1970. Their trajectory is immortalized in the book “Never Again! – 25 years of struggle for freedom at Esporte Clube Bahia”, by Bahian Nestor Mendes Jr.

Using excerpts from the Hino ao Dois de Julho, from Bahia, Nestor tells the trajectory of those who sought to decentralize power over the tricolor, and question the existence of democracy in the club.

Once again through the words of Nestor Mendes Jr, the story of Bahia is told from its foundation, on January 1, 1931, until its more than 90 years, when the book was completed in 2021.

The work “Bahêa, Minha Paixão – Primeiro Champion do Brasil” brings together nine chapters that tell the foundation of the club, the seasons from 1932 to 2021, the two Brazilian titles, the rivalries, the fans and the most unforgettable games. Furthermore, the book tells the stories of the anthem, the tricolor mantle and the fight for democracy within the club.

But, for those who want to know the history of the tricolor in the most Bahian way possible, the answer is in “Épico Esquadrão: A História do Esporte Clube Bahia em Cordel”. Written by Elton Magalhães, the book covers the team’s trajectory in Bahia’s classic Cordelist literature, including nine corners with historical photographs of the Steel Squadron.