This season, Bragantino made his comeback to the Brazilian first division after a 22-year hiatus, primarily due to a $11.5 million investment from the Austrian firm, whose football portfolio currently includes Leipzig, Salzburg, and the New York Red Bulls.
Located in Braganca Paulista, around 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of São Paulo, Bragantino had just recently reestablished themselves in the Brazilian second division when they revealed a partnership with Red Bull in March of the previous year.
Under the terms of the agreement, the club was combined with Red Bull Brasil, a team the firm had established in 2007 and which was competing in a state league in São Paulo.
The club, which is now called Red Bull Bragantino, hasn’t stopped since.
“We were searching for a team that had a compelling backstory, loyal supporters, and a close bond with their hometown. “We were fortunate enough to discover all of that and more in Bragantino,” stated Thiago Scuro, the club’s executive director.
Rich from Red Bull, Bragantino assembled a team that won the second division with ease.
There is still more change to come. They are restructuring the club’s internal operations and remodeling their stadium.
“Red Bull took on Bragantino with the intention of raising the club’s level across the board,” Scuro stated to AFP.
“On the field, we’ve got positive outcomes. In the meanwhile, we’re putting a lot of effort into the club’s infrastructure and management.”
Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian businessman, founded Red Bull in 1987. The company released its highly caffeinated beverage on the global scene in 1994 and has since plowed ahead at a frightening clip into new markets.
The company first established its distinctive brand awareness through extreme sports events like the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series and Red Bull Air Race, before moving into the more conventional brand-building industry of football.
The clubs connected with Red Bull “are independently managed in their home countries, but we have a lot of contact with each other — we share knowledge, methods and best practices,” Scuro stated.
This year, Red Bull Bragantino added top players from Salzburg (Luis Phelipe) and Leipzig (Luan Candido).
Under the direction of former player turned coach Felipe Conceicao, they put together a youthful, talented squad for their return to the top division of football this season.
They battled Santos and Botafogo, two of the biggest teams in the league, to draws in their opening two games.
On Sunday, two days before Leipzig, recently victorious from their quarterfinal shock of Atletico Madrid, takes on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals, they will be attempting to secure their first victory over Bahia.
“We want to play aggressive attacking football, with a lot of intensity and technical quality,” Scuro stated.
“Brazil is a great country to sign young talent.”
With the exception of defending champion Flamengo, Bragantino spent more money signing players this season than any other Brazilian first-division team.
Scuro, however, asserted that it goes beyond money and quick achievement.
“Our main goal for 2020 is just to stabilize the club in the first division,” he stated.
It’s going to be a halfway-house process. We’ll be able to play on par with the top clubs in three years, in my opinion, not because of financial resources but rather because of our established style of play, technical prowess, and annual investment in young players.”
