English gentlemen and world soccer: Corinthians, amateurism and the global game

The significance of the Corinthians Football Club, founded in 1882, has been widely acknowledged by historians of football and by sports historians generally.

As a 'super club' comprising the best amateur talent available they were an important formative influence on football in Britain from the 1880s to the 1930s.

As a touring club - they first travelled to South Africa in 1897 and made regular forays into Europe and also to Canada, the United States and Brazil - they were the self-proclaimed standard bearers for gentlemanly values in sport.

Indeed for many years they were most famous football club in the world, drawing huge crowds and helping to ensure that the version of football emanating from the English public schools and universities in the mid-19th century became a global game.