
Ibis Sport Club, who play in the second tier of the regional Pernambucana league, are the self-proclaimed “Pior Time Do Mundo” or “Worst Team In The World” in Portuguese and are proud of it, too, displaying the honour below the crest of their kit.Not that everyone who has played for them is proud of it. Amazingly, the club unearthed Brazil greats such as Vava and Rildo, although they’d long left Ibis before achieving stardom. Some former players even deny having been anywhere near the place, while others turn their noses up at the thought of joining them.

For example, Didi, who now plays for Romanian club CFR Cluj, said: “No, Ibis, no. for God’s sake! What happened was that an agent of mine said I’d signed for Ibis to stop me from going to Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira. It was just an act of filthy skulduggery, nothing more. Please don’t write that I played for the worst club in the world, will you?”Similarly, Romario had no hesitation in turning down the club’s invitation when he was famously chasing the 1,000th goal of his illustrious career.
The worst period was the early-80s when the team lost 23 games in a row and went 55 matches without a win. Their fans took to cheering the opposition and even club president Pinheiro Caldas pleaded with the Guiness Book of Records for the club to be entered as the worst in the world.

Useless striker Mauro Shampoo, a part-time hairdresser, scored only once in his entire career. He became a cult figure with documentaries and poems dedicated to him.
But times could be about to change. The club is about to invest £6m in a new training ground as it makes a push to improve its image. It’s also calling for fans to buy a share in the club for just £1 a month. Says director Felipe Fernandes defiantly: “We will still be the worst, but we will also be the best.” Quite.SHOCKING HISTORY: In the first 60 years, 120 goals were scored and 3,700 conceded.
WORST RUN: 55 games without winning, including 23 defeats in a row.
YEAR OF SHAME: They lost all their matches in 1980, including defeats by 15-0, 30-0 and 40-0.
BOGEY TEAM: In 1978 they conceded 44 goals in 4 games against Sport Recife.
WORST GOALKEEPER: Jagunco conceded 366 goals in his 10-year spell in the club.
WORST STRIKER: Mauro Shampoo scored only one goal in 10 years – in a 8-1 defeat against Ferroviario.
