Clube Atlético Mineiro was founded in Belo Horizonte in 1908 and is nicknamed Galo, the rooster. It moved into the Arena MRV, its first ground of its own, in 2023, having long used the Mineirão.

Atlético won the inaugural Brazilian national championship in 1971 and took further titles in 2021 and 2025, along with the Copa Libertadores in 2013 - a campaign settled on penalties against Olimpia and driven by Ronaldinho - and the Copa do Brasil on three occasions.

The club's rivalry with Cruzeiro divides Belo Horizonte, and its academy produced Bernard, Éder Militão's contemporaries and, most famously, Reinaldo.