Atalanta BCAtalanta BC's story began as a student initiative: the club was founded on 17 October 1907 by pupils of Bergamo's Liceo Classico Paolo Sarpi. In 1920, Atalanta merged with local rivals Bergamasca, adopting its current name along with the distinctive black-and-blue colours that give the team its nickname, "I Nerazzurri." For decades, the club shuttled between Italy's top two divisions, along the way setting the record for the most promotions to Serie A.
The first major success came in 1963, when Atalanta — with a side built largely around graduates of its own academy — won the Coppa Italia, beating Torino 3–1 in the final. The club would then have to wait until the 21st century for its next great triumph. A true revolution arrived with the appointment of manager Gian Piero Gasperini in June 2016, who introduced an intense, man-marking tactical system that transformed a modest mid-table side into one of the most captivating teams in Europe. That transformation was crowned by winning the UEFA Europa League in the 2023/24 season — Atalanta defeated a Bayer Leverkusen side unbeaten in 51 matches 3–0 in the Dublin final, thanks to a hat-trick from Ademola Lookman. It was the club's first major trophy since 1963.
Atalanta's golden era was shaped by players such as Alejandro "Papu" Gómez, Josip Iličić, and Duván Zapata, while Rafael Tolói remained a defensive pillar for years. The team also regularly reached the Champions League knockout stages, going as far as the quarter-finals in 2020.
Atalanta have played their home matches since 1928 at the modernised Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, with a capacity of roughly 24,000. The foundation of the club's financial stability remains its renowned youth academy in Zingonia, widely regarded as one of the finest in Italy, which has generated hundreds of millions of euros from graduate transfers over the past decade, backed by an extensive and highly effective scouting network.
