Its formal name honors Plácido Aderaldo Castelo (1906–1979), who served as the governor of Ceará from September 12, 1966, to March 15, 1971, and was a leader in getting the stadium built.

The second stage of the reformation started on July 20, 2001, and consisted in the recovery and strengthening of the stadium's physical structure.

[3] The stadium was reopened on December 16, 2012, in a ceremony attended by former president Dilma Rousseff and Mayor of Ceara, Cid Gomes.

The stadium was redeveloped for the tournament; the reconstruction project, led by Uruguayan architect Héctor Vigliecca, involved the addition of a larger roof, the construction of an underground car park with 4,200 spaces, and a new lower tier.

Pope John Paul II participated in the celebrations of the Congress and the Estádio Castelão received the largest public of its history: 120,000 people.

On this occasion, the farewell mass of the archbishop of Fortaleza Dom Aloísio Lorscheider gathered 50 thousand people.