Two of the clubs with the biggest investment in Brazilian football in recent seasons, Atlético-MG and Botafogo decide the Copa Libertadores this Saturday (30), in Argentina. Below, Itatiaia presents how many SAFs invested in the training of the current squads available to Gabriel Milito and Artur Jorge, respectively, who dream of conquering America.
Team investment exceeds R$600 million
The current cast began to be assembled around 2020 and is approaching R$200 million invested. In the last two seasons, Galo took advantage of market opportunities to sign names at the end of their contracts, a fact that reduced costs. However, reinforcements from 2024, such as Lyanco and Fausto Vera, cost around R$40 million to Atletico’s coffers. Hulk, hired in 2021, and Paulinho, who arrived in 2023, are examples that arrived “at zero cost”.
Botafogo, in turn, had SAF purchased by John Textor in 2022. In forming the current squad, the club invested around R$450 million in recent seasons. The biggest investment was this year.
Luiz Henrique and Almada cost more than R$220 million. Matheus Martins and Vitinho, hired for around R$64 million and R$49 million, respectively, come next in the ranking.
Scout work and market opportunities
One of the sectors that SAF Botafoguense invested the most in was the scouting department – and the club has reaped the rewards. An important part of the squad is made up of athletes who were free on the market. These are the cases of Bastos, Barboza, Alex Telles, Marlon Freitas and Igor Jesus, starters for Artur Jorge. Other examples are Marçal, Allan, Eduardo and Óscar Romero, who also have space on the team.
The fact that they were free on the market before arriving at Glorioso, however, does not mean that they arrived free of charge, but the values negotiated with the players are not revealed by the club.
The club’s Scout, which works in an integrated manner with other Eagle Holding Football clubs, such as Lyon-FRA and Crystal Palace-ING, also allows you to find “market opportunities”. Goalkeeper John, midfielders Gregore and Savarino, full-backs Cuiabano and Mateo Ponte and strikers Tiquinho Soares and Júnior Santos, for example, cost between R$5 million and R$15 million.
Atlético-MG also did similar work in recent seasons. Like Botafogo, Galo brought free names to the market and only had to pay for gloves, bonuses and prizes, among other amounts that do not include payments to the athletes’ former clubs.
In addition to Hulk and Paulinho, names like Saravia, Bernard and Igor Gomes arrived in Belo Horizonte without this type of payment in the negotiations.
How much did Atlético-MG pay for the current squad
- Everson: R$6 million
- Renzo Saravia: free on the market
- Bruno Fuchs: free loan
- Junior Alonso: R$6 million
- Guilherme Arana: R$29.2 million
- Mariano: free on the market
- Lyanco: R$18 million
- Mauricio Lemos: free on the market
- Igor Rabello: R$13 million
- Otávio: free on the market
- Robert: no-cost loan
- Rodrigo Battaglia: R$4.4 million
- Bernard: free on the market
- Igor Gomes: free on the market
- Fausto Vera: R$22.1 million
- Matías Zaracho: R$33.1 million
- Alan Franco: R$12.8 million
- Gustavo Scarpa: R$27 million
- Alan Kardec: free on the market
- Hulk: free on the market
- Deyverson: R$4.5 million
- Eduardo Vargas: R$7.1 million
- Brahian Palacios: R$15 million
- Paulinho: free on the market
How much did Botafogo pay for the current squad
- John: R$6 million
- Vitinho: R$49 million
- Bastos: free on the market
- Barboza: free on the market
- Alex Telles: book no mercado
- Gregore: R$13.5 million
- Marlon Freitas: free on the market
- Almada: R$120 million
- Savarino: R$13 million
- Luiz Henrique: R$106 million
- Igor Jesus: free on the market
- Marçal: free on the market
- Cuiabano: R$8 million
- Adryelson: free loan
- Lucas Halter: R$7 million
- Mateo Ponte: R$9.4 million
- Danilo Barbosa: R$500 thousand
- Allan: free on the market
- Tchê Tchê: R$5 million
- Eduardo: free on the market
- Óscar Romero: free on the market
- Junior Santos: R$5 million
- Jeffinho: free loan
- Tiquinho Soares: R$5.5 million
- Matheus Martins: R$61 million
- Carlos Alberto: R$5.5 million
