A great Brazilian football team in 2024, Botafogo will make its debut in the 2025 season this Saturday (11). With the main squad on vacation, the team will face Maricá, in the Campeonato Carioca, at Engenhão, basically with juniors. But, even when the group is complete, starting next week, its format will have notable differences compared to last year.
The team that won the Brazilian Championship and Copa Libertadores no longer has its commander, Artur Jorge, and has not yet defined a replacement. The big black and white name in these titles is also out, striker Luiz Henrique, who still defines the direction he will take in European football. Attacking midfielder Thiago Almada went to Lyon.
The board agrees on the final details of the arrival of promising defender Jair, 19 years old, who played in Série B for Santos. But it seems undeniable that there were more losses than gains at the turn of the calendar. Defined as a target for the coaching position, André Jardine refused the proposal and remained in Mexico.
“I have a level of patience that may not be shared by journalists and some fans,” said the owner of black and white football, North American businessman John Textor, about the delay in defining a new coach. “We didn’t expect the process to take this long, but we still have a lot of time.”
Meanwhile, payments to athletes for achievement awards, 13th salary and vacation payments were delayed. The players threatened not to show up on the scheduled date, next Tuesday (14), if everything is not regularized by the day before, which increases concerns after a glorious period.
Palmeiras, at the moment, does not appear to have cash problems. The green and white club, which will present a R$100 million annual sponsorship from Sportingbet next week, adopted an aggressive behavior in the market and made large investments for 2025. No club in the world spent so much on reinforcements in the current window.
The alviverde from the west of São Paulo agreed to pay 18 million euros (R$ 112.9 million) to take striker Paulinho from Atlético Mineiro – which also took midfielders Patrick and Gabriel Menino in the transaction. And he agreed to pay another 11.5 million euros (R$72.1 million) for Uruguayan Facundo Torres, also a striker, who was at Orlando City.
President Leila Pereira wants more. The salary bases for the signing of midfielder Andreas Pereira have been agreed, but negotiations are still ongoing with West Ham, from England, for the athlete’s release. Palmeiras’ offer is 20 million euros (R$ 125.4 million), yet another demonstration of the team’s aggressiveness in the market.
Champion of almost everything in previous years, the team had a less successful season in 2024, with one trophy, the Campeonato Paulista. Therefore, with new sponsorship and TV contracts, the board decided to put its hand in its pocket to regain national hegemony and once again have an advantage over Botafogo.
“Are you calmer?”, joked Leila, on social media, when announcing the first reinforcements, referring to the fans’ anxiety about the arrival of players. There was a demand for bolder moves, mainly because of the defeats to Botafogo, customers in 2023 and tormentors in the following season.
The signings made by arch-rival Corinthians in the last semester also put pressure on the Alviverde president, one of which was a media – and until now sportingly productive – bet on Dutch striker Memphis Depay. Fortified, the black and white team won nine consecutive victories and jumped from the Brazilian relegation zone to the Copa Libertadores.
The investments made in advance on an emergency basis to avoid being cut off and the excellent results in the final stretch of the year made the club from the east of São Paulo prioritize the maintenance of the squad, which was achieved. The only more significant loss was that of right-back Fagner, who has a black and white history, but, at 35 years old, had already become a reserve.
There were also no major signings at Flamengo, champion of the last Brazilian Cup, whose big news is the absence of striker Gabigol, now at Cruzeiro. Internacional, owner of the best campaign in the second round of the Brazilian Championship, was another to bet on maintaining its base, as was Fortaleza, fourth placed in Nacional.
São Paulo repatriated midfielder Oscar, who started his career at Morumbi, built a career in Europe and spent the last few seasons in China. And he released Rodrigo Nestor and Michel Araújo to Bahia, which closes the list of eight Brazilian teams that will play in the Copa Libertadores – the tricolor team from Salvador also invested in striker Erick Pulga, who stood out in Ceará.
Outside the group of those who will compete in the main South American competition, Cruzeiro’s movement in the market caught attention, with the arrival of practically one team. The list of reinforcements includes renowned names, such as the aforementioned Fagner and Gabigol. Defender Fabrício Bruno, ex-Flamengo, and striker Dudu, an idol from Palmeiras, also arrived.
Rival Atlético Mineiro, which was very close to winning the last Libertadores – played the final against Botafogo with an extra player from the first minute – and experienced a terrible end to the season, finishing in 12th place, is still looking for parts replacement. For now, only Patrick and Gabriel Menino, involved in the sale of Paulinho to Palmeiras, have arrived.
