Midfielder, ex-Botafogo, was Verdão’s only signing in 2026 so far
Palmeiras started the Campeonato Paulista by beating Portuguesa 1-0 and already using Marlon Freitas in the starting lineup. The midfielder was assigned the role of number 5 at the head of the midfield area. After the game, coach Abel Ferreira praised the player: “It was a great signing, very happy to bring a player with this quality who will add not only leadership, because Rocha, Mayke, Zé Rafael, Rony, Luan left. A team is also made of experience, trickery, collection and we want that this year. We learned this year, even the VAR learned, did you see? I don’t know if the Libertadores VAR was different. Very sad, with a final theoretically about VAR and referee top. Proof of how annoying the coach is sometimes. They say Palmeiras didn’t finish, but no one will take away this asterisk and today is proof of that.”
The alviverde coach also spoke about the team’s preparation and the tight schedule at the beginning of the year: “I broke another record, a four-day pre-season. I saw the players with battery above 15% or 20%, after the well-deserved rest. See what Guardiola or the PSG coach does, in the middle of the season the players leave for a week. In addition to the physical exhaustion, there is the mental one. In four days, we did well. We showed dynamics, not always with better decisions in the last third. Happy with the dynamics I saw, we practically only have one new player, Marlon, who will bring us maturity, experience and pause in the game. Hurt pride and a little anger, for some things under my control and others not, I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Finally, Abel commented on the dispute over the Palmeiras goal: “Weverton has a contract, he is a Palmeiras player, he won titles with me and he is the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Palmeiras, whether people like it or not. He knows what we did with (Marcos) Rocha, we renewed it four, five times, after showing performance. He knows what I expect from him. My taste is to have two players for each position at the same level, and then choose. (Goalkeeper) is a position I am very happy with. I have Weverton, Carlos and Lomba. Lombra brings a lot of things that you don’t know because you’re not there. He’s a player that I won’t give up. If I have to give up one of the three, it’s his. For all the experience and example of what he represents for us as a group.
