In the first days of 2026, Ibrachina Futebol Clube is experiencing its highest point since its foundation, just over five years ago.
The recent fame came with the elimination of favorite Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the São Paulo Junior Cup, in a penalty shootout. Before the feat, the team had already beaten Atlético Mineiro and Internacional.
The rise of the club based in Mooca, a traditional neighborhood in the east of the capital, is not seen as a surprise by its directors and professionals.
“Today, apart from the four big [Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos e São Paulo] and Red Bull Bragantino, Ibrachina is already the sixth force in São Paulo. We have a field, a gym… The athletes receive supplementation and eat five meals a day,” he told Sheet coach Renato Souza.
“Our players have medical insurance, private school, dental plan. We meet all the requirements, which is why we are the first association with work focused exclusively on the grassroots to obtain the CBF Training Club Certificate”, stated executive director Gilberto Tavares, known as Giba, whose playing career was cut short by injuries and is the son of former full-back Gilberto Sorriso.
Created during the pandemic, in September 2020, the club is the product of a social project linked to the Instituto Sociocultural Brasil China. The Ibrachina Arena complex, measuring 12 thousand square meters, is certified by FIFA (International Football Federation) and functions as a complete training center. It is also one of the headquarters of Copinha.
“Although we only have five years, we try to organize ourselves first and then give opportunities to young people and distribute them to other clubs. Generally, clubs do this only later”, noted Tavares.
Presided over by brothers and businessmen Henrique and Thomas Law, the “Dragões da Mooca” work with a formative mentality. The idea of the project is, from the under-15 category, to work with players to trade them, as there is no professional team.
One of the highlights of the campaign, midfielder Luiz Fernando is traded to São Paulo. Another success story is that of attacking midfielder Kauã Oliveira, traded to Sporting, from Portugal. The player, now 22 years old, was signed up by the European club to compete in the Champions League.
Since January 2023 at the club, Renato Souza took over the under-20 team in June last year, after good work in the under-16 and under-17 categories, but in a delicate situation. At the time, Ibrachina was threatened with relegation in the Campeonato Paulista category, planning a comprehensive reformulation.
“Many players were discredited. We built a more competitive and fierce team, we chose to give opportunities. We still managed to react to classify the team. Our last defeat was against Grêmio Prudente, 22 games ago”, said the coach.
“Enrico, our number 9, arrived at Paulista after being sent away from Vila Nova. He no longer wanted to play football, he thought about stopping to help his father work. He saw Ibrachina as his last opportunity. Today, it is one of the highlights”, he reported.
Goalkeeper Gabriel Sena has also stood out, who saved a decisive penalty against Santo André and two others against Palmeiras.
For Giba, the secret to success lies in the application of simple game principles, which cross all youth categories: the methodology of “root football”, which constantly values the natural talent of players and less standards.
“We see more grassroots football, which bothers some people. We value the one-on-one game, without having a player left, who fights all the time. We revive what was applied in the past, such as collective training, while today only reduced work is done. Our pre-season is just physical”, he described.
The next challenge will be against São Paulo, at 9:30 pm this Thursday (22). The game, which counts for a place in the Copinha decision, will be broadcast on CazéTV.
“We celebrated a lot, but I say that we need to turn the key quickly. The victory against Palmeiras changed our day, but, if they continue, they could change the lives of generations of the family”, said Souza.
This year, the team will compete in a national youth competition for the first time, the Copa do Brasil under-17. And he has plans to establish a professional cast.
“We want to do the professional, even to reduce the risk of those who are in the last year of under-20. I’ve been with the boy since the under-15, and what’s left for him if he doesn’t succeed soon? We dream of the professional to continue”, said Souza.
“We are still faced with the difficulty of expanding the audience capacity of our stadium and other points. But I feel that within two years at most we will have a professional team. We are close,” said Giba.
