Santos and Palmeiras meet in Rio for allBrazilian Copa Libertadores final
Some 434 days after Flamengo beat River Plate with two very late goals to win the first one-off final in the history of the Copa Libertadores, two Brazilian clubs will meet in Flamengo’s iconic Maracanã stadium in Rio on Saturday to fight it out for their title.
If the semi-final between Santos and Boca Juniors was billed as Pelé vs Diego Maradona, the final between coastal overachievers Santos and Palmeiras – who saw off River Plate in their semi-final – pits O Rei against O Divino.For many old heads in Brazil, Ademir da Guia – the midfield genius known as the Divine One – is second only to Pelé in the pantheon of Brazilian legends. Santos and Palmeiras dominated the Paulistão in the 1960s and 1970s, at a time when the state championship was considered superior to the national competition, so it is fitting that these two clubs will contest the first all-São Paulo state Copa Libertadores final.
Neither club boasts a Pelé or Ademir these days. Promising talents now flee Brazil much younger than in an era when many chose not to leave at all, such was the strength of the local game. But the final will feature a healthy mix of veterans returning home to Brazil having already made their bones in Europe – such as Palmeiras striker Luiz Adriano – and wonderkids destined to cross the Atlantic in the near future, such as Santos forward Kaio Jorge.
Jorge, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday, is the latest talent to emerge from the academy that produced Pelé, Neymar and Rodrygo. He scored three goals in the quarter-finals as Santos knocked out 2017 champions Grêmio and he is hoping to do something similar this weekend. “It has always been a dream of mine to play in a Libertadores final,” he says, adding that he has “big expectations” for the game. “It’s a bit sad that this game is in Rio but won’t have any fans, because we would like to have our families and supporters in the stands with a full stadium, but we can’t let that disturb us.”
Jorge is not the only youngster hoping to make his mark. His opposite number in the green corner, the 18-year-old Palmeiras forward Gabriel Veron, is apparently a target for Barcelona and both Manchester clubs. And the versatile Gabriel Menino, who is being groomed as an heir to Dani Alves at right-back for the national team, is also realising his boyhood ambitions. “I feel honoured to play for the greatest club in Brazil and the Seleção, and I know I’ll make history with both,” he says.
“It reminds me how much I fought to be here. I can’t put it into words. I think it’ll be an excellent game against Santos. Of course, it would be nice to have fans there, because they would fill us with good energy and scream our names. This is just my first season as a professional and I’ve only played a few games with our supporters in the stadium. But we think about nothing except winning – winning at all costs. We want to make Palmeiras and Libertadores history.”
With no fans in the Maracanã due to the coronavirus pandemic, Santos and Palmeiras supporters will be watching from home. The game is being broadcast live on the BBC, which may prove useful for one high-profile Palmeiras supporter in England. The Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus grew up in
São Paulo and began his career at Palmeiras and will be cheering them on from home on Saturday.
“I’ll be rooting for them despite being far away and it will make me really happy to see a final with two Brazilian clubs at the Maracanã,” he says. “I’m a Palmeiras fan, but I watched all the semi-final matches and I was hoping that Santos got there too, even though I’ll cheer for the Verdão. A lot of people were asking me why I didn’t put anything on social media about the games, but I watch them all. The problem is that I can’t post about it because some are very late here and I have training in the morning. But I am always there cheering, watching and sending good vibes to the team. There are a few players that I’ve played with, but I’ve met others over the years, such as Gabriel Menino and Weverton in the Seleção. It will be a great game. Vai, Verdão!”
A victory for Santos would make them the most successful Brazilian club in the history of the competition with four wins. Palmeiras, on the other hand, have been obsessed with winning their second title since they first tasted glory in the competition in 1999, when they beat Deportivo Cali on penalties. Palmeiras have a disappointing record in Libertadores finals; if they lose to Santos, it will be the fourth defeat in a final – which would also be a Brazilian record.
The two managers also offer an interesting contrast. Palmeiras boss Abel Ferreira is just 42 years old and has only been working in Brazilian football since October. Whereas his opposite number at Santos, Cuca, is his 30th job in football management. Unsurprisingly, this is not his first rodeo in the Copa Libertadores. He was in charge of Atlético Mineiro when they won the competition in 2013, back when Brazil was enjoying a boom and Ronaldinho was tempted back home to play for the club. Repeating the feat with cash-strapped Santos would be nothing short of a miracle for Cuca.
Santos are currently 10th in the Brazilian league and very few pundits expected them to beat Boca Juniors in the semi-finals, with one media outlet giving them just a 4% chance of reaching the final. Their underdog status filtered into the dressing room and served as fuel to drive them on, with the phrase “4% chance and 96% faith” becoming a rallying cry among fans and players. The superstitious Cuca has constantly sported a Virgin Mary T-shirt and excessively gelled back hair on the road to the Maracanã. But with Venezuelan genius Yeferson Soteldo and joint-top Brasileirao scorer Marinho in his team, perhaps he does not need to resort to such rituals.
Cuca will be up against one of his old clubs on Saturday night. He was the Palmeiras manager when they won the Brasileirao title back in 2016, ending a 22-year wait to be crowned league champions. Having helped lay the foundations for a new era of success at the club, he is now trying to end it. Even though they are just fifth in the Brazilian league, Palmeiras go into the game on the brink of an unprecedented treble, having sealed the Paulistão in August and made it to the Copa do Brasil final, where they will play Grêmio next month.
Before thinking about a treble, they need to concentrate on their date in Rio against their state rivals. Anything could happen in the final. It’s a real pick ‘em bout between two clubs who nobody expected to get this far. The Copa Libertadores is one of the most unpredictable competitions in sport. Even more so this year.
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