When he takes the field at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru, for the Copa Libertadores final, next Saturday (29), midfielder Andreas Pereira will have extra motivation in his quest to secure Palmeiras’ fourth title in the competition.
With an impressive international career, with spells for the Brazilian national team and top European clubs such as Manchester United and Lazio, the 29-year-old has ended up being marked in the memories of many fans – especially Palmeiras and Flamengo fans – for the mistake he made in the 2021 Libertadores final.
In deciding the continental championship four years ago, at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, also between Palmeiras and Flamengo, Andreas Pereira, who was then defending the red and black colors, excelled in the movement, at the end of the match, which cost the Rio team the title.
After a 1-1 draw in normal time – with goals from Rafael Vega (Palmereis) and Gabigol (Flamengo) – the midfielder born in Belgium but of Brazilian parents fumbled with the ball at the start of extra time, after receiving a pass from David Luiz near the entrance to the penalty area.
The midfielder fell to the field while trying to retreat to goalkeeper Diego Alves and saw Deverson steal the ball and race towards the opponent’s goal to score Palmeiras’ second goal, the goal that would give Alverde his third title.
The player even announced months later that because of his mistake, he needed to reinforce his security with an armored car.
“It was hell. On the way back to Brazil, people wanted to destroy the bus and attack my house. We had to get off the bus first and get into another car, which was not normal. (It was a bulletproof vehicle),” he said in an interview with podcast FiveUK.
Andreas Pereira, one of Flamengo’s key players at the time, showed that he felt the blow and his performance declined in the following matches. He even took part in part of the Libertadores’ 2022 campaign, scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Tolima, in the round of 16.
However, his contract was not renewed by the red management and he went to Fulham, in England, months before Flamengo won that year’s continental title in the Brazilian final against Atlético PR.
With the regularity and good performance of the English club – which usually only competes in the middle of the Premier League table – the midfielder has once again entered the radar of Brazilian teams. He is also interested in returning to the country to become on the radar of the Brazilian national team coach, Carlo Ancelotti, and was announced in August as a new reinforcement for Palmeiras, in a deal estimated at 10 million euros (62 million Brazilian reals).
The club had already tried to sign him at the beginning of the year, but at that time they were unable to complete the deal.
With Rafael Vega having a season without the same spark of previous years and Richard Reus being sold to Europe, Andreas Pereira has quickly taken over a prominent position in Abel Ferreira’s rejuvenated midfield.
In the position of first-choice midfielder, he produced an outstanding performance in the Libertadores semi-final, against LDU, when the São Paulo team overturned a 3-0 deficit in the first match, in Quito, with a 4-0 victory in the second leg, in São Paulo.
“This type of player does not need to ask the coach whether he likes him or not, because we all know the quality he can bring to our team,” said Abel Ferreira, commenting on Andreas’ arrival in the team.
In 18 appearances so far in the green and white jersey, the midfielder has scored two goals and provided one assist.
When asked during his presentation at the Football Academy about the failure of 2021, the player sought to minimize the error and pose new challenges at the club.
The player said: “What happened has become a thing of the past for me. I arrived at this great club and I want to write my story here.”
He will face Flamengo for the second time in Saturday’s decision – the first was in October, in the Brazilian championship, which ended in a 3-2 win for the red and black, when the midfielder was vociferously booed by fans present at the Maracanã every time he picked up the ball.
“I am a professional and I do not care about provocations. I want to show my football skills, score goals, provide assists and achieve victories.”