5 years of marriage, titles and challenges in the Libertadores

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Abel Ferreira likened his career at Palmeiras to a five-year marriage, full of achievements such as two Copa Libertadores titles and challenges, and he recently renewed his commitment to the club on the eve of another continental final.

“I felt, from the first day I arrived at Palmeiras, that this is almost like a relationship, a marriage, that is built over time, and the more time passes, it’s like wine, the better it gets”: On the eve of his third Copa Libertadores decision in charge of Palmeiras, Abel Ferreira made a declaration of love and compared working at the club, which lasts for more than five years, to marriage.

As the longest-serving coach in Brazilian football today, Abel Ferreira has lived and is actually living all the stages of the relationship as coach of Verdão, from the beginning of the “relationship”, during the honeymoon, to the consolidation of the family and until the “shaking” of the federation.

The ten “children” leave no doubt about the greatness of this “marriage”: two Libertadores Cups, two Brazilian Championships, three São Paulo Championships, a Brazilian Cup, a Recopa Sudamericana and a Brazilian Super Cup.

Next Saturday, the 29th, Palmeiras and Abel Ferreira will be able to write another chapter of this path together. The ball is rolling for the continental grand final between Verdão and Flamengo at 6pm (Brasilia time) at the Estadio Monumental de Lima in Peru.

Recall below some of the main points of the “marriage” between Palmeiras and Abel Ferreira:

The beginning of a relationship

When he arrived at the club, in November 2020, Abel Ferreira found Palmeiras “broken” after the end of Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s fourth spell. Like a suitor promising his in-laws goodwill, the Portuguese tried to make his mark during the show.

“I did not come for vacation, I came to work and earn money at the club,” said Abel Ferreira, at a time when Palmeiras was working to part ways with its “medals”, leaving traditional coaches aside to bet on young talents.

The decision to search for the then Greek coach of PAOK also came after a scenario in which the club was “rejected” by another bidder: Miguel Angel Ramírez, at the time, at Independiente del Valle and was considered a sensation in South America.

The Spaniard refused to open the way for Anderson Barros’ board to investigate the Greek club’s coach, the first step in the courtship. What happened next went down in Palmeiras history, or rather, it was “love at first sight.”

Shortly after the first ‘stays’, Abel Ferreira led Palmeiras in his first major achievement for the club: the 2020 Copa Libertadores final – held in January 2021 due to the pandemic – against Santos, which Verdão won 1-0 at the Maracanã, with a goal from Breno Lopez.

honeymoon

If 2020 was the year in which the relationship began, then 2021 can be considered a “honeymoon” between Abel Ferreira and Palmeiras: the Libertadores victory at the beginning of the year was followed by a Copa do Brasil title and a third consecutive title in the continental championship.

The relationship was characterized by a touch of intense passion, with one victory after another. Institutional trust grew and Abel Ferreira began to be viewed not as a person of short-term luck, but as the leader of a long-term project.

On the other hand, the eliminations and defeats in the finals also raised some doubts about the work of the coach who finished second in the Recopa Sul Americana, the Brazilian Super Cup, and the Paulista Championship, in addition to finishing third in the Brazilian Championship.

However, any lack of confidence was put aside in 2022, which is considered the most successful year for Appel in charge of Palmeiras: with 48 victories in 74 matches, the club celebrated victories over Paulistão, Recopa and Brazil, the moment when the “couple” stopped living only passion and made the relationship partnership clear.

Uniform marriage

In 2023, Palmeiras won the Paulista and Brazilian Championships again, teaching consistency and the ability to repeat achievements even with heightened expectations. That year, Abel Ferreira surpassed the ‘former’ Luxemburgo and became the second coach to achieve the highest number of achievements for the club, nine.

The Portuguese’s stay is also no longer seen as temporary and his coaching staff is starting to represent a larger structure at Palmeiras. At that time, Abel Ferreira became the foreign coach with the most titles in Brazilian football history and the only one to have won two Brazilian league titles.

With his credibility enhanced, Abel Ferreira’s contract was renewed in 2024, a year in which he also became the longest-serving coach in Palmeiras’ history in a single term, when he crossed the three-and-a-half-year mark.

The move has gone against the Brazilian football model, which calls for immediate results and, as a result, means coaches have an average tenure of between five and six months.

On the other hand, the pressures and strains on Abel Ferreira’s technical committee revealed the first signs of erosion in the relationship.

A shaky relationship, but with deep love

The marriage crisis came to a head in 2025. Needing to deal with the loss of important pieces and completely reshaping the squad, Abel Ferreira suffered a runner-up finish in Sao Paulo to Corinthians, as well as a Copa do Brasil exit to their biggest rival.

The climax came after a “reprimand” from the coach to the fans, after the draw against Botafogo: “In the two years that we were champions (of Brazil), I did not see our fans singing that during the year.”

On the other hand, protests and demonstrations during matches and posters bearing the phrase “Out, Abel” gained more space among Palmeiras fans, accustomed to the glories of the recent past. The Portuguese even apologized, but showed that he was hurt by what he heard from the stands: “He is bleeding inside.”

However, the stigma of the relationship would soon give way to “relief”, as the coach himself said, after the win over LDU, on 30 October. After the final whistle, Abel Ferreira fell to his knees on the field and let out his emotions.

On the eve of the decision, the Portuguese gave another indication that the relationship was as lively as before and that there were no plans for divorce: he confirmed the renewal of his contract like someone renewing his marriage vows.

“My word is worth more than just a signature,” he declared when confirming the word “fico.”

On the eve of writing another chapter in the history of this marriage, Abel Ferreira has once again strengthened the affection that allows him to continue to deal with the pressures and move forward, together with Sociedad Esportiva Palmeiras.

“We have built a very strong relationship over these five years and today I can say that I feel this mutual affection between the coach and the fans, and whatever happens in the future, without a doubt, all these moments that I lived here will forever be engraved in my memory and in my heart. Whether I win or lose, I know that there are thousands of emotions that I experienced.”