Abel Ferreira is Palmeiras’ most successful coach – 04/07/2024 – Sports

No coach has won more titles with Palmeiras than Abel Fernando Moreira Ferreira. This Sunday (7), by overcoming Santos in the final of the Campeonato Paulo and achieving his third title in the tournament, the 45-year-old Portuguese reached his tenth trophy for the Alviverde team, equaling Oswaldo Brandão.

The trophies added to the Palmeiras gallery thanks to the European’s work, however, qualify him to be considered the greatest coach in the club’s history, as they were won in more prestigious competitions.

Abel’s ten titles, in addition to this recently won 2024 Paulista, are the 2020 and 2021 Copa Libertadores, the 2022 and 2023 Brazilian Championships, the 2020 Copa do Brasil, the 2023 Supercopa do Brasil, the Recopa Sul-Americana of 2022, in addition to the Paulistas of 2022 and 2023.

Since the 1930s, when they won the state championship in the city of São Paulo in 1932, 1933 and 1934, the Alviverde team had not celebrated a third title in the competition.

Oswaldo Brandão, an isolated record holder until this Sunday and remembered for having ended the 23-year Corinthians line in 1977, won ten titles at Palestra Itália: the Torneio Início (1946), the Taça Cidade de São Paulo (1946), four Paulistas ( 1947, 1959, 1972 and 1974), the Brazil Cup (1960), the São Paulo State Governor’s Cup (1972) and two Brazilian Championships (1972 and 1973).

Excluding the Torneio Início, the Taça Cidade de São Paulo and the Taça Governado do Estado de São Paulo, of lesser importance, from this account, Abel was already considered by some fans as the biggest winner.

But, it seems, this possible controversy should not last long. This year, the team will have three more competitions to compete in, the Brazilian Championship, the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil, in all of them with the condition of being one of the main favorites.

It has been like this since his arrival in 2020, when the club began to accumulate a series of titles, a fact that helped him to stand out as the coach with the most titles in the same time with the team. On this list, Brandão shares second place with Vanderlei Luxemburgo, both with five.

The advantage has everything to grow, not only due to the competitions ahead this year, but also due to the fact that president Leila Pereira agreed, in January, to extend the Portuguese’s contract until the end of 2025.

After winning the 2023 Brazilian Championship, the marriage almost came to an end, after he received a very high offer from Al Sadd and even visited the Qatari club during his vacation, but the coach decided to continue his work in Brazil .

“Palmeiras’ great reinforcement [para este ano] this is it”, said Leila when she announced the renewal with the commander.

The first Portuguese, eighth European and 23rd foreigner to take command of Palmeiras in history, Abel is also the foreign coach with the most titles in Brazilian football, followed by Uruguayan Felix Magno, with eight, twice state champion with Atlético-MG and six with Coritiba, from 1946 to 1959.