Ahead of Palmeiras clash, revisit Marlon Freitas and Barboza absences | OneFootball

Palmeiras face Botafogo this Sunday (6) at 6:30 p.m. Brasília time at Nilton Santos Stadium in the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. Besides the importance of the clash in the race for the top spot, the match will be marked by two players facing their former club again: Marlon Freitas and Alexander Barboza.

Both left Botafogo in 2026 and were signed by Palmeiras amid a period of financial instability at the Rio club. Now, for the first time, they return to Nilton Santos as opponents.

Botafogo fans, in fact, are preparing taunts for both players. Some supporters have not forgiven the moves to a direct rival in Brazilian football.

Marlon Freitas: departure surrounded by criticism

Marlon Freitas was the first of the two to leave General Severiano. The defensive midfielder, who had been one of Botafogo’s main leaders in the historic 2024 campaign, when the club won the Brazilian Championship and the Copa Libertadores, was sold to Palmeiras at the end of 2025 for around €6 million, approximately R$33 million at the exchange rate at the time.

The departure came during a time of financial difficulties for Botafogo. Later, Alessandro Brito, the club’s former sporting director, said that the deals involving Marlon, Barboza, and Savarino were necessary so Botafogo could meet its financial obligations. According to him, the sales represented a kind of “survival issue” for the club.

In March, before the first meeting between Palmeiras and Botafogo that season, Marlon was criticized after saying that the Campeonato Paulista was the best title of his career, putting his Brazilian Championship and Libertadores triumphs with the Rio club in the background. The episode gained even more attention after Palmeiras’ 2-1 win, when the midfielder got into an argument with former teammates.

Days later, Marlon publicly explained what happened behind the scenes of his departure. The player said he had received offers to leave Botafogo, that the club was already interested in selling him, and denied the idea that he had forced a move to Palmeiras.

According to the midfielder, there was even a situation in which he needed to give up part of his rights for the deal to go through. “I’m not a mercenary,” Marlon said, explaining that the decision did not simply come from a desire to leave Botafogo.

Barboza left Botafogo amid an emotional outburst

The center-back said goodbye to Botafogo emotionally, crying on the pitch at Nilton Santos. Before joining Palmeiras, he revealed that he had not intended to leave the club that way and had hoped to renew his contract.

Barboza said he had set some conditions to stay, including a guarantee that the club would have a competitive project and would not sell him later if an offer came in. According to him, Botafogo was unable to provide that assurance because of its financial needs.

The situation changed when the player’s agent received a call saying the defender would need to be sold because the club needed money. Palmeiras and Cruzeiro emerged as possibilities, and Barboza said he understood at that moment that Botafogo intended to sell him no matter what.

Palmeiras ultimately won out in a deal worth approximately $4 million, around R$20 million at the exchange rate at the time.

The farewell was marked by the contrast between the player’s words and the fans’ feelings. While Barboza cried on the pitch, supporters asked him to stay. The defender, who had joined Botafogo in 2024 and won the Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship that same year, left the club after 122 appearances.

And then there was the Danilo saga

As if the transfers of Marlon and Barboza were not enough to raise tensions between the clubs, Palmeiras and Botafogo were also at the center of another dispute in 2026: Danilo.

A Palmeiras academy product, the midfielder became Verdão’s main target in the mid-year transfer window. The São Paulo club submitted three offers for the player.

The first was worth around R$120 million, plus center-back Naves. Then Palmeiras raised the bid to approximately €28 million, with €25 million fixed and another €3 million in bonuses. In the final stretch, Verdão even signaled that it could pay the €28 million as a fixed fee, in installments over three years.

Botafogo’s board wanted figures between €35 million and €40 million and, above all, showed resistance to selling the midfielder to another Brazilian club. Danilo, for his part, viewed a return to Palmeiras favorably and even expressed the desire to play again for the club that developed him.

The outcome further fueled the rivalry. Botafogo played Danilo against Vitória, meaning the player reached 13 matches in the Brasileirão and could no longer represent another Serie A club in the competition. Afterwards, the Rio club also mocked Palmeiras on social media.

The situation also created friction between Danilo and Botafogo. The player made it clear that he did not want a transfer to Zenit of Russia, and later became upset upon learning that his name had been included in a possible deal for Luiz Henrique without him having been informed beforehand.

A reunion with all the ingredients of rivalry

On Palmeiras’ side, Marlon Freitas and Barboza will once again come up against the club where they won titles, built a connection, and, in the midfielder’s case, even took on a leadership role.

On Botafogo’s side, there will be a fan base that still harbors resentment over the departures and will have the chance to turn the reunion into another chapter in the clubs’ recent history.

On the pitch, Palmeiras arrive as leaders of the Brasileirão, with 52 points from 25 rounds and the second-best campaign in the club’s history in the points era at this stage. Botafogo, meanwhile, sit in 12th place and have not won in four rounds.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.