At centre-back, Raniele shines for Corinthians against Athletico-PR | OneFootball

On the night of this Thursday (30), Corinthians hosted Athletico-PR at Neo Química Arena in a match valid for the 21st round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, and ended up with a 0-0 draw. The result kept the Corinthians side in ninth place with 29 points — seven wins, eight draws, and six defeats — with 22 goals scored and 20 conceded.

Despite the stumble in Itaquera, Corinthians’ main individual standout was defensive midfielder Raniele, who in the match against the team from Paraná played out of position as a center-back alongside André Ramalho. It is worth remembering that, in addition to his usual role, the midfielder had also previously been used by Fernando Diniz as a right-back in the matches against Vasco da Gama (H – 1-0) and Mirassol (A – 2-1) between late April and early May, in the Brasileirão.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

According to Sofascore, a sports statistics app, Raniele received the highest rating among Alvinegro players in the match on the app (8.0). Overall, he recorded: three tackles, 55/61 accurate passes, 10 clearances, nine interceptions, 10 clearances, 7/8 ground duels won, 3/4 aerial duels won, 9/12 accurate long balls, and 22 defensive actions. In addition, he had 93 touches, drew three fouls, and completed the only dribble he attempted. He was responsible for marking Viveros, one of Athletico-PR’s standout players and the top scorer of the national tournament with 12 goals so far.

Signed in January 2024 after standing out for Cuiabá the previous season, Raniele quickly became one of the pillars of the Corinthians squad. He took part in the team’s surge in the previous Brasileirão edition (from the relegation zone to the Copa Libertadores qualifying stage), and was also a starter in the title-winning campaigns of the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo.

Overall, he has five goals and two assists in 143 matches (127 as a starter) wearing the Corinthians shirt — 63 wins, 37 draws, and 43 defeats — a 52.7% success rate. His contract runs until December 2028. With the No. 14 available, Timão now turns its focus to the 2026 Copa do Brasil. This Sunday (2), at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time, Alvinegro visits Internacional at Beira-Rio Stadium for the first leg of the national knockout tournament.

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