Changes on and off the pitch: a look back at Corinthians' Under-20 season

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Central do Timão

·4 October 2025

Changes on and off the pitch: a look back at Corinthians' Under-20 season

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians ended their season in the Under-20 category on the afternoon of last Friday, September 26, after being eliminated from the Paulista Championship in the round of 16 following a 3-1 comeback defeat to Santos at Vila Belmiro. The only goal for Corinthians in the match was scored by right-back Gabriel Caipira.

Central do Timão has learned that the Under-20 squad will go on vacation starting next October 6, Monday, and will return to training on November 3, to begin preparations for the 2026 São Paulo Junior Football Cup, which starts on January 2 and ends on the 25th of the same month.

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Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

The Central do Timão team, in contact with a source from the Corinthians youth system, also learned that the “Filhos do Terrão” will not participate in any preparatory tournaments before the most important tournament in the country. Central do Timão now recalls how the Corinthians Under-20 season went.

“Surprising” Campaign in the Copinha

Corinthians chose to take mostly younger players to the 2025 Copinha, being one of the teams with the lowest average age in the tournament. After ending 2024 on a low note, the category arrived for the competition under suspicion and under the command of the then-newly arrived Orlando Ribeiro, who had led the team in only two matches the previous year – the Paulista quarterfinals against Palmeiras.

In the group stage of the Copinha, Corinthians qualified in second place in their group with victories over Gazin Porto Velho from Rondônia and Rio Branco from Acre, both by 3-0, in the first two rounds. In the third and final game, Timãozinho was defeated by Santo André, in ABC Paulista, by a score of 2-0, in the match that would decide the group leader. That day, the coaching staff chose to field a completely reserve team, which made the difference regarding home advantage in the knockout stage.

In the second phase, the Alvinegro knocked out Falcon, from Sergipe, by 1-0. In the third, the victim was Vila Nova, with a 4-1 win, without trouble. In the round of 16, an exciting qualification: after a goalless draw with Ituano in regular time, goalkeeper Kauê was decisive in the penalty shootout and helped the “Filhos do Terrão” advance after a 5-4 win.

In the quarterfinals and semifinals, Timãozinho knocked out Vasco da Gama and Grêmio with 1-0 victories. Gui Negão and Luiz Gustavo Bahia, both now in the main squad, played decisive roles. In the final, at Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu, Corinthians took a 2-0 lead (goals from Denner and Gui Negão) against São Paulo in the first half and seemed headed for another title. However, in the second half, Timãozinho's performance dropped and they suffered a comeback, finishing as runners-up. The “Majestoso” final had only the rival fans present.

The campaign gave even more support to coach Orlando Ribeiro in his position as Corinthians Under-20 coach.

Disappointing Performance in the Under-20 Brasileirão and Almost Relegation for the Second Year in a Row

After a good run in the Copinha, the expectation was that the team could at least fight for a spot among the top eight in the Under-20 Brazilian Championship. However, the performance was disappointing. Suffering from many squad deficiencies, the Corinthians team finished the national competition far from the knockout stage, occupying only 15th place with 20 points in 19 matches (four wins, eight draws, and seven losses – 24 goals scored and 35 conceded).

The first team in the relegation zone was Internacional, with just 15 points. In 2024, Corinthians experienced a similar situation and finished the national competition in 18th place with 18 points (five wins, three draws, and 11 losses – 23 goals scored and 46 conceded). If there had been relegation in the last edition, the “Filhos do Terrão” would have been relegated. Even so, Orlando Ribeiro remained in charge, as the team was doing well in the Paulista Championship for the category.

Change in Coaching Staff and Presidency, and Consequently, Youth Department Management

After a series of poor games in the Paulista Under-20 Championship, coach Orlando Ribeiro left the position after a 4-1 defeat to Botafogo-SP, in Ribeirão Preto, in the first phase of the state championship, on August 26. In almost a year at the helm of Timãzoinho, he accumulated 17 wins, 12 draws, and 10 losses – 64 goals scored and 59 conceded – just over 50% success rate.

Subsequently, the following week, Corinthians announced the arrival of coach William Batista, who already had experience with youth and professional teams – he was at América-MG (Série B), and, so far, has led the team in five matches. In total, there were three wins (Jabaquara – 3-2, in the last round of the first phase of the state championship, and XV de Piracicaba – scores of 1-0 and 3-1, in the third phase of the tournament), one draw (Santos FC – 0-0 in the first leg of the Paulista round of 16) and one defeat (Santos FC – second leg of the Paulista round of 16).

Amid the coaching change, Corinthians, days earlier, had the definitive removal of Augusto Melo from the presidency in the General Assembly of Members after developments in the VaideBet Case with the Civil Police and Public Prosecutor's Office. As a result, his entire board resigned, including the former general director of the department, Claudinei Alves.

Between January 2024 and May 2025, the former board signed an incredible 87 players for the club’s youth categories, considering Under-17 and Under-20. According to a survey published by Meu Timão, 51 of them are no longer at the club – almost 60% of the total – and none generated profit for the club.

On August 25, Osmar Stabile was definitively elected president of Corinthians until December 2026 and, at the beginning of June, had already appointed Carlos Alberto Aurrichio, known as Nenê do Posto, as the general director of Corinthians’ youth categories, replacing Claudinei Alves. Since then, there have been 47 departures from the Corinthians youth system – most brought in during Augusto Melo’s administration.

In addition, the then technical and transition coordinators, Batata and Chicão, were dismissed. Both are former defenders who had notable stints as players at Corinthians. They were both hired by Augusto Melo at the start of his term. On the other hand, Claudinei Muza (general manager) and Alex Brasil (executive of Corinthians’ youth categories, hired in September 2024) remained in the department.

On August 15, Central do Timão published, exclusively, a report detailing all the club’s savings from the aforementioned departures in the youth categories, from players to staff. Click here to remember.

Paulista Under-20 Championship

Corinthians finished the first phase of the Paulista Under-20 Championship in fifth place in Group 2 with 29 points (nine wins, two draws, and four losses – 29 goals scored and 25 conceded). In the overall table, it was only the 13th best campaign. In the first phase, one of the defeats was to archrival Palmeiras, 3-0, at Arena Barueri.

In the third phase, the club from Parque São Jorge knocked out XV de Piracicaba with two wins: 1-0 in the interior of São Paulo and 3-1 at Estádio Alfredo Schürig, Fazendinha. In the round of 16, they were eliminated by Santos FC, after a goalless draw in the first leg at Parque São Jorge and a 3-1 defeat at Vila Belmiro.

Check below for the Corinthians Under-20 top scorers in 2025:

1) Luiz Fernando – 10 goals in 39 games

2) Luiz Gustavo Bahia – nine goals in 26 games

3) Gui Negão – eight goals in 22 games

4) Dieguinho (28 games), Léo Agostinho (28 games), and Nicolas Araújo (38 games) – five goals each

5) Denner (17 games), Guilherme Pellegrin (25 games), and Gabriel Caipira (41 games) – three goals each

6) Robert Lopes (16 games), Guilherme Gama (20 games), Lorenzo (24 games), Nicollas (24 games), Luiz Eduardo (26 games), and Pedro Thomas (31 games) – two goals each

7) Gui Amorim (one game), Juninho (three games), André (five games), Gui Bom (five games), Vitinho (nine games), Luiz Fábio (11 games), Drude (12 games), and Jesse Costa (13 games) – one goal each

Departures from Corinthians’ youth categories since Osmar Stabile took over as president

1) Under-12: Murilo, Luis, Antony, and Kayke

2) Under-14: Felipe, Gabriel, Giovanni, Pedro, Pietro, Robert, Ryan, and Thiago

3) Under-15: Francisco, Gabriel, Jorge, Yan, and Igor Henrique

4) Under-16: Christian Castro

5) Under-17: Arthur Paleari, Matheus Yuri, Ruan Nantes, Nicolas Santos, Rafael El-Helou, Matheus Silva, Kauê Furquim*, Kevin Moura, Miguel Demarche, and Pedro Borges Netto

6) Under-20: Matheus Roger, Fernando Ojeda, Franco Delgado, Daniel Trajano, Jesse Costa, Vinícius César, Rafael Venâncio, Júlio César, Enzo Marçuli, Pedro Lopes, Miguel Jordão, Kallil Soares, Andrey Bassani, Cauã de Andrade, Fernando Luiz Júnior, Paulo Vinicius, and Kawann Kleberth

7) Aged out (born 2004): Kauã de Deus and Thomas Agustín

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