Corinthians have used the third fewest players in 2025 among Série A clubs

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Central do Timão

·21 September 2025

Corinthians have used the third fewest players in 2025 among Série A clubs

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Since his arrival at Corinthians, coach Dorival Júnior has consistently repeated a common theme in his press conferences: the lean squad has been an obstacle to achieving more consistent work in 2025. The coach's complaint is backed by the numbers, as Timão is only the third club in Serie A that has used the fewest players this season.

According to a survey by ge.globo, Corinthians fielded 38 players this year, even resorting to some youth players to complete the squad. This number is identical to Mirassol's and only higher than Ceará (37) and Cruzeiro (36), the lowest in the Brasileirão.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

For comparison, the clubs with the highest number of players used are Sport (60), Bahia (57), and Vitória (57). The rest of the ranking is composed of: Flamengo (56), Botafogo (55), Vasco (55), Atlético-MG (53), Fluminense (53), Fortaleza (48), Grêmio (46), Santos (45), Juventude (45), São Paulo (43), Internacional (41), Palmeiras (40), and Bragantino (39), in addition to the clubs already mentioned.

In the case of the black-and-white team, the low turnover is directly linked to three factors: financial crisis, little movement in the market, and the transfer ban imposed by FIFA for non-payment to Santos Laguna, Mexico, in the purchase of defender Félix Torres.

From January until now, the management has brought in only two reinforcements: Fabrizio Angileri and Vitinho, both signed without transfer fees, as they were free agents. The club only covered salaries and signing bonuses spread over the contracts.

While the arrivals were modest, the departures had a greater impact. In 2025, Corinthians lost: Pedro Raul (loan to Ceará); Renato (loan to Atlético-GO); Alex Santana (loan to Grêmio); Diego Palacios (loan to Karpaty, Ukraine); Igor Coronado (contract termination); Giovane (contract termination); Léo Maná (loan to Criciúma).

Dorival Júnior, who expected at least four reinforcements promised by the management, found himself limited within his own group. The solution was to accelerate the integration process of the club's youth players. Thus, names like Kayke, Dieguinho, Bahia, Gui Negão, and André began to gain space at CT Joaquim Grava.

“We had to accelerate so they could be on the field. We've been with some of them for two months, two and a half months, others for a shorter time. I am taking all possible care, and I, more than anyone, really enjoy working with the youth categories,” said the coach at the beginning of the month.

The resource has been effective in some matches but does not solve all the squad's shortcomings. With the transfer window closed and the FIFA ban still active, the tendency is that the gaps will remain until the end of the season.

One of the most evident problems is the creative sector, which relies almost exclusively on Rodrigo Garro. When the Argentine is unavailable, as will be the case against Sport this Sunday at Ilha do Retiro, the team needs to resort to improvisations or changes in the scheme.

Another critical point of the squad is the right-back position, which only has Matheuzinho. Without him, Dorival has used Félix Torres and Charles out of position to fill the gap. Léo Mana, who was considered the immediate backup, ended up leaving the club, which could not seek replacements due to the transfer ban.

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