Fans rate Zé Ivaldo's season at Santos as 'average' | OneFootball

Zé Ivaldo's year at Santos was a portrait of ups and downs that only took on decisive contours in the final stretch of the Brasileirão. Loaned by Cruzeiro at the beginning of the season, the defender arrived at the club with the status of a starter, fit into a long sequence of games, and quickly became a trusted piece. Later, he lost space, his performance declined, and he seemed destined for oblivion. But, in the final stretch of the national championship, he regained his good form, became a solution at a critical moment, and even forced Peixe to buy him outright for 2026.

In a poll conducted by Gazeta Esportiva, voters rated the season of the Santos defender as "regular," with 49.14% of the votes. Right behind was the "good" option, which received 33.62%.

The defender's journey can be measured in statistics. With 2,899 minutes on the field — the fourth most used player in the squad of the year, according to Transfermarkt data — Zé Ivaldo ended 2025 as the most called-upon defender by Santos. He played 31 matches and scored one goal, but the path to this point was not linear.

In the first half of the year, his name was almost indisputable as a starter. Strong in short duels and secure on the ground, the Alagoan quickly consolidated himself, to the point of being the second athlete with the most minutes on the team, behind only goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão. Between March and June, he played 18 consecutive matches and became the pillar of the defense. The coaching staff's doubt wasn't about him — it was about who would play alongside him.

This scenario crumbled with a change in command. The arrival of Cleber Xavier to the sector brought João Basso back into the picture. Basso took advantage of a suspension of Zé Ivaldo, performed well against Vitória, and paved the way to take over the spot. In the next match, against Fortaleza, Zé became a secondary option and only came on in the second half, improvised at right-back. From a key player, he became an enigma. To the point that the football department considered that his stay for 2026 might not be worth the investment.

When it seemed too late to react, fate offered a chance. Physical problems, the FIFA Date, and a reorganization promoted by Juan Pablo Vojvoda put Zé back in the team precisely in the heaviest games of the calendar. Luan Peres' suspension in the classic against Palmeiras opened the first door. He was a starter at Allianz Parque despite the defeat and convinced. Days later, he faced Flamengo at Maracanã with a solid performance. And, with Luan preserved due to concussion protocol and Alexis Duarte called up for the Paraguayan national team, Zé maintained his position against Palmeiras, this time at Vila, in the victory that secured Santos' stay in Serie A.

The three consecutive games activated the clause that Santos had been monitoring for months: the defender reached the goal of 60% of the matches for which he was available, which obliges the club to buy him from Cruzeiro. It will be 1 million dollars (a little over R$ 5.3 million) paid in four installments, the first of which in January.

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