Palmeiras revamp squad, hit Libertadores knockouts with six champions | OneFootball

Palmeiras begin another CONMEBOL Libertadores knockout-stage campaign with one important difference compared to the squad that finished the 2025 edition. Abel Ferreira’s group now includes six players who have already won South America’s top competition.

They are: Gustavo Gómez, Joaquín Piquerez, Alexander Barboza, Marlon Freitas, Felipe Anderson and Jhon Arias.

The list brings together experience from different campaigns and, above all, from different clubs. Gómez and Piquerez won the Libertadores with Palmeiras itself. Barboza and Marlon Freitas were champions with Botafogo in 2024. Arias lifted the trophy with Fluminense in 2023. Felipe Anderson, meanwhile, was part of the Santos squad that won the 2011 Libertadores.

Although he took part in only one match in that campaign, against Once Caldas, Felipe Anderson was in the squad that secured Santos’ third Libertadores title. Andreas Pereira could join the list, having been part of Flamengo’s squad that won the Libertadores in 2022.

The shift in profile is even more evident because three of the six champions joined Palmeiras in 2026: Barboza, Marlon Freitas and Arias.

The experience Abel missed in 2025

The presence of so many champions takes on special meaning when recalling a statement Abel Ferreira made after the 2025 Libertadores final.

After the 1-0 defeat to Flamengo in Lima, the coach pointed precisely to experience as one of the factors that weighed on the decision. Abel summed it up in one sentence: “Experience beat irreverence.”

In the Portuguese manager’s view, Flamengo had a more mature squad for that kind of match, while Palmeiras was going through a process of development and renewal. Abel also stressed that the two clubs were in different moments and that their rival had more experienced players.

Barboza, Marlon Freitas and Arias arrive at Palmeiras with recent experience in title-winning campaigns. The trio were involved in trophies won by Botafogo and Fluminense during a period in which the Libertadores has become increasingly defined by high-pressure matches and fine-margin decisions.

At the same time, Gómez and Piquerez represent the memory of Abel’s own title-winning Palmeiras.

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