Carlos Miguel settles in fast at Palmeiras, key for 2026 | OneFootball

Carlos Miguel adapted quickly at Palmeiras and made the most of his first opportunity to become a starter. About two months after his arrival at the club, the 27-year-old goalkeeper took over the starting spot in Palmeiras’ goal due to an injury to then-starter Weverton. After a strong showing in 2025, he is expected to become one of Abel Ferreira’s key players for 2026.

High expectations upon his arrival

Palmeiras signed Carlos Miguel from Nottingham Forest in August of this year, investing around 5.5 million euros (approximately R$ 35 million). He had been sidelined at the English club and had played only two matches up to that point. Even so, he arrived with high expectations.

Carlos Miguel joined Palmeiras to refresh the club’s goalkeeping options, which until then consisted of the veteran Weverton, who was the starter, and Marcelo Lomba, the immediate backup. Goalkeeper Aranha, from the under-20 squad, was also integrated into the professional team but did not play any matches.

  See this post on Instagram   A post shared by Carlos Miguel (@_carlosmiguel98)

Carlos Miguel seizes “unexpected” chance

The fans wanted to see Carlos Miguel in action, but Weverton remained one of Abel Ferreira’s leaders. The coach even stated in a press conference that the newly arrived goalkeeper was behind the other two in the hierarchy. But good performances in training led Carlos Miguel to “jump” to Weverton’s backup.

This was demonstrated in October, when the 2.04-meter-tall goalkeeper unexpectedly became the starter. In a decisive stretch of the season, Weverton suffered a fracture in his right hand during one of the training sessions, which forced him to miss the rest of the season’s matches.

It took him three games to earn his first victory. In that stretch, he conceded six goals in three matches in which Verdão was defeated—against Flamengo in the Brasileirão, and against LDU in the Libertadores. Gradually, he established himself, showing more confidence, went four games without conceding and delivered standout performances, especially in two Palmeiras wins against Juventude and Atlético-MG.

Even in his first months at the club, Carlos Miguel saw Palmeiras experience ups and downs, finishing runners-up in both the Brasileirão and the Libertadores. In 2026, he will have the chance to play his first full season with the club and is expected to remain among Abel Ferreira’s starting eleven.

In total, Carlos Miguel played 12 matches for Palmeiras and conceded ten goals.

Next season

Palmeiras will return to training at the Football Academy on January 4 for the start of preseason. Verdão’s first match of 2026 will be against Portuguesa, at Canindé, on January 11, in the opening round of the Paulistão.

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