Who will be Palmeiras’ next hero as they chase fourth Libertadores? | OneFootball

Palmeiras takes the field this Saturday in search of their fourth championship in the Copa Libertadores da América. With a squad full of decisive players, names like Vitor Roque, Raphael Veiga, Flaco López, and Andreas Pereira naturally come to mind when thinking of possible protagonists for the final.

However, the club’s recent history in the competition shows that it’s not always the most celebrated stars who are responsible for the most iconic moments.

The 2020 and 2021 victories are proof of that. Instead of established stars, it was unlikely substitutes who secured two unforgettable titles for Verdão.

Who could forget Breno Lopes, the unlikely hero of 2020? Signed from Juventude just two and a half months before the final, the forward arrived to fill out the squad. He came on at the 40th minute of the second half, replacing Gabriel Menino, and just 14 minutes later scored the goal that immortalized his name in Palmeiras history. After a precise cross from Rony, Breno got ahead of full-back Pará and headed the ball into the opposite corner past goalkeeper John, sealing the title against Santos.

The following year, another substitute shone. After Raphael Veiga opened the scoring and Gabigol equalized, the match against Flamengo went into extra time. Abel Ferreira brought on Deyverson, and just four minutes into extra time, the striker took advantage of a mistake by Andreas Pereira (now a Palmeiras player) to steal the ball and score past Diego Alves, securing the third title.

With this history in mind, Gazeta Esportiva has listed players from the current squad who could repeat the feats of Breno Lopes and Deyverson and emerge as new unlikely heroes. Check them out:

Bruno Rodrigues

Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon

Signed at the start of 2024, Bruno Rodrigues faced a tough sequence of injuries: first to his right knee, in just his second game, and then to his left knee during a training match, when he was about to return.

Almost six hundred days later, he returned to action in September this year. Since then, he has played ten matches and scored two goals, both against Juventude. Now recovered and named in the squad for the final, he is expected to start on the bench but could be called upon during the game.

Statistics with Palmeiras:

12 games | 3 as starter | 2 goals

Facundo Torres

Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon

Bought for 12 million dollars (R$ 71.9 million), the Uruguayan started the season strong under Abel Ferreira, racking up starts. After the Club World Cup, however, he lost his place and was left on the bench in some matches.

Even so, he is currently in good form: he scored in the 3-2 defeat to Grêmio last Tuesday, ending a four-month goal drought. Like Bruno, he is expected to start the final among the substitutes.

Statistics with Palmeiras:

59 games | 42 as starter | 9 goals | 6 assists

Ramón Sosa

Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon

Sosa arrived in July, acquired from Nottingham Forest for 14 million euros (R$ 89.5 million at the time). Although he has scored only three goals, two of them were decisive. The Paraguayan scored the first goal in the 3-2 comeback win over São Paulo in the Brasileirão, and opened the scoring in the historic 4-0 win over LDU in the Libertadores semifinal, after losing 3-0 in the first leg.

Of the names on this list, he is the most likely to start, as Abel sees him as a trusted player.

Statistics with Palmeiras:

26 games | 9 as starter | 3 goals | 3 assists

Luighi

Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon

A product of the Academy, Luighi joined Palmeiras at age ten and rose through all the youth ranks until making his professional debut. In 2025, he alternated between the under-20 team and the main squad, scoring just once.

Even though he has seen little playing time, he could follow in the footsteps of Breno Lopes and Deyverson: appearing at the right moment and becoming yet another unlikely figure in Palmeiras’ Libertadores history.

Statistics with Palmeiras:

25 games | 4 as starter | 2 goals | 1 assist

Final Information

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