Luciano’s Libertadores ‘villain’ year may be his last at São Paulo | OneFootball

Luciano, 32 years old, has been with São Paulo since 2020, a club where he is close to reaching a century of goals, with 99 scored so far in 310 matches wearing the tricolor jersey. And once again, the player's name is speculated as a possible reinforcement for Vasco for next year.

In these just over five years defending the Morumbi club, the forward has experienced moments of love and hate with the São Paulo fans. He excelled in his first season, with 21 goals and 7 assists in 38 matches, earning him the Bola de Prata awards as the best forward in the Brasileirão, and finishing as the competition's top scorer with 18 goals.

That's when he started to win over the tricolor fans, not only for his good performance on the field but also for his grit and fight for the ball in every play. Sometimes, with a bit of exaggeration. But nothing detrimental yet. Thus, he won the chants of ‘É, Luciano’ from the São Paulo stands for the first time.

After a lackluster 2021, with only ten goals and two assists in 39 games, he returned to have a great season the following year, which earned him a contract renewal with the club until the end of 2024, increasing his salary by about five times.

In 2022, he once again reached his best goal mark for the Tricolor, 21, in addition to providing four more assists in 59 appearances, being the main highlight of the team that reached the Copa Sudamericana final that year. It was there, however, that he began to feel the first major pressures from the stands.

The same fans who applaud…

With a poor performance in the final lost to Independiente del Valle, the fans began to criticize, claiming that the top scorer disappeared in decisive moments. Even so, at the end of the season, he inherited the tricolor number 10 jersey, which bizarrely was worn by midfielder Nikão.

Now already established and an absolute starter in the team, with the new number he also started to play a different role on the field, acting more as an attacking midfielder. However, his performance dropped. Despite having his best year as a playmaker at the club, with eight assists, he only scored 15 goals in 65 games. Nevertheless, at the end of the season, another contract renewal, now extended until December 2026, once again with a significant salary increase.

The last two years have been marked by a certain division regarding the tricolors' affection for their number 10. The faction that sees him as an idol continues to believe in the player's talent, but the haters who want him out of the club have started to gain more support with each game.

The peak was São Paulo's elimination by LDU in this year's Libertadores. With the absence of its main offensive names, like Lucas, Oscar, and Calleri, Luciano was left as the star and hope of the team. But the numerous missed goals against the Ecuadorians, in both matches, seem to have exhausted the patience of a large part of the fans. And not just because of that. The player's ‘hot’ temperament, which often results in cards and suspensions, is also a reason for much criticism.

Is it time to leave?

At the beginning of this 2025, as Luciano himself revealed, he was almost involved in a trade with Santos but ended up staying. Vasco's interest is not new. As we revealed, at the beginning of last year, when Alexandre Mattos was still the football executive of the Carioca team, the Cruzmaltinos made official contacts with the player's staff and the Tricolor itself to try to sign him. However, things didn't progress.

Now, it is his friend Fernando Diniz who wants to take him. It's not hard to imagine, given that the forward and coach have a history together. Luciano went to Fluminense at Diniz's request. And again, it was at the coach's request that he landed at São Paulo in August 2020.

Vasco, another club not in a good financial moment, does not intend to pay a release clause to the Tricolor for the athlete. The idea is to try to reach an agreement, which would depend on the negotiating power of the player's agents.

The situation still depends on many factors to advance. If São Paulo, for example, secures a spot in the Libertadores again, the departure could be more complicated. A player already a veteran, over 30, is not expected to bring profit to the Tricolor, which also didn't spend anything on his arrival.

However, despite being the one with the most goal involvements this season (14 goals scored and six assists provided), the number 10 saw his idol status tarnished by the goal drought experienced in the past months, exactly during the period that culminated in the eliminations in the Brazil and Libertadores cups. And, internally, Luciano's high salary has already been seen as a problem.

It may be time for Luciano to say goodbye, in an extreme love-hate relationship within the club. And you, do you think the forward's time has come to an end at the Tricolor, or is he still an important piece for the squad in 2026?

For this journalist writing to you, who has never been a big fan of Luciano, despite recognizing his importance in the squad, the number 10 never confirmed his name as the great hope of the Tricolor. In decisive moments, he failed or lost his spot, as in the 2023 Cup victory. He is a piece to compose the group. But given his high earnings, with the club in its biggest financial crisis in history, I don't think the cost-benefit is worth it and would listen carefully to any proposals that came for him.

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