Andreas Pereira settles in quickly at Palmeiras, set to be key for 2026 | OneFootball

Andreas Pereira was one of the main signings for Palmeiras for the 2025 season. The 29-year-old player bid farewell to Fulham, in England, and signed with the Alviverde club in August. In just a few months, he justified the club’s persistence in his signing after a quick adaptation and heads into 2026 as one of the key players in Abel Ferreira’s team.

Shortly before making his debut for Verdão, the midfielder was once again called up to the Brazilian National Team, but was not used by Carlo Ancelotti in the defeat to Bolivia in the World Cup Qualifiers. As soon as he returned from the national team, he got his first minutes for Palmeiras in the 4-1 win over Internacional in the Brasileirão.

In the very next match, he was a starter: against River Plate, in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. He played for 74 minutes and was involved in both goals in the 2-1 victory in Argentina, providing one assist. Already considered a “starter” for the return leg, he was rested for the match against Fortaleza and needed just 15 minutes off the bench to score two goals from outside the box in the 4-1 rout.

Soon after his arrival, Palmeiras lost an important midfield piece: Lucas Evangelista, who had taken over as a starter after Richard Ríos was sold to Benfica. The number 8 arrived precisely to fill the gap left by the Colombian and played well in the team’s playmaking role. However, Evangelista’s thigh injury forced Andreas to be moved back at times, and even so, he continued to stand out.

Between September and October, Andreas put together a run of nine games as a starter. During this period, Verdão experienced one of its best stretches of the season, with eight wins in nine games. Although they went to the end in both the Brasileirão and Libertadores competitions, Palmeiras ended up as runners-up in both.

For Palmeiras, Andreas Pereira. He will report back with the rest of the squad on January 4 at the Academia de Futebol, where he will have his first pre-season with the club, already preparing for the Campeonato Paulista.

Andreas was a long-time dream for Palmeiras

Palmeiras had been eyeing Andreas since the end of 2024 and, at that time, had already tried to sign him, but ran into the player’s desire to remain in Europe. However, by mid-year, with less playing time at the English club, the midfielder accepted the offer to play for the São Paulo club.

Andreas’ numbers for Palmeiras

Palmeiras’ next match

Portuguesa vs Palmeiras Competition: Campeonato Paulista (1st round) Date and time: January 10, 2026 (Saturday), at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Canindé, in São Paulo (SP)

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