Palmeiras and Flamengo eye Libertadores, led by foreign stars 🤩 | OneFootball

Palmeiras and Flamengo are the two Brazilian clubs that most invest in athletes born outside the country.

And many of these foreign players will be major attractions in the Libertadores final between the two sides next Saturday (29).

The expectation is that Gustavo Gómez, Aníbal Moreno, and Flaco López will represent Verdão from the start.

Meanwhile, Rubro-Negro is likely to have Rossi, Varela, Pulgar, Jorginho, Arrascaeta, and Carrascal among the starters.

There are 18 foreign players in the combined squads. Only one, Flamengo’s Gonzalo Plata, is out due to suspension.

This count includes Jorginho, who was born in Brazil, became a naturalized Italian, and successfully played for the Azzurra.

The symbols of each finalist 👇🏽

📸 Alexandre Schneider - 2025 Getty Images

Gustavo Gómez arrived at Palmeiras on August 2, 2018.

He was playing for Milan, but without the expected opportunities. He initially came on loan, costing 1.5 million euros (about R$ 6.5 million).

The loan was renewed for another season until a permanent deal was reached. His total cost ended up being 5.5 million euros.

A value that turned out to be a "bargain".

El Capitán is the player with the most trophies in the club’s history (12, alongside Weverton, Marcos Rocha, Mayke, Dudu, Ademir da Guia, and Junqueira).

He is also the foreigner with the most titles for Verdão, the one with the most appearances (377 games), and the highest-scoring center-back in the club’s history, with 42 goals. 

📸 Alexandre Schneider - 2025 Getty Images

Then a standout for Cruzeiro, two-time Copa do Brasil champions, Arrascaeta joined Flamengo on January 12, 2019.

The negotiation was lengthy and included a dispute between the midfielder and Raposa.

Arrasca came for 15 million euros (approximately R$ 63.7 million) – at the time, the most expensive signing in the club’s history.

He became one of Rubro-Negro’s main stars after Jorge Jesus arrived. 

And today, he holds the status of being the squad’s main reference, wearing Zico’s legendary number 10 shirt.

He shares with Bruno Henrique the record for most titles in Flamengo’s history: 15. Zico, Júnior, and Gabigol have 13.

And he is having an outstanding 2025. He already has 40 goal contributions: he has scored 23 times and provided 17 assists. A personal record. 

All the foreign players at Palmeiras 🟢⚪

🇵🇾 Gustavo Gómez – Center-back – 32 years old

🇦🇷 Giay – Right-back – 21 years old

🇺🇾 Piquerez – Left-back – 27 years old

🇦🇷 Aníbal Moreno – Defensive midfielder – 26 years old

🇺🇾 Emi Martínez – Defensive midfielder – 26 years old

🇵🇾 Ramón Sosa – Forward – 26 years old

🇺🇾 Facundo Torres – Forward – 26 years old

🇦🇷 Flaco López – Forward – 24 years old

All the foreign players at Flamengo ⚫🔴

🇦🇷 Rossi – Goalkeeper – 30 years old

🇺🇾 Varela – Right-back – 32 years old

🇺🇾 Viña – Left-back – 28 years old

🇮🇹 Jorginho – Defensive midfielder – 33 years old

🇨🇱 Erick Pulgar – Defensive midfielder – 31 years old

🇺🇾 De La Cruz – Midfielder – 28 years old

🇪🇸 Saúl – Midfielder – 31 years old

🇺🇾 Arrascaeta – Midfielder – 31 years old

🇨🇴 Carrascal – Midfielder – 27 years old

🇪🇨 Plata – Forward – 25 years old

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

📸 Wagner Meier - 2025 Getty Images