Palmeiras under-20 coach honoured after 10 years: “From boy to man” | OneFootball

Lucas Andrade said goodbye to Palmeiras’ U-20 team after ten years and was honored by the club this Wednesday at the Football Academy before joining the coaching staff of the Brazil U-20 and Olympic national teams.

He received a plaque in recognition of his work with the Alviverde side from president Leila Pereira, who was accompanied by vice president Paulo Buosi, youth academy coordinator João Paulo Sampaio, and youth academy director Marcelo Dedeschi.

“We are here to celebrate and, above all, thank this wonderful person, who has been with us since 2016. He proves that our academy produces not only excellent players, but also great professionals. I am very happy with the journey you had with us, Lucas, in an extremely successful cycle. I wish you great success with the Brazil national team, and I have no doubt that you will always be one of us,” Leila said.

(Photo: Fabio Menotti/Palmeiras)

“From boy to man”

The coach arrived at Palmeiras in 2016, initially joining the U-15 staff, before becoming assistant coach of the U-20 team in 2021. He took charge of the age group in 2023 and, during his spell, won back-to-back Brazilian Championships (2024 and 2025) and the Paulista Championship (2023). When he received the plaque, he was surprised by the presence of his family.

“This latest moment defines everything Palmeiras has meant in my life. I arrived here as a boy, with João’s (Paulo Sampaio) trust, and I leave as a man, with a family built within Palmeiras. I got married at Allianz Parque, I had two children here, so today I am with my two families,” he said.

“A special thank you to the president, who was a key figure throughout the entire journey, to (Paulo) Buosi, for the presence he always had in the day-to-day, to Marcelo (Dedeschi), who taught me what it means to be Palmeiras, and to João (Paulo Sampaio), who opened the door for me and taught me so much,” he continued.

Lucas Andrade’s future

Lucas Andrade will be an assistant coach with Brazil’s youth national teams, renewing his partnership with coach Paulo Victor, with whom he worked at Verdão.

He left Verdão after finishing third in the U-20 Copa Libertadores. The team is also currently competing in the Brazilian Championship and sits in third place for now, with seven points from three matches.

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