Brazil 2023: Endrick And Palmeiras Are Champions As Santos Go Down

A rollercoaster year of football has finally come to a close in Brazil. Palmeiras have been crowned Champions, Santos have been relegated for the first time in their 111-year history and Fluminense became kings of the continent with victory in the Copa Libertadores.

Endrick and Palmeiras won Brazil’s key domestic title this year; the Serie A. Everyone plays everyone in the league so usually it is the most fair way to determine who have been the best team in the country. You might be able to win a cup with a bit of luck, but in the league consistency is key.

At the same time; this year in Brazil just four points separated the top four teams in the league. A late surge from holders Palmeiras saw them claim back-to-back titles at the expense of Grêmio, Atlético Mineiro, Flamengo and fifth-place Botafogo; the team who looked set to take the title just weeks earlier.

Botafogo truly ‘bottled’ the league this year. At one stage they were 13 points clear of the chasing pack, giants like Palmeiras and Flamengo might even have given up the title charge, but Botafogo invited them back into the race with a spectacular downfall.

Botafogo failed to win any of their last 11 games. In that run they also managed to throw away ledas in games against Palmeiras and Grêmio, losing both games 4-3 in the end. In the defeat to Grêmio Luis Suárez scored a hat-trick for the visitors; the Uruguayan talisman propelled Grêmio to an impressive second place finish in their first season back in the Brazilian top flight.

Botafogo didn’t just throw the title away, but they managed to finish outside of the automatic qualification places for the 2024 Copa Libertadores too. The top four league finishers will be joined in the group stages by the holders Fluminense and by Brazilian Cup Champions; São Paulo. Botafogo will need to pass two play-off rounds to reach the tournament.

There was shocking news for Santos at the bottom the table. The club have been relegated to Serie B and in the aftermath of their final league game cars were set alight outside their home stadium. The club have announced that the number ‘10’ and ‘11’ jerseys won’t be used in the second division out of respect for their former legends Pelé and Neymar.

Bahia were the club that just pipped Santos to safety. They will be joined in Serie A by their greatest rivals Vitória next year, who have just been promoted from Serie B and have received a lucrative offer to change the name of their entire club.

Finally, in winning the Copa Libertadores title; Fluminense brought the trophy back to Brazil for the fifth year in a row. It’s fair to say that the Brazilian Serie A continues to set the standard in South America, boasting the best talent and most competitive league.