Cleiton Xavier on Palmeiras’ rebuild and Abel Ferreira’s work | OneFootball

The prominence of Palmeiras in Brazilian and even continental football began to be built about ten years ago, when the club started its restructuring after a tumultuous year during its centenary. For the 2015 season, the club brought in more than 20 players, including Cleiton Xavier.

The former number 10, in an interview with Gazeta Esportiva, spoke about his participation in the beginning of Palmeiras' victorious era, which has been under construction since 2015, when Palmeiras won the Copa do Brasil against Santos. The former player was one of the starters in the title match under the command of coach Marcelo Oliveira.

“I had the honor of being part of this new cycle of Palmeiras in 2015. With the arrival of other athletes as well, it was truly a reformulation, as you mentioned. More than 10 athletes arrived. Paulo Nobre, when he took over, brought in several renowned players. And you can imagine playing with Zé Roberto, there were already other stars in the squad. So, very happy, very happy to have participated,” he said.

Since 2015, Palmeiras has won 14 titles. These include two Copa do Brasil (2015 and 2020), four Brazilian Championships (2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023), two Libertadores (2020 and 2021), four Paulista Championships (2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024), one Supercopa do Brasil (2023), and one Recopa Sudamericana (2022).

Cleiton Xavier's stints at Palmeiras

Cleiton Xavier has had two stints at Palmeiras: the first between 2009 and 2010 and the other between 2015 and 2016. In the first, he played 88 games, scored 16 goals, and provided 14 assists. Additionally, he was instrumental in Palmeiras' qualification for the Libertadores' round of 16 with a stunning goal from outside the box in a match against Colo-Colo in Chile. In his first season at the club, he witnessed Verdão losing the Brazilian Championship.

However, after a long spell at Metalist in Ukraine, he had the chance to return to Palmeiras, which was beginning its restructuring process, and won the Brazilian Championship in 2016, as well as the Copa do Brasil. Therefore, he was an important piece in the transition to the club's victorious cycle. In this last stint, he played 52 matches, scored five goals, and provided seven assists.

“Palmeiras fans always want to win”

Ten of the 14 titles won by Palmeiras were during the Abel Ferreira Era. The Portuguese coach has been in charge of the club since 2020 and, this season, is still seeking his first title to maintain the average of at least one trophy per year.

In the first half of the year, Verdão lost the Paulista Championship and was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil, both times to Corinthians. This last elimination led part of the fans to question Abel Ferreira's work, shouting at the coach in the stadium after the defeat.

Being familiar with Palmeiras' fans, Cleiton said he understands the pressure but assessed the coach's work as “excellent” and hopes for the coach's renewal, who is expected to sign for two more years, until the end of 2027.

“Regarding Abel, unfortunately, Brazilian football is like that, you win, win, win, and when you lose one or two matches, you get criticized. The fans will demand it, but he has to know what Palmeiras is. Palmeiras fans want to win always, every day. But his work is excellent. There's no questioning Abel's work. I hope he can renew, stay longer, and bring us more joy,” he said.

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