Abel Ferreira: Should I stay or Should I go?

Abel Ferreira’s passion is evident within moments of watching him

Maybe a little fire. This man cares about what he does and backs up his words with a few claps, finger movements, or fist bumps by the sideline. While Ferreira seems like a natural fit for the Palmeiras manager role, he previously stated he doesn’t plan a long tenure. He plans to be a manager until he is 50 years old, yet he signed a deal with Palmeiras in December 2025, which was announced as the biggest transfer of this team recently.

Prior to joining Palmeiras, Ferreira wasn’t considered a typical successful South American coach.

Although European strategists have recently been coming to football’s last bastion, the Portuguese had no real ties to Palmeiras or Brazil before taking over as manager in October 2020. Without that background, Ferreira knew he had to become part of the Palmeiras family quickly.

Keeping this in mind, he called a meeting for players, coaching staff, and all club employees, including cooks and security.

The former right-back of Penafiel, Guimaraes, Braga, and Sporting, as well as the head coach of Braga and PAOK, believed that it was crucial to speed up that process and make the players feel a connection that goes beyond just the happenings on the field. Soon, he became one of the most adored men in Palmeiras.

Ferreira, though still young and still Palmeiras’ manager, became a true legend of this team and South America. 

His biggest success was winning the Copa Libertadores two seasons in 2020 and 2021, an achievement not seen since Boka Juniors’ back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2001. He amassed several other trophies with Palmeiras, including back-to-back Brazilian championships in 2022 and 2023.

Of course, this kind of success didn’t go unnoticed, and many football giants are interested in young Palmeiras players and the manager. The news that Chelsea agreed to buy Estevao, the talented Palmeiras attacker, echoed recently. 

Remember that Endrick, an offensive player born in 2006, for whom Real paid 47,500,000 euros, will leave Palmeiras this summer. 

Abel Ferreira was tempted with an extraordinary, extravagant offer to leave Palmeiras and join Al Sadd in Qatar. 

Ferreira was offered 20,000,000 euros per season. Before him on the list of most paid managers will be only Diego Simeone, whom Atletico Madrid pays 34,000,000 per season (this contract is valid until the end of the season), and Pep Guardiola, whose annual salary in Manchester City is 22,000,000 euros.

Several times in the past, Ferreira was connected with the position of manager of the Brazilian national team, but it’s almost certain that this will not happen. According to some local news in Portugal, Ferreira will only listen to offers from some European clubs, especially from the Premier League. 

Still, he seems happy in Brazil and is doing an amazing job there.

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