I don't understand why no one else is worried about this. This is free money, if anyone has seen MSN recently they know that they will for sure win the Champions league!!!!

Yesterday I commented on how you had a 1.43% chance of starting for a domestic Icelandic side if you were a male aged 15-39 using quickmaths^TM .
It got me thinking about other small nations and the likelihood of starting for a team in your own national league if you’re a man of playing age.

The Assumptions

To get a rough estimate, I need to make several sweeping generalisations.
Assumption 1) It’s just men.
Despite exceptions like Yuki Nagasato and Ellen Fokkema, I’ll calculate solely from the amount of men in a nation that are between 15-39.
Assumption 2) It’s every man.
I don’t care if you hate football, if you’ve got a condition preventing you from playing football, or if you’re registered as a citizen of your country but live elsewhere, you’re getting included. Likewise, this means those who live in one nation but are a citizen of another won’t be included.
Assumption 3) Starting XIs can only be comprised of 15-39 year olds.
I know many 40+ year old players will be out there, but this demographic would match the general career of top footballers. I’ll use population pyramids to get the amount of men in this demographic. Pyramids tend to move in 5 year increments so 15-39 is the most fair range I can think of.
Assumption 4) All teams are independent from each other.
Inaccurate I know, but if I was calculating for Spain, I’d be counting Barcelona and Barcelona B as two separate clubs. If there is an easy way to separate the reserve teams from the rest, I won't include them (as you’ll see, I’m quite loose with this assumption).

Method

Find out how many men aged 15-39 are in a country. Divide that by the number of teams in their domestic league. Divide that figure by 11. 1 Divided by this answer and multiplied by 100 will give the % chance of a random male aged 15-39 being in the starting 11 for a team any given matchday.
Formula:
M/T=X
X/11=Y
1/Y=Z
Z x 100 = % chance.
(M = men, T = teams)

Limitations

Lots. I’m not trying to be too serious here. As I’ve said, I’m not factoring in people who can’t play, people who have moved out of the country, players who have come in from a different country etc…
Recordkeeping at lower league levels is hard so even the amount of clubs in a league system is a bit shoddy. Some of the population pyramids are marked poorly so I’ll have to guesstimate as best as I can.

Leagues to look at

These are the 11 domestic leagues I’ll look at. Each of these countries/territories are FIFA recognised. Why these 11? They were all on the lower end of FIFA rankings and population number.

• Andorra
  
• Faroe Islands
  
• Gibraltar
  
• Liechtenstein
  
• Luxembourg
  
• Monserrat
  
• New Caledonia
  
• San Marino
  
• St.Kitts and Nevis
  
• Tahiti
  
• Turks and Caicos Islands
  

So, in order from lower to higher chance…

New Caledonia

Linguistically, New Caledonia is almost identical to Nova Scotia. Climatewise, they’re complete (but not polar) opposites. New Caledonia is neither an overseas region nor an overseas collectivity of France but lies in its own legislative niche in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The 70s was their golden age, with a win over New Zealand and scoring 3 against Bulgaria (only to concede 5). More recently they drew 1-1 against Estonia in 2017.
Their top division contains 12 teams, with a secondary division which contains up to 13 teams in any given season.
A 2019 population pyramid gives me an M number of 54032.
M = 54032 T = 25
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 0.51%.
My favourite domestic team: AS Magenta. They got to the Oceania Champions League Final in 2005, losing to Sydney FC.

Turks and Caicos Islands

A British overseas territory in the Caribbean, the wonderfully named Cockburn Town is it’s capital (pronounced cohw-burn like it’s Edinburgh Street counterpart). Horatio Nelson suffered a rare defeat of the coast of the islands in the 1780s and John Glenn landed near the islands in 1962 after his first spaceflight. Their national team hasn’t achieved much with only one World Cup qualifying win (which they lost on aggregate in the return leg).
Their domestic league has had up to 18 teams in the past, but last season only had 6 in their premier division. This number is fluid so the T number will be between 6-18.
A 2018 population pyramid brought the M number to c.12,200
M = 12200 T = 6-18
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 0.54-1.62%
My favourite domestic team: If you think Red Bull is bad for corporate branding, 2-time league champions KPMG United FC were a strong team in the mid 2000s. In 2006 they changed their name, and won another league title under the new name PWC Athletic.

Tahiti

Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, but FIFA recognises it as a separate footballing nation. Lyle Lanley famously swindled the town of Springfield and fled toward Tahiti. Before he got there however, he was attacked by the inhabitants of North Haverbrook. Tahiti beat the Cook Islands 30-0 in 1971. You might remember Tahiti from the 2013 confederations cup where they played Spain, Uruguay, and Nigeria. They scored 1 and conceded 24 giving them the worst GD of any national team in any major competition.
There are 2 tiers to the Tahiti domestic league, these contain 32 clubs (+14 reserve teams that I won’t count).
A population pyramid for Tahiti is impossible to find, as it is a subregion of French Polynesia. Nevertheless, you can be from any of the other islands and still represent Tahiti. This calculation from a 2020 population pyramid gives me an M number of 52931
M = 52931 T = 32
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 0.67%
My favourite domestic team: It is a tie between AS Excelsior and AS Dragon. Combining them would give the league a mythical allure.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg have been improving rapidly internationally. They beat Hungary in 2017 and they drew 0-0 with France less than a year before France became world champions. Real glory was bestowed upon them in 1980 they reached the semi-finals of the Indonesian Marah Halim Cup where they eventually lost to a Burmese XI.
Luxembourg have 5 tiers in their domestic league. These 5 tiers are home to a massive 104 teams.
A 2019 population pyramid shows Luxembourg having 109,701 males in the relevant age bracket. I clearly underestimated Luxembourg’s population.
M = 109,701 T = 104
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 1.04%
My favourite domestic team: FC Yellow Boys Weiler-la-Tour. What a name. 500pax capacity stadium. They play in the 2nd division which is also known as The Division of Honour. Their primary rivalry is with FC Blue Boys Muhlenbach and FC Red Boys Aspelt with a secondary rivalry against FC Green Boys 77 Harlange-Tarchamps.

Liechtenstein

One of the few double-landlocked countries in the world (they are landlocked as are their bordering countries), Liechtenstein squeezes in between Switzerland and Austria. Their national side signalled the beginning of the end of Jack Charlton’s Irish tenure when they held Ireland to a 0-0 draw in 1995. Ireland went on to get 3 points from a possible 12 and missed out on Euro 96. In 2011 it took until the 97th minute for Scotland to beat Liechtenstein.
The 7 football teams that are based in Liechtenstein all play in the Swiss domestic league. This stretches from FC Vaduz in the top division, to FC Schaan who play in the 8th tier.
The most recent population pyramid I could find was from 2015. No worries. I’ll calculate the M number from the 10-34 age range here instead of the 15-39. In this way it is a slightly more accurate, but still really flawed figure. This number comes to a suspiciously specific 5473
M = 5473 T = 7
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 1.41%
My favourite domestic team: FC Vaduz. I’ve been to Vaduz. It was hot and expensive. While there, I caught a glimpse of Pak Kwang-Ryong, their star striker who has been the North Korean footballer of the year in 2013. Previously he scored against Spurs in 2011.

St.Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a dual island nation in the Caribbean. Neil deGrasse Tyson takes his middle name from his Nevis born grandmother. Founding father of the USA, Alexander Hamilton, was also born on Nevis. As for St Kitts, Marcus Rashford has a Kittitian grandmother. St Kitts and Nevis got to within one round of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and are the only Caribbean side to beat a European team, when they defeated Andorra in 2015.
The Saint Kitts and Nevis domestic league is split across two tiers and I can find evidence of 14 teams.
A 2018 population pyramid gives me a rough M number of 9,700.
M = 9700 T = 14
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 1.59%
My favourite domestic team: Village Superstars FC. The 7 times league champions have earned their title.

Andorra

Nestled in the Pyrenees, the Andorran national side are the perennial whipping boys of every European and World Cup qualifying cycle. In 2001 they took the lead against Ireland (but conceded 2 in the next two minutes). Albania and Hungary are among the teams that have lost to Andorra previously.
Domestically, clubs play in the Primera and Segona Divisió. I found many defunct clubs but from what I can see, there are currently 18 active clubs in Andorra
The most recent population pyramid I could find was from 2018. Using this data, I calculated that there are c.11,900 males aged 15-39 in Andorra.
M = 11900 T = 18
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 1.66%
My favourite domestic team: FC Andorra. The biggest side. Based in the capital. Named after the country but have never played in the domestic league. They play in Spain. They weren’t included in the calculation.

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands did the double over Greece in Euro 2016 qualifying. They’ve also beaten Iceland and Lithuania in the past. The beautiful rugged North Atlantic archipelago voted for independence in 1946 but this result was annulled by the Danes. 2 years later they were granted extensive home rule.
Like Andorra, there are 18 official clubs (There are 4 divisions in Andorra with the bottom ones being exclusively populated by reserve teams. I’ve only counted non-reserve teams in brazen defiance of my 4th assumption).
Again, the most recent population pyramid was from 2018. I found c.8800 15-39 year old males.
M = 8800 T = 18
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 2.25%
My favourite domestic team: B36 Tórshavn. A great run saw them reach the 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League this season, eventually losing out to CSKA Sofia

Gibraltar

Gibraltar has been a FIFA member since 2016. They’ve beaten Armenia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, and San Marino since becoming FIFA members. Their 2 tier national league is currently home to 17 clubs (2 recently disbanded).
Their 2018 population pyramid showed roughly 5600 eligible males living in Gibraltar.
M = 5600 T = 17
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 3.34%
My favourite domestic team: Lincoln Red Imps. They went 1,959 days unbeaten in the domestic league from 2009-2014. Followed up in 2016 with a win over Celtic. Not content with only one Old Firm scalp, they played Rangers this season but got smashed 5-0.

San Marino

One of two states completely enveloped by Italy, San Marino will be remembered for their 1993 match against England when they scored after 8.3 seconds and then went on to concede 7. On the other end of the 90 minutes, they scored an 87th minute equaliser against Ireland only to concede again in the 95th minute in 2007. Turkey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, and Estonia are the only teams to have ever dropped points against San Marino. A 1-0 win over Liechtenstein in a 2004 friendly remains their only win to date.
The league system in San Marino comprises of 15 teams in two conferences (there is no relegation/promotion). The Sammarinese league is rated 55/55 regarding UEFA Coefficients.
I found a 2016 population pyramid, so like Liechtenstein, I shifted the data to 10-34 year olds for this M number. The number here was c.4800
M = 4800 T = 15
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 3.44% chance
My favourite domestic team: A.S. San Giovanni. The only team from San Marino that has never won anything domestically. They have a downright wacky poorly translated history on Wikipedia which only endeared them to me more.

Monserrat

A volcanic British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. Due to huge eruptions that started in 1995, more than half of the island is uninhabitable. Many indentured Irish servants were brought to Monserrat which has left a noticeable impression on the demographics of the island. Riley, O'Brien, Farrell, Ryan, and Meade are some of the more prominent surnames on Monserrat. The 'Black Irish' of Monserrat is something that has often been reported on.
Monserrat routinely featured at the foot of the FIFA rankings for many years. On the day of the 2002 World Cup Final, Monserrat played Bhutan in what was called ‘The Other World Cup Final’ as it was between the two bottom ranked sides. Bhutan won 4-0 which was their first ever international win.
Monserrat has had an unstable league system due to constant volcanic eruptions. Teams come and go quite frequently. There are at least 5 times and at most 12, so the T number will be 5-12
With a tiny population, the Monserrat M number is only 1240.
M = 1240 T = 5-12
Chances of starting for a domestic team: 4.44%-9.68%
My favourite domestic team: Oh the Montserratian team names are amazing. Montserrat Volcano Observatory Tremors or the Seven Day Adventists Trendsetters would be my top picks.

Bonus

The Vatican City

The not FIFA recognised, home to so many skewed per capita records, I thought I’d include the Vatican just out of curiosity.
The Vatican actually has an internal domestic league, The Vatican City Championship, with 8 teams. The teams are comprised between the staff of the police, the newspapers, the library, and other administrative bodies. The pope is yet to line up for any of the sides. The league also has a cup competition, The Vatican Supercoppa
The only population pyramid I found was poor and unsourced. As there are minimal women living in the Vatican, It’s safe to assume almost all of the 825 residents are male. As it’s difficult to find age breakdowns, I’ll include every person living in the Vatican as my M number.
M = 825 T = 8
Chances of starting for a domestic team = 10.70%
TL;DR

Domestic League	% chance
New Caledonia	0.51
Turks and Caicos Islands	0.54-1.62
Tahiti	0.67
Luxembourg	1.04
Liechtenstein	1.41
St.Kitts and Nevis	1.59
Andorra	1.66
Faroe Islands	2.25
Gibraltar	3.34
San Marino	3.44
Monserrat	4.44-9.68
The Vatican1	10.70

¹ Not FIFA recognized.

Conclusion

Want your son to have the best chance of being in a starting XI? You better move to Monserrat. If you’re European and don’t want to move too far maybe San Marino is your best bet.
Of course if you were just looking to get into a matchday squad,you could roughly double the percentage.
There are around 200 countries in the world and I only looked at 5% of them. I’m sure there are other ones with better ratios out there but quite frankly, I’m too lazy.
Thanks for reading!
Sources:
Population pyramids:
https://www.populationpyramid.net/
https://www.theodora.com/
Club numbers:
www.wikipedia.org for general info and then the citations on wikipedia for a more detailed look.
https://int.soccerway.com/
www.FIFA.com

Match Information:

 
Match: Barcelona vs Levante
Competition: La Liga
Date: Sunday, 13th of December 2020
Time: 21:00 CET / 15:00 EST - Convert to local time
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona - 99354 capacity
Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea
 

Lineups and Squads:

 
Barcelona - Official squad to be confirmed
GK: Ter Stegen, Neto
DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo
MID: Busquets, Aleñá, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong
ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati
Unavailable: Piqué, Sergi Roberto, Dembélé, Ansu Fati (injured)
Not called:
 
Levante - Official squad to be confirmed
GK: Koke, Aitor Fernández, Dani Cárdenas
DEF: Son, Toño, Rober, Óscar Duarte, Rúben Vezo, Postigo, Clerc, Miramón, Coke
MID: Nemanja Radoja, Cheick Doukouré, Enis Bardhi, Morales, Mickael Malsa, Rochina, Nikola Vukčević, Melero, Campaña
ATT: Sergio León, Roger Martí, Jorge De Frutos, Dani Gómez
Unavailable: Cheick Doukouré, Enis Bardhi, Campaña (injured)
Not called:
 

Head-to-head:

 

• Last meeting: Barcelona 2:1 Levante
  
• Date: Sunday, 2nd of February 2020, 21:00 CET
  
• Competition: La Liga
  
• Threads: Pre-match thread | Match thread | Post-match thread
  
• Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwLG9tdhDSE
  

 

Form guide:

 
Barcelona

• Form: [L] L W W W
  
• Goals scored: 12
  
• Goals conceded: 5
  
• Last match: Barcelona 0:3 Juventus - Champions League
  

Levante

• Form: [W] D D D D
  
• Goals scored: 7
  
• Goals conceded: 4
  
• Last match: Levante 3:0 Getafe - La Liga
  

 

Comments (Post-match thread):

 
Author: lazyassnico | Score: 165 pts | Source

Messi doesn't seem to trust Griezmann I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the first half thinking it maybe coz of grizi playing on the right today but as soon as sergi came on i saw him passing to him on the right flank very often Something is definitely wrong.

Author: hamzah10 | Score: 142 pts | Source

Semedo is really showing that he can handle the entire side

Author: kaiko1 | Score: 121 pts | Source

Good game. We were a bit more straight forward, less meaningless passing. Also a good game individually for many players. We looked like a team and not FC Messi.
Defense was bad once again and we should’ve finished our chances better. The last minutes gave me PTSD but overall we improved from Valencia, so that’s good.

Author: Light_KraZe | Score: 75 pts | Source

I'm seeing some new things, most notably how Ter-Stegen keeps the ball for as long as he needs to, to pull players out of position and make space to get out of our third(which is what we suffered from in the past 3 games under Setien).
If anything this shows me creativity and an acknowledgement to a problem and a solution, I'm extremely happy and optimistic.

Author: evmota21 | Score: 29 pts | Source

First, great first half from Barça. Setién managed to instruct the players how they need to act when they get pressured by the opposing team. Piqué and Lenglet close to Marc when he has the ball, and Busi always moving to be the first receiver while Rakitić and De Jong constantly move so they can receive moving forward and have direct passes to the wings or Messi. Great execution.
Second, good Ansu Fati, he has so much security on the pitch for a 17 year old, but most importantly, great Antoine Griezmann. His movement off the ball gave so much space for Messi and Fati. Even though he missed some chances, without his constant movement and runs, both goals would not have happened. And Messi, well, you know... That pass to Fati on the second goal, unbelievable.
Third, this team still is lacking when substitutes come to the pitch. Especially Arthur Melo. I don't mind when players come to the pitch and miss a pass but when a player does not have a good energy, well, it will be more difficult for them to have a place on the starting 11 or even have a good form.
Honorable mentions: Setién and Semedo. I can see that the team dynamic is changing, which is good. I always say that a good manager gets the most of all its players, which end up being a good team or squad and that is where Semedo comes on. Semedo has been REALLY good all around, but most importantly, all of his qualities were shown in 45 minutes. For me, a coach that can make a player show this is pretty important.
Cheers to Levante because they played a really good game, and, contrary to what some people think in this sub, they are not an easy team (we lost to them on the first half of the tournament 3-1).

Author: Masoud7711 | Score: 27 pts | Source

Our Distance Covered was 103 KM. I remember that under Valverde we usually were at 95 or 96. It's good to see that the team is pressing and running better.

Author: Itaney | Score: 22 pts | Source

Amazing 1st half, terrible 2nd half. Very happy that Setien has decided to put Ansu back at LW and Griez on RW. The dynamic is much better and I can’t wait to see Dembele with that role given the space Ansu and Griezmann are having out wide. Messi with some insane stats (7 key passes for example) but he can do much better than this in terms of overall performance. Losing the ball 22 times can’t happen vs teams like Liverpool, Dortmund, PSG, where you get punished hard on the counter.

Author: yesiamadorito | Score: 16 pts | Source

Lots of positives, but lots of negatives too. To point out the few negatives I've noticed:
1) There's something between Messi and Griezmann. I've seen points where he definitely could have passed to Grizzy, but he chooses to not and cuts in for a shot. It's happened several times over now, and it bothers me that Messi does something like this. Hopefully, whatever issues lie between them get resolved because it's affecting the team, and I feel it affects Griezmann's confidence too.
2) The team CAN NOT afford to take their foot off the pedal, even in later stages of the game. It took us 2 minutes to score 2 goals, it could take them the same. Facing a side like Liverpool, City, Real would be tough with this.
3) Defense has been stable, but lots of errors. I'm not complaining but Quique must have some sort of plan in mind.
The first issue bothers me way too much (I personally love Grizzy as a player and feel he adds so much dynamic to the team)

 

Quotes:

 

Koeman: "Levante will come to squeeze us, so we have to open spaces and take advantage of our opportunities. We have three games at home and we have to win all three of them." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "It is a lie that the players want to play with another system." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Madrid derby? It's better if Atlético lose." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "There is enough time to react." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Riqui? I don't like to talk about one player individually. The coach only analyzes the team. We have 25 players in the main team. Riqui has been doing well when he came on, and we'll see what happens tomorrow." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "We have to improve in defense, but it's not something that obsesses me either. Reviewing the 11 goals scored against us, we only conceded three goals in which we were outplayed. The rest are individual errors, penalties, corners..." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "I'm fine. I'm not happy with the team's trajectory, but we are changing things and we're betting on young players. Until there is a new president we will try to make the most out of it." - src @barcacentre

 

Latest News:

 
[Article] - The lowdown on Levante UD - fcbarcelona.com
[Training] - Preparations for Levante - fcbarcelona.com
[Training] - Return to action - fcbarcelona.com
[Article] - Recovery session - fcbarcelona.com
[Article] - When and where to watch FC Barcelona v Levante - fcbarcelona.com
 

TV/Online:

 
Livesoccertv | Liveonsat | FCBarcelona.com
 

Hi. My name is Peter. I'm not yet a recovering gambling addict, but it's by far the biggest goal I have in my life. Just to mention, I also have a goal to be accepted into a university in Finland. Here is a the complete story about my gambling addiction:
I come from quite a wealthy and loving family. I consider myself considerably intelligent. I was performing well at school and I was extremely happy all the time. Until the age of 17 I hadn't shown any kind of interest towards gambling. I played football and enjoyed watching it with my dad. One day he asked me if I wanted to put a bet on a Champions league game where Barcelona played against Roma (Spring 2019). That was my first introduction to gambling. We started to place some bets, very irregulary, but I kinda started to like it more and more. By the age of 18 I moved away from my parents to live with my girlfriend and the betting stopped (Fall 2019). I heard and read some news articles about Finnish people going into debt spiral because of gambling away thousands and even tens of thousands of euros. I remember how I despised them and always thought that how could anyone be so stupid.
Half a year later (May 2020) I was working as a co-driver in a local electronics store. I spent most of my working days with my coworker Alex. One day we started to discuss about gambling and Alex told me that he had a serious gambling addiction, but was now recovering from it. He told me a story about how he lost 2k in day. No one close to me had never talked about their own gambling addiction, but when I finally met a friend who had one, the only thing that came to my mind was just like before: "How can someone be so stupid?".
The same year my military service started (September 2020). There I started to place some little bets with my military friends and I started to like betting again. The bets were from 1 to 5€ and I remember winning 300€ and feeling like a champion. I had 5k on my savings account and I had never been happier in my life. One weekend (October 2020) when I was on a break from military we went drinking with my girlfriend and our friends out of city. Four of us had a hotel room there and I still don't know the reason why I did it, but I placed a 500€ on roulette on red color. Remember, I had never placed a bet more than 5€ , not to mention 500€. I won that bet. I continued. I cashed out 4,5k just from playing roulette and switching colors. I felt like the biggest champion in the world. It was 5am and everyone was asleep so I woke everyone up and told them what I had just won. Even though it was 5am and I had woken them up while they were still a bit drunk and obviously not feeling that well, they were extremely happy for me, for real. The following morning I woke up, I had to check my bank account just to make sure it wasn't a dream and there it was, a 4,5k withdrawal from Unibet. The same day I also told my parents that I had just won 4,5k, and they told me not to gamble ever again. On Monday I went back to military service and I listened to their words and never gambled again. For the next two weeks.
The next vacation came. I had 9,5k in my savings. Somehow I got a urge to climb my balance up to 10k and when I'd get to that, I'd completely stop gambling. I placed one bet. I placed another bet. I placed another bet. I soon noticed that I had not only gambled all my winnings away but also my whole balance. I had literally zero euros in my bank account. I didn't even realise it that night but the following morning I remember waking up checking my bank account just to make sure it wasn't dream (again). I felt like my world collapsed. I had three months left of my compulsory military service and my salary was like 400€/month. Every morning I woke up I had the same feeling, I felt like my world had collapsed. I told my military friends about what had happened and they pretty much just laughed at me and had exactly the same thought as I had had: "How can anyone be so stupid?". I couldn't tell any of my real friends or my family, because I felt humiliated. When my military salary came I tried to climb back up to 10k. Of course it was near impossible with 400€, so I lost them all. I continued like that for the rest of the military service. I had never took a loan from any of my friends or any other lender and that was the only good thing that I could think about that time. I have always had had a bad habit for lying and this significantly increased it. I've always been quite good at lying so my lies were believed.
Then I got off from military service (December 2020). I had got a new job as a salesman. My first month wasn't great and I only got like 800€. I once again tried to climb back up to 10k. I immediately lost it. Taking a loan came to my mind. I did some research and a local bank offered me a 4k loan which I took. I lost it that same night. I felt like my world collapsed even further. I sta I was completely lost and the only solution was to gather myself and finally tell my parents and also my girlfriend that I have a serious gambling addiction. They were extremely understanding and thanked me for daring to tell them. My parents lend me 500€ for me to survive the following month and I promised them that I'd never gamble again. Just like I promised them four months ago.
Now here I am with 7k in debt and zero euros in my bank account. I betrayed my promise again. Today I told my parents and my girlfriend about my current situation with gambling and after all this, they still managed to be extremely supportive. I've always been a positive person and I still tend to be. I have a loving family and a girlfriend, I have many close friends, I got accepted into a business university, I'm healthy, I'm not in a financial distress because I know that my parents can lend me money if I really do need it and I have a full-time job. I'm in a better situation than many many other people. I just can't find the right solution for myself to stop gambling. And I really do want to do so. I feel like I've thrown away the latest four months of my life, and I don't want to lose a single day anymore. I want to stop the constant lying and made up excuses for justifying my gambling, my mood swings and reckless behavior. I want to continue living my life as such a happy young man as I was last summer and before that.
Sorry for the long post, but getting the full story this off my chest felt awesome.

Match Information:

 
Match: Barcelona vs Osasuna
Competition: La Liga
Date: Sunday, 29th of November 2020
Time: 14:00 CET / 08:00 EST - Convert to local time
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona - 99354 capacity
Referee: Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz
 

Lineups and Squads:

 
Barcelona - Official squad confirmed
GK: Ter Stegen, Neto, Iñaki Peña
DEF: Dest, Piqué, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Firpo, Mingueza
MID: Busquets, Aleñá, Pjanić, Riqui Puig, Coutinho, Pedri, Matheus, De Jong
ATT: Griezmann, Braithwaite, Messi, Dembélé, Trincão, Ansu Fati
Unavailable: Piqué, Araujo, Sergi Roberto, Umtiti, Ansu Fati (injured)
Not called:
 
Osasuna - Official squad to be confirmed
GK: Sergio Herrera, Rubén, Juan Pérez
DEF: Nacho Vidal, Juan Cruz, Unai García, David García, Oier, Facundo Roncaglia, Aridane, Zabarte, Raúl Navas, Jorge Herrando
MID: Roberto Torres, Darko Brašanac, Rubén García, Iñigo Pérez, Lucas Torró, Moncayola, Javi Martínez, Aimar Oroz
ATT: Kike Barja, Adrián, Chimy Ávila, Brandon, Jonathan Calleri, Asier Córdoba, Jony, Javier Delgado, Ante Budimir
Unavailable: David García, Adrián, Chimy Ávila, Brandon (injured) Juan Pérez, Aridane, Lucas Torró, Jonathan Calleri (doubtful)
Not called:
 

Head-to-head:

 

• Last meeting: Barcelona 1:2 Osasuna
  
• Date: Thursday, 16th of July 2020, 21:00 CEST
  
• Competition: La Liga
  
• Threads: Pre-match thread | Match thread | Post-match thread
  
• Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIhdFfg5Q-Q
  

 

Form guide:

 
Barcelona

• Form: [W] L W W D
  
• Goals scored: 12
  
• Goals conceded: 5
  
• Last match: Dynamo Kyiv 0:4 Barcelona - Champions League
  

Osasuna

• Form: [D] L L W D
  
• Goals scored: 3
  
• Goals conceded: 5
  
• Last match: Osasuna 1:1 Huesca - La Liga
  

 

Comments (Post-match thread):

 
Author: jfrench7 | Score: 473 pts | Source

Miserable performance. It's one thing for Real to win the title, it's another to hand it to them by losing to 10-man Osasuna.

Author: Espantadimonis | Score: 242 pts | Source

Messi's post match comments are pretty brutal but he's not wrong

Author: Biutifulflowah | Score: 138 pts | Source

Messi was pissed the entire game, hopefully he doesn't leave, but it doesn't look good right now

Author: cranomort | Score: 94 pts | Source

Please no more "pass to Messi" in the dying minutes!
Everyone and their mother has figured that out by now.

Author: sp3co92 | Score: 76 pts | Source

Messi: "Roma, Liverpool... the fans are running out of patience because we're not giving them anything. If we want to fight for the Champions League, a lot has to change. Like this, we will lose to Napoli."
Messi: "We have to be self-critical, starting with the players, but across the whole club."
Messi: "Everything we have experienced since January has been very bad. We have to change a lot of things for real."
Messi: “We didn’t want to end the season like this, but it represents the way the season has gone by. We were unstable, very weak, and the team had low-intensity. Today’s game is a summary of the season.”

Author: Roseradeismylady | Score: 25 pts | Source

I know you're all upset but my daughter was born shortly after full time. I could not be happier right now. May we have more success in the next seasons in honor of my little princess. We will all see better days. I love you all my culès

Author: julzzzz72 | Score: 20 pts | Source

Wow wow wow I’ve never seen Messi look so uninterested in a game before, fuck man there’s so much to change about this team. Rebuild time next season so we can have some good football going forward after Messi.

Author: CiMiMel | Score: 18 pts | Source

Since the restart, barca without Griezmann as a starter
Barcelona 0 - 0 Sevilla
Barcelona 2 - 2 Celta Vigo
Barcelona 2 - 2 Atletico Madrid
Barcelona 1 - 2 Osasuna

Author: FCBSAMIR | Score: 17 pts | Source

Don’t know what to say tbh. We are playing jack shit. I had high hopes for setien but things aren’t really looking good for us if we be loosing to teams like osasuna in our home then what are we supposed to expect against Napoli or Bayern if we qualify? . Team needs a whole revamp next season

Author: sp3co92 | Score: 15 pts | Source

❗Today marked Setién's last game at the Camp Nou. [@gerardromero]

Author: navneetjoshi7 | Score: 13 pts | Source

We lost.
We lost against Osasuna.
We lost at Camp Nou.
We lost at Camp Nou against a 10 men Osasuna.
WTF.

Author: Quixomatic | Score: 13 pts | Source

I'd say I can't believe it, but Setien has actually turned this team into a mid-table team. What a joke of a game, against 10 man Osasuna and we still can't create chances.

• Subs were late and in the wrong order
• Starters were a joke, Firpo, Puig, Braithwaite, and Fati all destroy this team's chemistry
• Pique out of position often and seemed disinterested
• QQ just sits there silently and scratches his head
• Messi can't link up with a single person on offense because none of them have that extra gear to go into like he does
• First half passing and positioning was possibly the worst I have seen all season

Author: Ebshoun | Score: 12 pts | Source

Biggest obstacle has to be Barca's scouting, wasting more than 250 million euros on two mediocre players. 250 million euros on two players!! Barça could have bought both Bruno Fernandes (play on 8) AND Hakim Ziyech ( can play on 7, 11, 10 and even 8, so he doesn't have to occupy Messi's space) for less than 90 million euros and these players are in their prime!! These guys are assist machines and they can score goals.
Truly awful scouting.

Author: messisleftfoot_ | Score: 11 pts | Source

Downvote me to oblivion, i just don’t care anymore.
For those who preach “being progressive” and “looking forward”.. this is literally dumb as hell.. Real Madrid had zidane who they knew is a good coach, they did the obvious and brought him back. Barcelona know that pep guardiola is out there yet they don’t bring him back due to a petty power trip. It’s clear which strategy is better :)
The other reason pep won’t come back might be because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his legacy, in which case he is a coward. Zidane had won 3 back-to back-to back champions leagues and still was brave enough to come back to a real without ronaldo, and managed to win the league.
And for those who say xavi.. i bet you that if xavi were to manage barcelona after elections, let alone next season, he will be a failure. He doesn’t have enough experience, and he’s not the first one to fail.. we all saw henry fail this season. You have to manage in Europe before taking a job such as the barca job, at a time such as the post messi era.
It’s either pep or AC Milan.

 

Quotes:

 

Koeman: "If we play at a high pace, we're very good. Sometimes we relax and slow down." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Mingueza has a lot of chances to play due to the injuries we have." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Set pieces are harder for us because we don't have many tall players." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Aleñá has improved a lot, it has cost him a bit to adapt to the new system. He's changing things up, in order to be a Barça player in midfield. I can't talk about what will happen in January." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "It's time to react now, and cut distances with clubs ahead of us in the league table." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "My first 100 days at this club? I have had quieter days at previous clubs, but I'm happy to be here." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "The best tribute to Maradona would be a strong display on the pitch tomorrow." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Messi and De Jong have had a good rest. Hopefully they'll be completely fresh tomorrow." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "The team that played in Kyiv gave a very good showing, and I really liked the rhythm of the game. COVID-19 has a lot of influence on injuries, we need more players. In some positions we are a bit limited, and we also had bad luck." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "Dest trained well today, but tomorrow we know for sure. Today we've talked about who will play there if Dest can't play." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "We have to wait until tomorrow to know if Dest is available or not." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "I had already told Tusquets that if I can do something, I will. It's good that the players have reached an agreement." - src @barcacentre
Koeman: "A difficult game awaits us. Osasuna will defend well." - src @barcacentre

 

Latest News:

 
[Article] - Koeman: '3 big points to be won' - fcbarcelona.com
[Article] - The lowdown on CA Osasuna - fcbarcelona.com
[Squad] - Messi, Sergio and De Jong back in the squad - fcbarcelona.com
[Training] - Minute's silence for Maradona before training - fcbarcelona.com
[Training] - Training for some - fcbarcelona.com
 

TV/Online:

 
Livesoccertv | Liveonsat | FCBarcelona.com
 

Back with some more match day analysis!
 
For a detailed breakdown of Sunday's games, that will be made available from tomorrow at the Index Scholar Academy.
 
Bayer Leverkusen [5] – [2] VfB Stuttgart
 
Leon Bailey produced an impressive display in his side's 5- 2 win over Stuttgart with a well taken goal and an assist. He nearly scored after just 95 seconds, only to be denied by the glove of the opposition goalkeeper and the frame of the goal.
Bailey assisted Leverkusen's 2nd with a perfectly weighted through ball for Demirbay who slotted home. He then scored his 5th goal of the season to put Leverkusen 3-1 up.
Despite being positioned on the right-hand side, you could see Bailey cutting in from that wing and being involved in intricate pieces of play from the centre as well as the left.
74 minutes played, 3 shots on goal (2 on target), 4 key passes and 4 crosses marked a very good display from the Jamaican here.
Now he's just had a spike to £1.31 so I would let that settle down a bit. But he makes a decent case for portfolio inclusion nonetheless, with the ability to hit those peak scores evident on some of his notable past performances.
 
Kerem Demirbay hit 245 PB points with 2 goals here, scoring the 1st after converting a rebound in acrobatic fashion after a shot from Moussa Diaby was saved by the opposition keeper.
He nutmegged the goalkeeper for the 2nd with after being played through by Bailey.
Despite the performance, I would be wary of investing in Demirbay as his playing time this season has been sporadic to say the least. Although he's well capable of producing big scores as he has a decent enough base, at £1.18 I wouldn't be investing right at this moment.
 
Schalke 04 [0] – [3] RB Leipzig
 
Christopher Nkunku's minutes are being managed quite a bit this season which is frustrating to say the least for those that hold him.
He's a PB player through and through, and he showcased his ability once again today with a 218 score in 83 minutes with just the 1 assist.
Leipzig lined up in a 3-1-4-2 formation with Nkunku playing as a second striker of sorts in this game. His stats were very good, with 2 shots, 4 dribble attempts (3 successful), 8 key passes and 5 crosses.
Being on free kicks and left-hand-side corners also does Nkunku good. In this game his set piece delivery was impeccable, as he whipped in a great ball for Nordi Mukiele to get on the end of for Leipzig's 1st.
He also had a good chance to make it 2-0 after being played in by Angelino, but placed his shot just wide of the far post It's just a shame that he hasn't been able to complete 90 minutes from the 8th of December last year.
At the £1 mark and below however, he is a risk worth taking, as when he explodes with a 250+ score I have no doubt he will get a significant rise in price owing to the fact that he's still fairly young at 23 and plays for an attacking side under the stewardship of Nagelsmann.
 
Marcel Sabitzer made the score comfortable at 2-0 after being played a diagonal ball across the face of goal by Angelino.
Unlike Nkunku, Sabitzer is getting much more 90-minute games and having the captain's armband also suggests he's more likely to play a key role in games.
His PB threat is not as great as Nkunku’s, but he shows glimpses here and there as evidenced by the 178 points with no goals or assists he recorded on the 2nd of January.
At £1.05 I'd rather invest that money in his compatriot Nkunku or look to acquire him for 70p-80p on bids.
 
Willi Orban made it 3-0 to the visitors and he's an example of how stacked Leipzig's defence is.
Halstenberg, Upamecano, Klostermann, Mukiele and Orban all tussling for minutes in this side. They're all fairly good for PB so if you're looking for a defensive pick here, I'd opt for either Halstenberg or Upamecano, as the latter appears to be nailed on when compared with the others.
 
Mats Hummels [DEF – Borussia Dortmund]
 
Mats Hummels registered another very respectable PB score of 157 in a 2-1 away defeat at SC Freiburg.
103 accurate passes (87.3%), 2 key passes, 9 long balls (6 accurate), 7/9 aerial duels won and 4 clearances here.
His PB average in the last 7 games stands at an impressive 156.8 too.
Even a 69p buy price for a 32-year-old would not put me off with the scores he's been delivering.
He's a solid defensive option for any portfolio as he will almost surely win another match day or two this season barring injury or a calamitous collapse in form.
 
Huesca [1] – [2] Real Madrid
 
Raphael Varane delighted holders with a star man win in his sides 2-1 victory over Huesca.
261 points with 2 goals was a delight for holders who acquired him at the 35p-40p mark a few weeks prior.
There's no doubt he's under-priced, as he's at the prime stage of his career and plays for two of football's biggest teams in Real Madrid and France.
He realistically should be around 90p-£1, so even now at 65p I still believe there is capital appreciation to be made.
But I wouldn't be buying in on the back of a PB win as no doubt his price will fall back to the 40p-50p mark, which is when I'd be tempted to place the bet.
 
Toni Kroos* showed why he's a PB juggernaut on the Football Index, registering a score of 230 with no goals or assists and a yellow card!
118 touches, 95 accurate passes (96%), 6 key passes, 6 crosses and 12/13 accurate long balls
It really would only have taken a single goal involvement from him to top midfielder and possibly star man here, and at £2.07 he still looks to be very good value with Champions League fixtures and Euro 2021 on the horizon.
 
Sevilla [3] – [0] Getafe
 
Joan Jordan will have turned a couple of trader's heads with his display in this 3-0 win against Getafe. He played a pivotal role in Sevilla's disallowed 1st goal by making a well timed run and crossing the ball in from the by line. However, Lucas Ocampos was adjudged to have handled the ball with his arm so it was chalked off.
But that didn't deter Jordan as he delivered a sublime through ball over the top of the Getafe defence which Munir El Haddadi put past the keeper to make it 1-0.
Joan Jordan would be an excellent hold if he was guaranteed 90 minutes for the majority of games, but unfortunately that's not the case.
Today he managed to finish the game which makes such a difference for his stats and overall PB performance.
126 touches, 105 accurate passes (90.5%), 2 shots, 3 crosses, 13 long balls and 4 key passes
At a price of 65p (55p on bids) he is worth the outlay as he's a player who in my view should be trading around the £1 mark.
 
Jules Kounde produced a mammoth score of 229 with no goals or assists.
By numbers he made 94 accurate passes (94%), 1 key pass, 2 crosses, 3 long balls and 3 successful dribble attempts out of 3.
Manchester City were rumoured to have made a move for him before they eventually brought in Dias and it's clear to see why.
He's comfortable with the ball at his feet and finds it easy stepping out of the defensive strata with the ball.
Some of his previous PB scores also make for good reading, with a 173 against Cadiz (no goal involvements) and a 133 against the tougher Real Sociedad (no goal involvements).
At 99p I'd personally sit patiently and wait to see if he'll drop down in price just a little bit, but even so I like the look of him at £1 as he's got solid PB game and potential transfer links if he keeps this level up.
 
Alejandro Gomez also caught my attention with his performance coming off the bench.
He came on at 56 minutes and sealed the game on 87 minutes with a powerful left footed shot which took a big deflection on its way to the top corner of the net.
He looks to have taken over Banega's role in this Sevilla side, and his 152 points with only 33 minutes on the pitch are a good indicator that he will be able to replicate the Argentinian's performances in this creative midfield position.
At 32 years of age however, I'd err on the side of caution when it comes to investing here.
94p is an okay price to acquire Gomez considering that he's down from his 1 year high of £1.67, but I'd be a bit more comfortable picking him up at around the 50p-60p mark that he was trading at a few weeks prior.
 
Olympique Lyonnais [3] – [0] Strasbourg
 
Memphis Depay stole the show as his Lyon side were victorious against Strasbourg.
He played 72 minutes and came off with 2 goals and a PB score of 232 which was enough to win match day dividends on a gold day.
For the 1st goal he capitalised on a loose ball from the Strasbourg midfield to slot past the keeper on a 1v1, whereas the 2nd was a magnificently curled free kick into the top corner, which brought him to 13 league goals for the season. Memphis has been relatively quiet on the PB front ever since links to Barcelona surfaced so it's good to see him get back to the PB scoring heights that we know he is capable of.
His game by numbers included 4 shot attempts (all on target), 2/4 successful dribbles, 27 accurate passes (79.4%), 1 key pass and 2 crosses.
At the £1.90 mark however I would steer clear due to the fact that his future at Lyon is still uncertain. This is because the Barcelona move fell through due to the Spanish side not having the necessary funds to complete the deal.
His PB potential may take a hit if he were to join Barcelona and I wouldn't want to be left holding the short end of the stick with him.
However, with the Euro's coming up in the summer and him being Holland's main man up front I believe there is possibility for him to hit the £2.50 price point.
 
Leo Dubois performed once again as he delivered a 171 PB score without any goal contributions at the opposition end. 55 passes (87.3%), 2 key passes, 5 crosses and 3/6 accurate long balls shows that he's able to get involved on both ends of the pitch to good effect.
At the 80p mark however he's more or less reached his 1-year high and I'd not be buying in at this point with the current state of the overall market as it is.
I'd be much more inclined to wait for a drop to the 50p-60p mark or try and acquire him via bids within that ballpark range.
 
Nayef Aguerd [DEF – Stade Rennais]
 
The Moroccan born 24-year-old only managed 124 points against Lorient but his past scores give holders reason to be encouraged.
At the start of the year he delivered a score of 192 against Nantes with no goal involvement as well as a 168 against Lorient in the reverse fixture, again with no goals or assists in that game either.
With age on his side at 24 and the fact that he plays in a team that likes to keep hold of the ball, he looks a decent pick up at 78p.
You only need to look at the 312 score he managed with a goal against Stade Brestois to see that there's a good possibility that he can win on a gold day in the future.
 
Wojciech Szczęsny [GK – Juventus]
 
Szczęsny* is beginning to deliver on the PB front. He claimed top goalkeeper here with a PB score of 174.
Some notable stats here include 3 saves, 42 accurate passes, and 10 long balls (4 accurate).
I like him as a hold because Pirlo encourages the team to play out of the back and also due to the fact that they're not rock solid in defence and give away multiple chances in games, which allows Szczęsny the opportunity to make some saves as opposed to being barely tested in games like other top keepers.
Juventus have undoubtedly been well short of their usual clean sheet tally by this stage of the season and it's only in the past 3 games that they've begun to shore up, with 3 shut outs in the last 3 now.
Before this good spell, a Szczęsny holder would have to go all the way back to a 3-0 home win against Sampdoria on the 20th of September for the Polish international's last clean sheet.
Even with the removal of clean sheet IPDs he looks a solid shout in the Goalkeeper category, as at the 40p mark he's not as expensive as the other options out there playing for top teams like Alisson, Ederson and Neuer.
 
Bukayo Saka [MID – Arsenal]
 
Arsenal are underperforming but one player who is carrying the London side from game to game is Saka. He's posted some notable scores in the last couple of games which are worth pointing out.
174 in a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa, 201 with a goal and assist against Southampton, and 154 in a 0-0 with Crystal Palace.
Now he has spiked recently and at £2.50 I wouldn't be taking my wallet out as I'm sure his price will dip again, but he is one to keep an eye on.
A better entry point would be at the £1.50 - £1.70 mark in my opinion, but if he dropped to anywhere near the £1.02 mark that he was on the 22nd of December last year, I would be buying in swiftly.
 
Dwight McNeil [MID – Burnley]
 
Now Burnley are not a side renowned for playing swashbuckling football, which is why it's all the more impressive when Dwight McNeil continues to put up these decent scores from time to time.
163 points against Brighton here with no goals or assists, 10 crosses, 4 long balls, 2 shots and 2 dribble attempts.
He's a player that probably needs a move to a more attacking side in order to fulfil that potential, but on the flip side a move away to such a team could lead to less playing time.
At 55p there's not much risk here as he's young, English and Burnley should be safe from relegation, as well as the fact that he could garner interest from a few clubs in the summer window. However, his contract is set to expire in 2024 so Burnley won't necessarily be in a desperate position to sell.
 
And that marks the end of this weekend's analysis, so I'll see you next weekend!

Hi Folks,
Throwaway account here providing the full Article: https://theathletic.com/2115449/2020/10/06/manchester-united-jadon-sancho-transfer-window/ since it's behind a paywall.

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story
^{Laurie Whitwell, David Ornstein and more} (Other contributor: Raphael Honigstein)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified Jadon Sancho as his principal target this summer in what was seen as a vital opportunity for squad enhancement following Champions League qualification.
But after 10 weeks of opportunity for talks, Sancho remains a Borussia Dortmund player and the simple truth is that United never got close.
The Athletic has been told that Solskjaer urged Ed Woodward to keep trying, and financial concerns meant other signings were pushed to the periphery until the final 48 hours of the window.
Donny van de Beek arrived on September 2 but sources say United waited to pull the trigger on other purchases until it became clear Sancho was not arriving.
So for the third window in a row, United were active on deadline day, completing the signings of Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles, Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri. In January, it was Odion Ighalo, hot on the heels of Bruno Fernandes. Last summer, the club were trying to sign Mario Mandzukic or Paulo Dybala.
The cause for this year’s unedifying sense of late freneticism appears to centre on the priority given to the Sancho move and, fundamentally, a misunderstanding by United of Dortmund’s intentions.
Essentially, United did not believe Dortmund would stay firm on the price-tag of €120 million or their deadline of August 10, embarking on a long-running game of poker without realising that the Bundesliga club weren’t even at the table. United effectively sat still in the hope Dortmund would blink first and place the call they were ready to do business. Intermediaries attempted to broker a deal but were waiting on United to move, which did not happen.
Some sources felt Woodward was holding until the last moment to place an all-in bet, giving the impression of resistance in the ambition of driving the price down. But instead, United kept their chips and stayed true to their valuation. By never ruling themselves out of the deal though, United’s actions seriously annoyed Dortmund’s executives, who became even more entrenched in their position as the weeks went on.
When Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc stood at the side of their training pitches on August 10, the first day of pre-season, and said the decision on Sancho staying was “final”, one alarmed United director made a call to check whether the statement was genuine. The response was along the lines of, “What did you expect? You knew the terms.”
Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund’s chief executive, is said to have personally phoned United at the start of the summer and explained very clearly how much the deal would cost and when it needed to be done by.
United privately argue that the continued conversations after that point, conducted via intermediaries Emeka Obasi and Marco Lichtsteiner, were evidence of Dortmund remaining open to a sale. But the reason for the involvement of agents is hotly disputed.
United insist Dortmund wanted talks done through Obasi and Lichtsteiner, and some believe this was so Dortmund could stick to their public stance while having a backchannel to a potential resolution. United held lengthy discussions and made known what they were willing to pay, which held a firm limit given the current economic environment.
Sources say Dortmund reject that idea and deny they ever appointed agents. Previous deals with Arsenal and Barcelona for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele respectively were based on face-to-face meetings with club counterparts.
On this occasion, they believed that they had provided the fee to United and since Woodward failed to match it by August 10, there was no need for further direct discussion.
United felt there was tacit encouragement to keep lines of communication going but the only way they could have got the deal on after that date was with a “crazy” offer along the lines of Neymar’s £200 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. Sources told The Athletic that if United had come in with an offer of €140-£150 million then Dortmund might have done business. Conscious of their reputation having set their position out so publicly, Dortmund would have been able to sell that as a turnaround made in extraordinary circumstances.
United argued that the €120 million price tag did not take into account the financial hit caused by the pandemic. Executives genuinely felt it should come down, given the full total of the transfer was potentially enormous. The Athletic has been told initial calculations rose to €250 million including wages and agent fees. United made what has been described as a “calm decision” to refuse that amount and felt vindicated when the government postponed the return of fans to stadiums costing the club another £50 million in lost revenue.
But it is understood that Dortmund originally planned for the €120 million as a “minimum” — and ideally wanted nearer the €147 million fee that Barcelona paid for Dembele — so it was an adjustment to even consider a bid that could reach that figure in installments.
In any case, United never got near to that guaranteed sum. One offer, submitted by chief negotiator Matt Judge through the agents in the final week of September, amounted to £80 million, plus add-ons. Once passed to Watzke, it was immediately rejected as too little too late. There was a sense at the Westfalenstadion that United did not take Dortmund’s demands seriously or were acting without full intentions to actually complete the signing.
All proposals were said to have been relayed to Dortmund via the agents knowing full well they would be turned down.
Sancho himself is believed to have felt undervalued by the offers and even if United had placed the right bid late on, it is understood he would have questioned why it did not come earlier.
Sancho was never going to agitate for a move unless United came close to Dortmund’s demands. Illness kept him out of the squad for Saturday’s 4-0 win over Freiburg but Sancho then attended a house party in London with Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell, in breach of lockdown rules, and will join up late with England as a result. He has since apologised.
The forward was prepared to join United but not “desperate” to move this summer. He was relaxed either way. That was the sense drawn by England team-mates at the September camp.
That being said, others close to United were under the impression he “would walk to Old Trafford”. Sancho texted Marcus Rashford about United, and the pair were said to be excited at the prospect of linking up. Sancho has many friends in Manchester from his time at Manchester City.
Other United players were in touch too and so was Solskjaer, who as long ago as January wanted to ascertain Sancho’s willingness to join and to get a personal sense of his character. Having privately acknowledged the possibility of a sale, Dortmund were aware of the conversations, which are standard for most transfers.
There had actually been dialogue with Sancho’s representatives dating back to when he left Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017, but talks commenced in earnest this year once United had secured Champions League football on July 26.
United’s exit from the Europa League was disappointing, but some close to the club felt it would at least reinforce the impetus for signings — a reminder to the Glazer family that funding was required to take the next step. “But extending the window to October 5 is probably the worst thing for Solskjaer,” said a source. “I can see United taking talks to the wire again.”
There were some raised eyebrows at United over reports of Sancho’s lateness to training and fines for breaching lockdown regulations in Germany. But United viewed the indiscretions as attributable to a desire to move on from Dortmund. “We’ll make Carrington a place where he wants to come to work every day,” one member of staff told a colleague.
Solskjaer had determined Sancho would be his main target, with one source saying in April: “We are ready to go, we know who we want, the people at the top are now certain.”
But that conviction was not found in the pursuit, with Dortmund soon frustrated at United’s reluctance to commit to a fee or structure. There were allegations of “freestyling”, a refusal to provide a top line, and when pushed for answers, Judge suggested the issue lay with “the owners”. Agents proposing other players were told of a £50 million net spend budget. Executives feel they have a responsibility to protect the long-term strength of the club by not over-paying.
The Athletic has previously reported how Joel Glazer, in daily contact with Woodward, is involved in all major signings and paid particularly close attention to the Sancho deal. There were accusations of a split in opinion between the pair over the price to be sanctioned, with Woodward advocating a higher fee, but United insist board members were united on their view that €120 million was too much in the post-COVID-19 climate. Recruitment staff were told about a significant budget being allocated to Sancho but later the internal line back from Woodward was that the deal was “too much money”.
Privately United suggested the €120 million figure could be reached including some unrealistic bonuses, which may have allowed Dortmund to save face with a headline figure. Dortmund were resolute in their stance though and believed a higher price could be achieved next summer. The cause for their confidence was revealed when Zorc announced a previously unknown extension to Sancho’s contract, meaning it did not run out until 2023.
United insist they knew all those details and were for a long time frustrated by what they perceived to be the slow process of dealing with Dortmund through Obasi, Sancho’s agent, and Lichtsteiner, the brother of former Arsenal player Stephan. The two intermediaries are described as “very close”. Lichtsteiner previously assisted on the departures of Aubameyang and Dembele to Arsenal and Barcelona respectively, and has vast experience of difficult transfers. He is said to be well-regarded and very discreet with information.
United have in the past worked on deals through agents, and last summer placed an offer for the Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff in this manner. Sources at Newcastle suspected this was so United had deniability if unsuccessful.
On other occasions, the technique has worked well. Woodward conducted the purchase of Juan Mata from Chelsea without one word to his counterparts at Stamford Bridge to block any chance of Wayne Rooney being brought into the conversation. Chelsea wanted to buy Rooney that window.
Before any fee could be finalised this time, there were difficulties over wages and agent fees.
It has been suggested to The Athletic that the opening contract offer to Sancho was actually slightly lower than his Dortmund salary. As is customary in Germany, Sancho’s contract was heavily incentivised and contained bonus payments for each point Dortmund achieved.
Conscious of maintaining a certain wage structure, United’s initial proposal was less than Sancho’s total pay packet at Dortmund. Van de Beek joined on £110,000 a week, for instance, and his representatives were told that was in line with a refined structure given Fernandes signed for £150,000 a week.
A second offer to Sancho, in early August, is said to have achieved parity with his Dortmund deal, with the potential for a fractional increase based on performance. This was not accepted. Sancho’s representatives, who carefully organised a move away from City in 2017, were clear in their view of Sancho’s worth and expected to be recompensed as such.
Though not asking for money equitable to David De Gea, who signed a deal worth more than £375,000 a week within the final 12 months of becoming a free agent, the terms desired were thought to be in the region of Paul Pogba’s £250,000 a week.
There were reports that wages had been sorted in the first week of August but this was not the case. United believed leaks to that end emanating from Germany were an attempt to “put pressure” on the process.
Still, there was positivity about a solution. Sources say the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keeping himself abreast of Sancho’s situation and around this stage told friends he believed the player would end up at Old Trafford.
There was eventually a breakthrough on Sancho’s salary in the second week of September.
Running parallel were negotiations over agent fees. Some have suggested an initial proposal for a payment to the agents put United on the back foot. After negotiations, a lower sum was agreed. But that still left the transfer fee and, as the gap remained, other options were considered. A prospective loan deal for Gareth Bale was set up but the Wales international declined to wait as a reserve for Sancho. He had the emotional pull of Tottenham Hotspur in any case.
Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, previously not regarded as a genuine option, came into the reckoning in the final fortnight of the window when United explored a loan move. With Watford in the Championship, Sarr has until the domestic deadline of October 16 to join a Premier League club.
Talks also commenced over Dembele. An original inquiry for the Barcelona forward was made in July but at that stage, Dembele was not interested. Sources say Liverpool also made a check back then.
But while Liverpool instead signed Diogo Jota on September 19, it was United returning in the dying embers of the market to investigate whether Dembele might join on loan. It was a late move. A source close to the Barcelona dressing room said at the time: “He intended to stay at Barcelona. In pre-season, his attitude was really different and the players were super happy to see how he was training and how involved in the routine. Therefore, everything has to have changed a lot for him to have decided to go to United.”
In the end, United only wanted a loan. Barcelona demanded a sale, so the situation looked unlikely to develop until a late change of stance by the La Liga club on Monday evening. Barcelona indicated they would agree to a loan but only if Dembele extended his contract at the Nou Camp, and the deal was off.
Industry insiders reported numerous other inquiries and proposals put to the club by representatives, such as Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic, Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic and Juventus’ Douglas Costa. There was exasperation among some at Carrington that United were leaving business so late again and having to work down their list to second and third options. “Looks like a panic buy,” was the assessment by one source close to the dressing room of the Cavani signing.
United did ask Bayer Leverkusen for Kai Havertz in January but were put off by the €100 million fee and never made a follow-up call this summer, clearing the path to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, the Sancho failure represents the third time Dortmund have got their way over United this year, after the signings of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham — two episodes that have caused lingering frustration.
Some agents who have worked with United on other deals believe the club should have halted talks on Sancho much earlier if €120 million was seen as too much and pursued alternatives. There are accusations the delay speaks to a fundamental issue in recruitment, which sources call a paralysis of decision-making. But given how much Solskjaer wanted Sancho, United wanted to try for their No 1 target for as long as possible.
United accept they have missed out on a top player but insist they have not over-extended their finances. The signings of Diallo and Pellistri, both 18-year-old wingers, are regarded as viable options for the first-team once bedded into England through the under-21s side. Diallo’s cost of €21 million plus €20 million is not insignificant, however, inevitably inviting questions about why United refused the extra money for Sancho. Diallo has been scouted since 2016 and is considered one of the most exciting prospects in Italy. There are echoes when Anthony Martial signed for big expense and little experience and became Joel Glazer’s favourite player.
Sancho will stay in the crosshairs, for the next time trading opens. It’s understood he long since shifted his focus to a future transfer rather than moving in the current window. But it is anticipated more clubs will be in the reckoning for his signature by then.

Over the past few years, discussions about the same few teams from the top leagues being around in the knockout stages of the Champions Leagues have gained tractions. For example, Real Madrid kept their clean record of never failing in the group stages with a win against Mönchengladbach on the last matchday. Indeed, the "big fishes" seem to progress from the groups almost always, at least when they are not in some group of death with other major clubs, such as the one with PSG, Leipzig, United and Basaksehir this year.
So I had a look at the performance by teams of the Top 5 European Leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain)* in the group stage of the Champions League over the last decade. In particular, I looked at instances where a team from the Top 5 Leagues failed to advance to the knockout stages.
Here's a TLDR; more details for each season are below
From 2010/11 to 2020/21, a range of 16-19 teams from Top 5 Leagues (shortened as "Top5") participated in the group stages. In this timespan, there were a total of 43 instances where a Top5 failed to advance. With that many Top5 participating, some of them are bound to be drawn with two other Top5, which can lower their chances. When drawn with max. one other Top5, the chances for progression are very good. Over this timespan, only 11 different Top5 clubs failed to advance when having no more than one other Top5 in their group: Manchester United and Marseille twice, Lille, Chelsea, Juventus, Liverpool, Bilbao, Valencia, Napoli, Leipzig, Monaco
---
Below, I will list every one of these 13 instances with some more detail ordered by season. First all the Top5 that are qualified are shown, and then those who failed with their group stage opponents. Top 5 opponents are in italic, if there are two or more I won't delve deeper into it (note that it doesn't necessarily mean that those other Top5 teams are the one's that progressed)
​
Season 2010/11
Qualified (14):
Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal; Barcelona, Valencia, Real Madrid; Schalke, Bayern; Inter, Roma, Milan; Lyon, Marseille
Failed to advance:
Bremen (Tottenham, Inter, Twente) Auxerre (Real Madrid, Milan, Ajax)
​
Season 2011/12
Qualified (11):
Chelsea, Arsenal; Real Madrid, Barcelona; Bayern, Leverkusen; Napoli, Inter, Milan; Lyon, Marseille
Failed to advance:
Villareal (Bayern, Napoli, Manchester City) Manchester City (Bayern, Napoli, Villareal) Lille (Inter, CSKA, Trabzonspor) Manchester United (Benfica, Basel, Galati) Valencia (Chelsea, Leverkusen, Genk) Dortmund (Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiacos)
After their first French championship in over 50 years, Lille lacked the international experience to compete in the Champions League. With only one win and 6 points they finished last in the group.
Unbeaten and with 9 points, Manchester United headed to Basel for the last group match. A 2-1 win by the Swiss meant they beat United for the second place. It was only one of two instances in this decade where a Top5 failed to advance despite having no other Top5 in their group.\*
​
Season 2012/13
Qualified (12):
Manchester United, Arsenal; Valencia, Real Madrid, Málaga, Barcelona; Dortmund, Bayern, Schalke; Juventus, Milan; PSG
Failed to advance:
Montpellier (Schalke, Arsenal, Olympiacos) Manchester City (Dortmund, Real Madrid, Ajax) Chelsea (Juventus, Shakhtar, Nordsjaelland) Lille (Bayern, Valencia, BATE)
Defending champions Chelsea were somewhat unlucky. 10 points were not enough to advance, because they lost the head-to-head against Shakhtar on away goals (3-2 at home, 1-2 away). As a consolation, they went on to win the Europa League.
​
Season 2013/14
Qualified (13):
Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea; Barcelona, Atlético, Real Madrid; Leverkusen, Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke; Milan; PSG
Failed to advance:
Real Sociedad (Manchester United, Leverkusen, Shakhtar) Juventus (Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Copenhagen) Napoli (Dortmund, Arsenal, Marseille) Marseille (Dortmund, Arsenal, Napoli)
While Real dominated the group, Juventus on 7 points had to make at least a draw at Galatasaray on the last matchday. After 32 minutes, the game had to be interrupted due to snowfall. It was continued the next day with Wesley Snijder scoring the winner for the Turkish side in the 85th minute.
​
Season 2014/15
Qualified (13):
Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético; Bayern, Schalke, Dortmund, Leverkusen; Juventus; PSG, Monaco
Failed to advance:
Liverpool (Real Madrid, Basel, Ludogorets) Roma (Bayern, Manchester City, CSKA) Bilbao (Porto, Shakhtar, BATE)
Similar to Manchester United, Liverpool fell victim to Basel. Their 2-1 against Ludogorets on the opening day would be their only win. Already having lost in Switzerland, they had to beat Basel in the last round but the Swiss champions hold them to a 1-1 at Anfield.
In a rare CL showing, Bilbao sealed their fate pretty much already on the second matchday, when they recorded a costly 1-2 away loss at BATE (the only goals the Belarussians scored in this group, while conceding 24!). Bilbao ended up 2 points behind Shakhtar, Porto won the group unbeaten. It was only one of two instances in this decade where a Top5 failed to advance despite having no other Top5 in their group.\*
​
Season 2015/16
Qualified (11):
Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético; Wolfsburg, Bayern; Roma, Juventus; PSG
Failed to advance:
Manchester United (Wolfsburg, PSV, CSKA) Sevilla (Manchester City, Juventus, Mönchengladbach) Mönchengladbach (Manchester City, Juventus, Sevilla) Leverkusen (Barcelona, Roma, BATE) Valencia (Zenit, Gent, Marseille) Marseille (Zenit, Gent, Valencia)
Manchester United didn't find their form at all, lost to PSV and Wolfsburg away and couldn't beat the Dutch at home. Only 8 points meant the dropped to the Europa League.
Valencia and Marseille saw their group dominated by Zenit, who won all 5 games before losing to Gent. The Belgians sat on 1 point after 3 rounds, but completed the surprise by winning all their remaining matches. It was one of only two instances where two Top5 both failed to qualify at the benefit of two teams from outside the Top 5 Leagues.\*
​
Season 2016/17
Qualified (14):
Arsenal, Manchester City, Leicester; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético, Sevilla; Dortmund, Bayern, Leverkusen; Napoli, Juventus; PSG, Monaco
Failed to advance:
Mönchengladbach (Barcelona, Manchester City, Celtic) Tottenham (Monaco, Leverkusen, CSKA) Lyon (Juventus, Sevilla, Zagreb)
​
Season 2017/18
Qualified (13):
Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea; Real Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona; Bayern; Juventus, Roma; PSG, Monaco
Failed to advance:
Atlético (Roma, Chelsea, Qarabag) Napoli (Manchester City, Shakhtar, Feyenoord) Leipzig (Besiktas, Porto, Monaco)* Monaco (Besiktas, Porto, Leipzig)* Dortmund (Tottenham, Real Madrid, APOEL)
In a lackluster campaign, Napoli kept their hopes alive by smashing Shakhtar 3-0 and climbing to 6 points in the penultimate round. Two weeks later however, they lost at previously win-less Feyenoord while Shakhtar beat Manchester City, and that was that.
After a brilliant season the year before (and as a result having to sell half their players), Monaco lacked the quality to compete and only gained 2 points. Leipzig made their debut in the Champions League, but 3 defeats to Besiktas and Porto ultimately proved too much, they ended up 3rd on 7 points. It was one of only two instances where two Top5 both failed to qualify at the benefit of two teams from outside the Top 5 Leagues.\*
Season 2018/19
Qualified (14):
Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City; Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético; Dortmund, Bayern, Schalke; Roma, Juventus; PSG, Lyon
Failed to advance:
Monaco (Dortmund, Atlético, Brugge) Inter (Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV) Napoli (PSG, Liverpool, Red Star) Hoffenheim (Manchester City, Lyon, Shakhtar) Valencia (Juventus, Manchester United, Basel)
​
Season 2019/20
Qualified (16):
Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City; Atlético, Valencia, Barcelona, Real Madrid; Dortmund, Leipzig, Bayern; Atalanta, Napoli, Juventus; PSG, Lyon (16)
Failed to advance:
Leverkusen (Juventus, Atlético, Lokomotiv) Inter (Barcelona, Dortmund, Slavia) Lille (Valencia, Chelsea, Ajax)
Season 2020/21
Qualified:
Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool; Atlético, Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Madrid; Möchengladbach, Bayern, Leipzig, Dortmund; Lazio, Juventus, Atalanta; PSG (15)
Failed to advance:
Inter (Real Madrid, Mönchengladbach, Shakhtar) Marseille (Manchester City, Porto, Olympiacos) Rennes (Chelsea, Sevilla, Krasnodar) Manchester United (PSG, Leipzig, Basaksehir)
In Marseille's group, City and Porto ran away early. The French scored their first goals on matchday 5 in a 2-1 win against Olympiacos. They still lost the head-to-head and finished last with 3 points. But remember, you have to be in the Champions League to be shit in the Champions League.
​
*Note that I considered England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain the Top 5 Leagues throughout the decade because I was lazy for reasons of simplicity, although Portugal was ranked 5th above France for a couple of years
​
Some additional random observations:
- If you have Porto, Shakhtar or Basel in your group, don't feel safe. Turkish and Russian teams used to be good bets for upsets as well.
- The knockout stages in the 2019/20 season consisted only of Top5 teams.
- Borussia Mönchengladbachs opponents in the CL groups over the last decade: Sevilla, Manchester City (2x), Juventus, Barcelona, Celtic, Inter, Real Madrid, Shakhtar
- The only teams to always qualify for the CL and progress to the knockous stages over the last decade are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern.

Previous episodes: Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians, Santos, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro
In this series I will present each of the 12 Brazilian teams that together compose the "Big 12". My point is to make them more knowledgeable to you, since each one of these teams have their share of the Brazil national team success and of Brazilian club football accomplishments as a whole. I'll try to be as smooth, efficient and non-boring as I can. If the feedback is positive, I'll keep bringing more to this series. So ok, let's do this!
Method: I'll present the teams in a chronological order, from the oldest foundation (Flamengo-1895) to the latest one (São Paulo-1930). The order will be: Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminense, Grêmio, Botafogo, Atlético Mineiro, Internacional, Corinthians, Santos, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro, São Paulo. How many of these have you heard of?
Geographical reference: Before we start, I'd like to ask something very simple from you. I want you to keep in mind that these 12 teams are spread in 4 different States in Brazil. The club's State name is written below, next to the club's name. It has a direct link to Google Maps, so that you can check it out to make this experience more accurate.

Episode 12/12: São Paulo (State: São Paulo), founded in 1930

State rivals: Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos

Stadium: Morumbi

Mascot: Saint Paul

Major achievements: 3 Intercontinental/Club World Cup (1992, 1993, 2005), 3 Copa Libertadores (1992, 1993, 2005), 6 Brazilian Leagues (1977, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007, 2008), 1 Supercopa Libertadores (1993)

State League titles: 21 (Against Corinthians' 30, Palmeiras' 23, Santos' 22)

PLAY AND LISTEN TO SÃO PAULO'S ANTHEM WHILE READING - Click here
São Paulo FC, the biggest Brazilian club
São Paulo seems to be the only team in Brazil that has all the major ingredients that make a team, the biggest: lots of international and domestic titles, big fanbase, big stadium, big idols and historical teams. Clubs like Santos or Flamengo come close, but lack one or other ingredient - that's why São Paulo, the only 3x Club World champion and the youngest of the Big12, is considered the biggest club in Brazil!

Brazilian Club	International titles	Domestic titles	Total
São Paulo	12	6	18
Santos	8	9	17
Flamengo	5	12	17
Palmeiras	3	14	17
Cruzeiro	7	10	17
Corinthians	4	11	15
Grêmio	6	8	14

Not only São Paulo leads the title rank, but also the runner-up rank, as you can see below:

Brazilian Club	International runner-ups	Domestic runner-ups	Total
São Paulo	8	8	16
Cruzeiro	9	7	16
Palmeiras	6	5	11
Santos	2	9	11
Internacional	2	8	10
Grêmio	6	4	10

In the entire South America, São Paulo is only behind Boca Juniors and Independiente in international trophies:

South American club	Intercontinental/Club World Cup	Copa Libertadores	Others	Total
Boca Juniors	3	6	9	18
Independiente	2	7	5	14
São Paulo	3	3	6	12
River Plate	1	4	5	10

However, you have to consider that in Argentina there are only 5-7 big clubs (Boca, River, Independiente, San Lorenzo, Racing, Estudiantes, Vélez), while in Brazil there are at least 12, making things more difficult to São Paulo.
São Paulo is also the only Brazilian club to win 3x the Intercontinental/Club World Cup, which is considered their biggest feat:

Event	Match	Goals
Intercontinental Cup 1992	São Paulo 2-1 Barcelona	Raí (2x), Stoichkov
Intercontinental Cup 1993	São Paulo 3-2 Milan	Palhinha, Cerezo, Müller, Massaro, Papin
Club World Cup 2005	São Paulo 1-0 Liverpool	Mineiro

The beginnings
São Paulo was founded in 1930, and accepted people from any origin, social class or ethnicity since their early days. They won their first trophy in 1931, a State League title, led by Friedenreich - who scored 103 goals in 5 years at the club. After a few fusions with other clubs, the team would begin to really shine in the 1940s.
The 1940s: five State League titles
Due to Brazil's huge size and weak infrastructure, there wasn't a National League until 1959 - until then and even afterwards, the State Leagues were the main tournaments.
In the 1940s, São Paulo won 5 of them. At this time, the club also received the nickname "The Dearest Team", because they dared to bring and show a huge São Paulo State Flag in the inauguration of the Pacaembu stadium, in front of 70.000 spectators, including the hated Brazilian dictator Getúlio Vargas.
Leonidas da Silva
The first big idol of the club was Leonidas, present in the 5 State League titles in the 1940s. The Black Diamond had played in two World Cups (1934, 1938) and joined the club in 1942. He scored 140 goals in 212 matches, and retired from football in this same club, in 1950.
It was in this decade that São Paulo gained the respect of the best teams of the city, Palmeiras and Corinthians, who already had 10 State League titles on their account.
In 1943, during a State League draw, a Corinthians' director said that the draw was unnecessary: he flipped a coin and said that if it falls head Palmeiras will be champions, if it falls tail it will be Corinthians. After being questioned about São Paulo, he replied, laughing: "if the coin stands, it will be São Paulo, if it stops in the air, it will be Portuguesa". São Paulo were the champions, and had a huge coin standing on their car during the celebrations at night.
The Steamroller dominated the decade, got the respect of Corinthians and Palmeiras and were now considered a rival. These 3 teams received the nickname of Iron Trio from the media.
1950s-1970: construction of Morumbi, the biggest private stadium in the world
The club destined all their money in the 1950s to the construction of their stadium Morumbi, which would be the biggest private stadium in the world. Without funds to build a strong team, they only won two State Leagues in this period (1953, 1957), with the legendary Hungarian coach Béla Guttmann commanding them in the 1957 title, with 1950 World Cup Golden Ball winner Zizinho on their side.
While São Paulo built their stadium, a young kid named Pelé arrived at Santos, and gave no chance to them, or to the Iron Trio teams in the 1960s.
1970s: back in the game
In this decade, São Paulo won their first Brazilian League title in 1977, and also 3 State Leagues (1970, 1971, 1975), besides one Copa Libertadores runner-up (1974), and one Brazilian League runner-up (1973).
Curiously enough, the 1977 São Paulo wasn't a great team, and nobody bet on them to become Brazilian champions. They beat Atlético Mineiro in the final, on the penalties, after two 0-0 ties. São Paulo missed their first two penalties, but managed to overcome Atlético, who sent three shots away. No São Paulo player was elected to the League's Best XI.
The São Paulo players who stood out in this decade were: Gérson, World Cup champion in 1970, Pedro Rocha, elected to the League's Best XI in 1973, Mirandinha, elected to the League's Best XI in 1973 and called to the 1974 World Cup, Waldir Peres, excellent goalkeeper who won the League Golden Ball in 1975 and played in 3 World Cups (1974, 1978, 1982), Chicão, centre-back who played 312 matches for São Paulo in the 1970s and got called to the 1978 World Cup, and Serginho Chulapa, the club's greatest topscorer, who scored 242 goals in 399 matches for São Paulo between 1973-1982, and played in the 1982 World Cup as a starter, after Careca's injury.
1980s: State dominance
In the 1980s, São Paulo watched their rivals Palmeiras and Santos struggle, as they took home 5 State League titles (1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989).
But it was in the 1986 Brazilian League that São Paulo proved their worth. Led by Careca, they ended the 1st stage undefeated (7W-3D). On the second stage, they kept the good shape, with only 2 defeats in 16 matches, and with 3 wins scoring 5 goals or more.
On the knock-out stage, São Paulo first met Inter de Limeira in the ro16, the current São Paulo State League champions. São Paulo lost the 1st leg 1-2, but gave a 3-0 back in the return leg, with Careca scoring once on each match.
In the quarter-finals, they would play Fluminense, and lost the 1st leg 0-1. In the 2nd leg, Careca opened the score at '67 with this crazy goal, and Müller scored the second ten minutes later.
In the semi-finals, they would face América, a traditional team from Rio de Janeiro, that was big in the old days. América's goalkeeper worked hard, but at '80, Careca finally scored with this shot. In the return leg, Careca scored this genius lob goal from inside the box. The team held América's pressure, and left with a 1-1 tie and the spot in the big final.
The big final would be against Guarani. In the 1st leg at the Morumbi, the topscorers of the tournament, Evair and Careca, scored once each, and the match ended 1-1. The 2nd leg was one of the craziest Brazilian League finals. It ended 1-1 with two own goals, and went to extratime. São Paulo did 2-1 with Pita at '91, but Guarani tied at '97 and scored the 3-2 at '110, with this goal of guts. São Paulo needed a goal in 10 minutes, and at '119, Careca scored to tie the match 3-3 and become the league topscorer. On the penalties, Careca missed São Paulo's first shot, but so did Guarani. São Paulo would score all their 4 other penalties, while Guarani's João Paulo sent it away, so that São Paulo were crowned Brazilian League champions for the 2nd time.
São Paulo had 6 players elected to the League's Best XI: Gilmar, Dario Pereyra, Nelsinho, Bernardo, Pita, and the Golden Ball and league topscorer with 25 goals, Careca.
Also in 1986, São Paulo had 5 players called to the 1986 World Cup, notably the starters Müller and Careca, as well as Oscar, Falcão and Silas. They lost on the penalties to France in the quarter-finals.
1991-1994: Telê Santana Era, the team that dominated the world
Johan Cruyff said, after his Barcelona lost to São Paulo in the 1992 Intercontinental Cup: "if you are to be run over, better be by a Ferrari".
This São Paulo superteam dominated Brazil, South America and the World in these years. They won 2 Intercontinental Cups, 2 Copa Libertadores, 1 Brazilian League, 1 State League, 2 Recopa, 1 Supercopa Libertadores and 1 Copa Conmebol, not to mention the Tereza Herrera (4-1 against Barcelona) and the Ramón de Carranza (4-0 against Real Madrid) in Spain.
Everything started in 1990, with the arrival of Telê Santana, the celebrated Brazil 1982 coach. With him, São Paulo finished 2nd in the Brazilian League, losing to their rival Corinthians on the final.
In 1991, São Paulo began the season in great fashion, winning the Brazilian League by June, with a 67% rate. They led the first stage, then knocked Atlético Mineiro out in the semis after two ties (1-1, 0-0), before beating Bragantino in the final (1-0 and 0-0), with this goal from Tilico on the 1st leg. São Paulo were crowned Brazilian League champions for the 3rd time. Two São Paulo players were elected to the League Best XI: Ricardo Rocha and Leonardo.
On December 1991, São Paulo had their revenge against Corinthians in the State League final: in front of 102.000 spectators at the Morumbi, Raí scored a hat-trick and ended the conversation. 3-0 to São Paulo on the first leg, and a 0-0 tie in the second leg to secure the State League title against Corinthians.
1992: the first Copa Libertadores and Club World titles
In this season, São Paulo won the Copa Libertadores on the first semester, then the Intercontinental Cup and the State League titles on the second.
At the beginning, the coach Telê used the reserves in the Copa Libertadores, considering it a way too disloyal competition. But after a 0-3 defeat and with the pressure from the board to take it seriously, he changed his strategy and qualified from the group stage on the 2nd place, with 3W-2D-1L, behind Criciúma.
São Paulo passed through Nacional (Uruguay) in the ro16 without much problems and 2 wins (1-0, 2-0).
In the quarter-finals, São Paulo suffered, but beat Criciúma 1-0 at home with this goal from Macedo. In the 2nd leg, Criciúma opened the score at '10, but Palhinha tied with this great goal at '55, qualifying his team to the semis.
In the semis against Barcelona (Ecuador), São Paulo smashed them 3-0 at home, with another great goal from Palhinha. In the 2nd leg in Ecuador, São Paulo goalkeeper Zetti performed this huge mistake as Barcelona scored 2-0 at '87, but it was too late and São Paulo qualified to the final.
In the big final against Newell's Old Boys (Argentina), São Paulo lost the 1st leg in Argentina, 0-1. At home, with a crowd of 105.000 at the Morumbi, Raí scored 1-0 from a penalty at '65. The match ended and went to the penalties. The Argentines hit the post on their first shot, but São Paulo lost their third one. The Argentines missed their 4th shot, while Cafu scored. Zetti saved Newell's 5th shot - and São Paulo were crowned South American champions for the first time.
Palhinha was the Copa Libertadores topscorer with 7 goals. This title qualified São Paulo to the Intercontinental Cup, to play against European champions Barcelona in December.
São Paulo 2-1 Barcelona: the 1992 Intercontinental Cup title
In August, São Paulo had already beaten Barça 4-1 for the Tereza Herrera Trophy (5mn video), with Müller scoring this nice goal. Four months later, they would meet in Tokyo for the Intercontinental Cup trophy.
Bulgarian Stoichkov opened the score at '12 with this amazing goal. São Paulo, led by Raí, quickly dominated the match and tied at '27: Müller did a great Cruyffesque turn and assisted Raí to score. Minutes later, Müller almost scored this great lob goal. In the second half, Barcelona almost scored again, but Ronaldão saved on the line. At '78, Raí scored from this no-chance free-kick on the GK side to overcome the score to 2-1 in São Paulo's favor. Not much else was done, the match ended, and São Paulo were crowned for the first time Club World champions.
Raí, who scored a brace, was elected Man of the Match.

São Paulo - 2	1 - Barcelona
1. Zetti	1. Zubizarreta
2. Vítor	2. Ferrer
4. Ronaldão	4. Koeman
3. Adilson	3. Guardiola
6. Ronaldo Luís	5. Sacristán
5. Pintado	6. Bakero (Goikoetxea)
8. Toninho Cerezo (Dinho)	7. Amor
10. Raí	10. Witschge
11. Cafu	11. Beigiristain (Nadal)
7. Müller	8. Stoichkov
9. Palhinha	9. Laudrup
Telê Santana	Johan Cruyff

One week after the title, on the 20th December, São Paulo played the 2nd leg of the São Paulo State League final, against rivals Palmeiras. São Paulo had won the 1st leg 4-2, with a hat-trick by Raí and this great goal by Cafu. In the 2nd and final leg, in front of 111.000 spectators, São Paulo won 2-1, with goals by Müller and Cerezo, to secure their 18th State League title and tie with Palmeiras in the State League title ranking.
São Paulo played 84 matches in 1992, with 45W-21D-18L (66% rate) and 133 goals scored. Raí was the topscorer with 31 goals, folllowed by Palhinha (25) and Müller (24).
1993: International Quadruple Crown, São Paulo dominates the World again
São Paulo started the season playing the São Paulo State League. However, the 1990s was a Golden Era of Brazilian football, and the State League was dominated by a rich Palmeiras sponsored by Parmalat, with Roberto Carlos, César Sampaio, Edílson, Zinho and Edmundo - so that São Paulo finished 3rd.
São Paulo were focused in the 1993 Copa Libertadores, which they entered in the ro16, as returning champions. At first they had a 1992 rematch against Newell's Old Boys (Argentina): they lost 0-2 in Argentina, but stomped them 4-0 at home in the 2nd leg (3mn29 video).
In the quarter-finals, they met Flamengo. Palhinha scored this beautiful lob goal at the Maracanã, in the 1st leg that ended 1-1. At home, Dinho almost scored from this crazy free-kick, but Müller didn't forgive and scored this nice goal at '24. Right-back Vitor saved São Paulo with the goal empty moments later, and then he assisted Cafu to score the second and qualifying goal at '68.
In the semis, São Paulo sent Cerro Porteño (Paraguay) home, after a 1-0 victory at home and a 0-0 tie away. In the 2nd leg, after a corner kick by Arce, Ronaldo Luís saved São Paulo on the goal line.
In the big final, São Paulo destroyed Universidad Católica (Chile). In the 1st leg at home, they were leading 5-0 at '70, before the Chileans scored their goal of honor at '85 - goals and highlights here (7mn13 video). In the 2nd leg in Chile, São Paulo lost 0-2, and were crowned back-to-back Copa Libertadores champions.
Raí left to French club PSG after the Libertadores title. In this first span (1987-93) at the club, he scored 111 goals in 306 matches, as a midfielder. He would come back later, from 1998 until 2000.
In September, São Paulo won their 2nd international trophy of the year - the Recopa Sudamericana, against Cruzeiro (0-0, 0-0, p.k. 4-2).
In November, São Paulo won their 3rd international trophy of the year - the Supercopa Libertadores, which gathered all the 16 Libertadores champions in history. After beating Independiente (Argentina) (2-0, 1-1), Grêmio (2-2, 1-0), Atlético Nacional (Colombia) (1-0, 1-2, p.k. 5-4) and Flamengo (2-2, 2-2, p.k. 5-3) in the final, they only needed a win in the Intercontinental Cup against the AC Milan of Fabio Capello to claim the unique International Quadruple Crown.
São Paulo 3-2 Milan: the 1993 Intercontinental Cup back-to-back title
The early 1990s Milan was legendary - Gli Invicibili (The Invincibles) that won the 1991/92 Serie A unbeaten, reaching a 58-match run with no defeats. Baresi, Costacurta and Maldini, one of the strongest defences in football history, also Desailly and Donadoni in midfield, plus Massaro and Jean-Pierre Papin in attack. This Milan had 5 starters of the 1994 WC final against Brazil - São Paulo had none, actually only 5 bench players (Zetti, Ronaldão, Leonardo, Müller, and Cafu - who was subbed in during the final).
This 1993/94 Milan only conceded 25 goals in 54 matches, but São Paulo somehow found a way to score 3 against them.
Milan started the match better, with this crazy shot from Massaro. But it was São Paulo who opened the score at '19 with Palhinha, after this cross from Cafu. Massaro tied at the beginning of the 2nd half, but Cerezo scored the second at '59 after a cross from Leonardo. Papin tied it 2-2 at '81 from a header. But 7 minutes later at '88, this funny back/knee goal happened, scored by Müller. São Paulo held the pressure, the match ended and the World belong to São Paulo once again, for the second year in a row.
Toninho Cerezo was elected Man of the Match. With this title, São Paulo joined Pelé's Santos record of winning two back-to-back Copa Libertadores and Club World titles - they are the only South American teams to have done so until today, and probably, forever.

São Paulo - 3	2 - Milan
1. Zetti	1. Rossi
2. Cafu	2. Panucci
4. Ronaldão	6. Baresi
3. Válber	4. Costacurta
6. André Luiz	3. Maldini
5. Dinho	8. Desailly
8. Doriva	5. Albertini (Tassotti)
11. Toninho Cerezo	7. Donadoni
10. Leonardo	11. Massaro
9. Palhinha (Juninho Paulista)	10. Papin
7. Müller	9. Raducioiu (Orlando)
Telê Santana	Fabio Capello

With this title, São Paulo won the International Quadruple Crown, and is the only team in the South American history to have achieved it.

Date	International Trophy	Adversary
May 26th	1993 Copa Libertadores	Universidad Católica (Chile)
September 29th	1993 Recopa Sudamericana	Cruzeiro
November 24th	1993 Supercopa Libertadores	Flamengo
December 12th	1993 Intercontinental Cup	Milan (Italy)

In 1993, São Paulo played 98 matches, with 46W-30D-22L (62% rate), scoring 163 goals. Palhinha and Raí were the topscorers with 22 goals each, followed by Cafu (20) and Müller (15).

Player	Period	Apps	Goals	Brazil NT Caps	Goals	World Cup att.
Zetti	1990-97	432	-	17	-	1 (1994)
Cafu	1990-94	273	38	150	5	4 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Valber	1992-97	159	5	12	-	-
Ronaldão	1986-93	300	3	14	3	1 (1994)
Ronaldo Luís	1992-95	109	2	-	-	-
André Luiz	1993-96	90	9	12	1	-
Pintado	1992-93	116	2	-	-	-
Doriva	1991-94	81	1	14	-	1 (1998)
Dinho	1992-93	113	12	1	-	-
Toninho Cerezo	1992-93	72	7	73	5	2 (1978, 1980)
Raí	1987-93, 98-2000	393	128	49	17	1 (1994)
Leonardo	1990-91, 93-94, 2001	112	17	60	7	2 (1994, 1998)
Müller	1984-88, 90-94, 1996	191	110	59	12	3 (1986, 1990, 1994)
Palhinha	1992-95	229	71	16	5	-
Juninho Paulista	1993-95	141	22	50	5	1 (2002)

1994-95: the end of the Telê Era
Before Telê started to get sick in 1995, he had time to collect the 1994 Recopa Sudamericana and the 1994 Copa Conmebol - the latter with the reserve team, called Little Express, with upcoming talents such as Rogério Ceni, Juninho Paulista, and Denílson, who even beat the traditional Peñarol (Uruguay) 6-1 in the final - the largest score in a South American final ever.
He also reached the 1994 Copa Libertadores final, but lost it on the penalties to Vélez Sarsfield (Argentina) (0-1, 1-0, p.k. 3-5).
Telê passed away in 2006, at the age of 74, and is considered the best Brazilian coach in history. He inspired a series of world class coaches, namely Marcelo Bielsa, Arrigo Sachi and Pep Guardiola - notably with his Brazil 1982 and São Paulo 90-94 sides.
1996-2004: Rebuilding times, the club that almost wins
In this period, São Paulo was known for building good teams and revealing great players, but without collecting trophies. They only won 2 State Leagues (1998, 2000), 1 Rio-São Paulo Tournament (2001), and an irrelevant Copa Master da Conmebol (1996).
On the other hand, they finished 2nd in three State Leagues (1996, 1997, 2003), two Rio-São Paulo (1998, 2002), 1 Copa dos Campeões (2001), 1 Supercopa Libertadores (1997) and one traumatic Copa do Brasil (2000), losing the title in the last 10 minutes. They also reached 1 Copa Libertadores semi-final (2004), 1 Copa Sudamericana semi-final (2003) and finished 3rd in two Brazilian Leagues (2003, 2004). Meanwhile, their rivals Corinthians and Palmeiras were collecting trophy after trophy, while Santos started to reemerge to big titles.
The highlights of this period were the return of Raí in 1998 and his performance (7mn video) against Corinthians in the State League final, the performances of Rogério Ceni, Belletti, França, Dodô, Marcelinho Paraíba and Luís Fabiano, and the revelations of Denílson, Julio Baptista and Kaká. Three of them even represented São Paulo at the 2002 World Cup title (Rogério Ceni, Belletti, Kaká), as well as Edmilson and Denilson, who lived this period at the club and were now in Europe. But the trophies weren't coming.
Kaká, notably, appeared in 2001 in the Rio-São Paulo Tournament final. He entered the match at 0-1, and scored two goals in two minutes, thus taking the title home. He performed well in the 2001 Brazilian League, but was knocked out in the quarter-finals.
After the 2002 World Cup title in June, Kaká returned to São Paulo and tore the Brazilian League apart with Luis Fabiano, winning the Golden Ball Award. However, the title didn't come again, as they lost in the quarter-finals (1-3, 1-2) to the uprising young talents of Santos' Diego and Robinho. The São Paulo supporters were extremely angry at Kaká, calling him a popcorn maker (meaning choker in Brazil), and demanded his exit, notably after another defeat in the 2003 State League final (2-3, 2-3) to rivals Corinthians. Kaká then left the club in 2003 to join Milan. He played 131 matches and scored 48 goals for São Paulo, in this period (2001-2003).

Player	Period	Apps	Goals	Brazil NT Caps	Goals	World Cup att.
Rogério Ceni	1990-2015	1237	131	18	-	2 (2002, 2006)
Edmilson	1994-00	256	1	40	1	1 (2002)
Belletti	1996-02	200	16	51	1	1 (2002)
França	1996-02	327	182	8	1	-
Dodô	1995-99	169	93	5	2	-
Marcelinho Paraíba	1997-00, 2010-11	201	50	6	1	-
Denilson	1994-98	191	26	61	8	2 (1998, 2002)
Kaká	2001-03, 2014	155	51	95	31	3 (2002, 2006, 2010)
Luís Fabiano	2001-04, 2011-15	347	213	45	28	1 (2010)

2005, Libertadores, Club World Cup and Rogério Ceni - the myth, the legend, the 1
Before 2005, Rogério Ceni was considered just a good goalkeeper - after that, he became a club idol and started de facto his legacy. Ceni arrived at the club in 1990, at the age of 17. He got promoted to Telê's main team in 1992, after the death of third goalkeeper Alexandre, and collected some important titles under him, as reserve. He started playing in 1997, for both São Paulo and Brazil NT - his known antipathy however didn't help him for Brazil, specially with so many talents around with more empathy, like Taffarel and Marcos, or with more skills, like Dida. He developed himself as a world class free-kick taker - and that, somehow, worked against him when people analyzed his goalkeeping abilities.
Rogério Ceni is the goalkeeper with the most goals scored in history, with 131 goals in 1237 matches for São Paulo - 69 from penalties, 61 from free-kicks. In 2005, he notably scored 21 goals in 75 matches, being the team's topscorer of the season.
The team started the 2005 season with some good players from 2004: Cicinho, Fabão, Lugano, Josué, Danilo, Tardelli and Grafite. With the arrival of Júnior, Mineiro, Amoroso and Luizão, the team was ready to dominate South America and the world for the third time.
They started winning the São Paulo State League, led by the coach Émerson Leão, main responsible for building the team, since his arrival on September 2004. He would then leave to Japan, being subbed by Paulo Autuori.
In the Copa Libertadores group stage, São Paulo ended 1st, with 3W at home and 3D away, against The Strongest (Bolivia) (3-3, 3-0), Universidad de Chile (Chile) (4-2, 1-1) and Quilmes (Argentina) (2-2, 3-1). Highlights to this free-kick goal by Rogério Ceni against Universidad.
In the ro16, São Paulo met their city rivals Palmeiras, and won the 1st leg 1-0 away with this great goal by Cicinho. In the 2nd leg at home, Rogério Ceni and Cicinho scored at '81 and '89 to beat Palmeiras 2-0.
In the quarter-finals, Tigres (Mexico) lost 0-4 to São Paulo in the 1st leg - Ceni opened the score with this great free-kick and also scored the third from another free-kick. In Mexico, they lost 1-2, but qualified anyway.
River Plate (Argentina) would be their adversary in the semis. At home, São Paulo hit the post twice, and won by 2-0, with goals from Danilo at '76 and Rogério Ceni, from this penalty at '89. In Argentina, São Paulo won 3-2, without much problems.
In the big final, São Paulo met Athletico Paranaense, and tied 1-1 in the 1st leg (away), with this funny own goal when they were losing 0-1. In the 2nd leg at home, São Paulo won 4-0: first with Amoroso at '16. Athletico then missed a penalty, and São Paulo scored the 2nd at '52 with Fabão. Luizão scored the 3rd and Tardelli the 4th. São Paulo were for the 3rd time, the Copa Libertadores champions, and the first Brazilian team to achieve it.
Ceni and Luizão were the topscorers of the team, with 5 goals each. This title qualified them to the 2005 Club World Cup.
2005 Club World Cup: São Paulo 1-0 Liverpool, 3x Club World champions
In Japan for their 3rd time, São Paulo first beat Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) 3-2 in the semis, so they could face European champions Liverpool in the final.
The English team hadn't conceded a goal in 10 matches, and went full-attack on São Paulo, who defended themselves. But at '27, Mineiro scored the only goal of the match after a chipping from Aloisio. São Paulo defended as they could, with great help from Ceni, who performed the save of the year after Gerrard's free-kick at '51. The match ended at '93, and São Paulo were crowned Club World champions for the third time.
Ceni was elected Man of the Match and Golden Ball of the Cup.

São Paulo - 1	0 - Liverpool
1. Rogério Ceni	12. Pepe Reina
5. Lugano	3. Finnan
3. Fabão	4. Hyypiä
4. Edcarlos	23. Carragher
2. Cicinho	2. Warnock (Riise)
6. Júnior	22. Sissoko (Pongolle)
7. Mineiro	8. Gerrard
8. Josué	14. Xabi Alonso
10. Danilo	7. Kewell
14. Aloísio (Grafite)	10. Luis Garcia
11. Amoroso	19. Morientes (Crouch)
Paulo Autuori	Rafael Benítez

2006-08: the Brazilian Sovereign
In 2006, São Paulo reached once again the Copa Libertadores final, but lost to Internacional (1-2, 2-2).
The team then focused on the Brazilian League, which they would win three consecutive times. Led by coach Muricy Ramalho, they would play defensive football (3-5-2) and show great regularity - though always getting eliminated in knock-out competitions. With these 3 titles, they reached a total of 6 league titles in their history.
In these 3 league titles, São Paulo played 114 matches, with 66 wins and only 16 defeats (overall rate of 67%), conceding only 87 goals.
11 São Paulo players were elected to the League's Best XI in this period: Ceni, Ilsinho, Fabão, Mineiro and Aloísio (2006), Ceni, Breno, Richarlyson, Hernanes (2007), Ceni, André Dias, Miranda, Hernanes and Borges (2008). Highlights to Hernanes, great São Paulo revelation, who later shone in Europe.

Player	Period	Apps	Goals	Brazil NT Caps	Goals	World Cup att.
Cicinho	2004-05, 2010	151	21	15	1	1 (2006)
Lugano (Uruguay)	2003-06, 2016-17	213	13	95	10	2 (2010, 2014)
Júnior	2004-08	198	11	22	1	1 (2002)
Mineiro	2005-07	138	7	25	-
Josué	2005-07	158	7	28	1	1 (2010)
Danilo	2004-06	194	37	-	-	-
Grafite	2004-06	75	27	4	1	1 (2010)
Amoroso	2005	26	18	20	10	-
Luizão	2005	28	11	17	3	1 (2002)
Aloísio	2005-08	124	23	-	-	-
Miranda	2006-11	260	10	58	3	1 (2018)
Richarlyson	2005-10	147	6	2	-	-
Hernanes	2005-10, 2017, 2019-	297	49	27	2	1 (2014)

2009-today
The São Paulo that brought fear to their adversaries disappeared in this period, collecting only one Copa Sudamericana in 2012. They managed however to reach two Copa Libertadores semi-finals (2010, 2016), two Copa do Brasil semi-finals (2012, 2015) and one 2nd place in the Brazilian League (2014). They also revealed Casemiro and Lucas Moura, among others.
São Paulo is one of the 3 Brazilian clubs to never be relegated.
To this day, São Paulo has the 3rd largest fanbase in Brazil, with 17 million supporters, and a stadium attendance average of 27.400, as of 2019.
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