K HUMILITY EVEN IN RAZIL FOOTBALL VILLAGE
If there is such a thing as a "Brazilian brand" in world football, then first of all, it must be made clear: there is also "Brazil this", "Brazil that"! Flamengo and Palmeiras are the two most outstanding representatives at present. The value of Flamengo and Palmeiras' squads both exceed the 200 million euro threshold, which means they can compete (though still lose) with the well-known European clubs such as Porto and Benfica. Fluminense is not worth mentioning. The value of this team is only about 25% of that of Flamengo.
Fluminense ( above ) are the only South American football representatives remaining in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™
PHOTO: REUTERS
In Brazil, Fluminense is rated much lower than many teams that are not participating in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ such as Corinthians, Atletico Mineiro, Sao Paulo, Internacional... That is calculated according to titles, number of fans, TV copyright revenue, advertising appeal, player value..., as assessed by the organization Sport Value.
The most notable detail related to Fluminense's strength is the 2023 Copa Libertadores championship (Europe's equivalent of the Champions League). In fact, the big difference between South American football and European football is that a team can change like day and night in a short period of time. Last year, right after winning the South American club championship, Fluminense was almost relegated. Their debt was 10 times higher than their profits, and their audience dropped by 30%. Fluminense ranked 14/20, 3 places above the relegation zone in the national championship.
In addition to the obvious reason of squad turnover (sometimes selling all the best players in just one summer), Brazilian football also has its own characteristic of changing coaches frequently. Up to 6 different coaches have led Fluminense in the year and a half since winning the 2023 Copa Libertadores. The current coach, Renato Gaucho, only took office 3 months ago.
Fluminense plays WITH PASSION
Ahead of the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, Opta's supercomputer analyzed 10,000 data points and calculated that Fluminense had only a 25.6% chance of winning against Al-Hilal. In the end, Fluminense did what the two richest clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Man.City, could not do in this tournament: beat the "rich" team from Saudi Arabia. Now, Fluminense is the only non-European team preparing to enter the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ (against Chelsea at 2:00 on July 9).
In the squad that won against Al-Hilal, Fluminense had 2 veterans over 40 years old and 3 other players aged 34, 36, 38. Commenting on social media, Chelsea fans were surprised, not understanding why their former player Thiago Silva (soon to be 41 years old) was still playing so well in the Fluminense defense. Is that the value of experience? Not necessarily! Besides veteran Thiago Silva, of the 16 players who played in the victory against Al-Hilal, only one other player had played for the national team: Jhon Arias (Colombia). Even in an era when South American football often calls up players to the national team easily (to "raise the price" in the transfer market), Fluminense's Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Argentine players have never been called up.
Coach Renato is proud of the team's enthusiasm and believes that the more underestimated Fluminense are, the better. "We are always motivated, determined to do what the world does not believe. We want to prove that football is judged on the pitch, not on the payroll. We win with talent, not financial strength," he said.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fluminense-dau-ca-chau-au-185250706211435311.htm
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