Pelé club relegated for the first time! Riots after dramatic bankruptcy

Ironically, in the first year after the death of club legend Pelé, FC Santos fell into the second division for the first time in the club’s history. The traditional club from the Brazilian port city, which the footballer of the century, who died on December 29th last year, helped to achieve fame with the Libertadores and World Cup victories in 1962 and 1963, slipped into the relegation zone with a 1-2 defeat against Fortaleza on the last match day.

Juan Martin Lucero sealed the fate of the club where Neymar began his career in the 96th minute. Both on and off the pitch, all dams were broken: tears flowed from the Santos players and numerous fans.

Later, grief turned to anger as riots erupted in the city, with fans reportedly setting cars and buses on fire. Videos from social networks show plumes of smoke rising into the night sky.

Palmeiras SE secured the title for the twelfth time in the season named in honor of three-time world champion “Rei (King) Pele”.

The record champion from Sao Paulo also benefited from an unprecedented fall from first-round leaders Botafogo FR. The traditional club from Rio de Janeiro lost a 13-point lead in the second half of the season and only ended up in fifth place after eleven games without a win.

Uruguay’s veteran star Luis Suarez, who will probably play alongside his friend Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in the USA next year, ended his year-long stint at Gremio Porto Alegre with two goals and lifted the newcomer into the premier class with a total of 17 goals ” of South American football.

Paulinho secured the top scorer’s crown (20 goals) in his first season for runner-up Atletico Mineiro, after he had previously failed to progress beyond a reserve role in four and a half years at Bayer Leverkusen.