By Agência Brasil
With files from Esportes Guru
Flamengo is now the first fourt-time Copa Libertadores champion from Brazil (Photo: Adriano Fontes/Flamengo)
A lot was at stake at the 2025 Copa Libertadores final. But it was Flamengo who became the first four-time champion of America in Brazilian football after beating Palmeiras 1-0 at Estadio Monumental de U, in Lima, Peru.
The lone goal came in the 21st minute, when Arrascaeta took a corner kick from the left, and former Real Madrid, Porto, Manchester City and Juventus right back Danilo rose alone and headed the ball into the right corner.
Fourteen years after scoring the title-winning goal for Santos against Uruguay’s Peñarol, the defender once again found the net in a Libertadores final. And again, in a decisive way.
The last year in which the title of most-time Brazilian champion of the tournament was held exclusively by a single club was in 2011. Back then, Santos won that edition and equaled São Paulo, which had been the only three-time champion since 2005.
The list now reads Flamengo (four titles), Palmeiras, São Paulo, Santos, and Grêmio (three titles), Cruzeiro and Internacional (two titles), Vasco, Corinthians, Atlético-MG, Fluminense and Botafogo (one title).
The victory tasted like revenge for Flamengo, who lost the 2021 final to Palmeiras at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. On that occasion, Palmeiras won the title after a mistake by Andreas Pereira, then playing for Flamengo, which striker Deyverson capitalized on. This time, the midfielder was on the Palmeiras side in the final, with a discreet performance.
The title crowns an extremely successful generation, which has lifted 16 trophies since 2019, including three Libertadores Cups (2019, 2022, and 2025). All of these featured midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta – elected the best player of this year’s edition – and striker Bruno Henrique. Both became the players with the most titles for the club.
Arrascaeta and Bruno Henrique, by the way, celebrated a Libertadores title for the second time at the Monumental. It was there that they won the cup in 2019, in the final against River Plate (Argentina), the first in the single-match format.
Just four days later, Flamengo clinched the 2025 Brazilian Championship to win the double in front of 73,000 people at the Maracanã stadium.
With a goal from striker Samuel Lino, Flamengo defeated Ceará 1-0 to secure the league title, on a Wednesday night in Rio de Janeiro. The achievement crowns a historic season, in which the team also secured the titles of the Brazilian Super Cup, the Rio de Janeiro State Championship and the Copa Libertadores de América.
This is Flamengo’s ninth title in the history of the competition, with victories in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1992, 2009, 2019, 2020 and 2025. Palmeiras finished as the runner-up, as Flamengo’s triumphs in both head-to-head matches this season proved decisive.
Filipe Luís, the manager
Who was behind all of those trophies? Head coach Filipe Luís – who became the ninth to win the South American tournament as both a player and a coach and only the second Brazilian.
The former Atlético de Madrid player has already won five titles in his managerial career with Flamengo, including the the 2024 Brazil Cup.
It’s only the start of a promosing career that many fans and analysts see shifting to Europe at some point.
Filipe Luís has won five titles as Flamengo’s head coach in the start of a promising career (Photo: Gilvan de Souza/CRF)
His professional football career as a player spanned from 2003 to 2023, featuring significant spells with Atlético de Madrid and Flamengo, as well as the Brazilian national team.
Luís spent four seasons with Deportivo La Coruña before joining fellow Spanish side Atlético Madrid.
In the capital, he won multiple trophies across two spells (2010–2014 and 2015–2019), including the La Liga title in the 2013-14 season and two UEFA Europa League titles.
Filipe also played one season with Chelsea, winning the Premier League title and the League Cup.
After signing with Flamengo in 2019, he concluded his playing career in Brazil (2019–2023) in style, winning numerous major honors including two Copa Libertadores and two Brazilian Série A titles.