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Botafogo: Rising from the ashes
- Botafogo are through to the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup
- Club has made an impressive rise to the summit of the domestic and continental ranks
- Face fellow Brazilian outfit SE Palmeiras on 28 June in Philadelphia
It was 27 November 2021. The two most recent winners of the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores faced each other in Montevideo. The 2019 champions, CR Flamengo, lost in extra time to SE Palmeiras, who would be crowned back-to-back champions that afternoon at the historic Estadio Centenario. That title secured Palmeiras’ spot in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
A week earlier, on 21 November 2021, Botafogo took to the pitch not far from there, in Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian state bordering Uruguay. The match was at Estadio Bento de Freitas in the city of Pelotas, which has never hosted a FIFA World Cup™ match.
While their red-and-black rivals from Rio were vying for another continental title, Botafogo needed to overcome Brasil de Pelotas to end their ordeal of playing in Serie B, having previously spent the 2003 and 2015 seasons in the second tier.
Besides securing promotion to Serie A with one match to spare, the 1-0 victory can now be regarded as the harbinger of radical changes that not even the most optimistic fan could have foreseen.
The following month, it became known that an American investor, John Textor, was interested in buying the club, following changes in Brazilian law that allowed the formation of football joint-stock companies. For a fanbase accustomed to reading news of a club in serious trouble, whether that be the lack of a training ground or massive debts, the arrival of a gringo was seen as the last resort.
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“We took over the club on 11 March 2022, and the [Brazilian Serie A] league season started on 15 April. We had three players who had already played in the top flight. We had to bring in 27 new players. I remember supporters messaging me, telling us just to be competitive,” Textor recalled on a Botafogo TV podcast.
Even before they reached the knockout round of the inaugural Club World Cup by defeating the current UEFA Champions League titleholders Paris Saint-Germain, Botafogo’s rise has been meteoric. The Lone Star qualified for the tournament on 30 November 2024 by winning the Copa Libertadores 2024. 40,000 fans flooded into Buenos Aires by plane or, for the most part, on four-day bus trips – two days each way.
As could only be expected with Botafogo, the match took a dramatic turn when Gregore, their defensive midfielder, was sent off in the first minute. Playing with ten men, the Glorioso beat Clube Atletico Mineiro 3-1, winning the Cup for the first time in their history. One week later, the team also clinched the Brazilian title for the first time since 1995.
“Today, Botafogo can sign top-quality players, athletes capable of playing for big European clubs,” remarked Marlon Freitas, captain of the team that lifted the trophy at the Estadio Monumental.
“I’m very hands-on. I like to see these improvements. Whenever I can, I give the management feedback on what needs to improve or what’s excellent. What Botafogo has been doing internally will bear fruit externally. We will speak on the pitch.” he added.
The journey was short but tortuous, though it couldn’t have been any other way, according to the Botafogo faithful. They are proud of the club’s glorious past, which has provided the most players for Brazil's national teams in the World Cup. Names like Garrincha, Nilton Santos, Didi, Zagallo, and Jairzinho are key figures in shaping the legendary aura of the Canarinho, as Brazil’s national team is known. But the Lone Star have been toughened up by years of suffering, such as the 21 years without even winning a state championship.
“Players need tools to unlock their full potential on the pitch” said Mauricio, the club idol who ended that trophy drought in 1989 with victory in the Rio de Janeiro State Championship over Flamengo, in an interview with FIFA. “Today, Botafogo is rebuilding its strength with a structure that is slowly coming together, taking root and beginning to bear fruit. We are happy to see this. I sowed the seeds; this whole group sowed the seeds back then.”
Between Serie B and the fruits already harvested – or those yet to come – the club had an uneventful year in 2022, laying the groundwork for the future. The following year, Portuguese coach Luis Castro led the club to the top of Serie A until he received a phone-call. On the other end was his compatriot, Cristiano Ronaldo. And just like that, the coach headed to Saudi Arabia.
Even without him, Botafogo gained a 14-point lead over Palmeiras in the league table, only to see everything crumble around them, game after game, with Palmeiras eventually winning the title. In the head-to-head clash at a packed Estadio Nilton Santos, Botafogo were leading 3-0 at half-time, before their rivals launched a comeback to win 4-3.
The following year, the stadium was once again filled for a Libertadores round-of-16 tie between the clubs. To symbolise Botafogo’s rebirth, the fans created a stadium mosaic: a phoenix bearing the club’s Lone Star badge.
