Ranking the top-10 Brazilian sides of the 2010’s

By Joao Cunha

Using an objective ranking system I have decided to rank each Brazilian club in the top 10. I have weighed major titles and relegation to see which club comes out on top. World titles are the most valuable, then comes the Libertadores, then the league,  Copa do Brasil,  Copa Sulamericna, Recopa Sulamericana, State tiles. I have put my criteria below:

Club World Cup: 150 points

Libertadores: 100 points

League title: 75 points

Copa do Brazil: 60 points

Sulamericna 55 points

Recopa Sulamericana 35 points

State titles/Primera Liga 30 points

Relegation -50 points

Athletico-PR winning the Sulamericnan in 2018. They beat Junior in the final on penalties.

10. Athletico Parananese: Athletico have had a golden decade of success winning their first ever international trophy with a Sul-Americana win in 2018. In addition they followed that up by winning their first ever Copa do Brasil in 2019. Being the only club outside of the traditional big-12 in Brazil on this list, they really punched above their weight in the 2010’s. Despite their relegation in 2011 they returned stronger and managed to finish in the top-3 in 2013 and qualify several times for the Copa Libertadores. Having won 3 state titles to boot they truly have been a consistent side over the last 10 years. 1 Copa Sulamericana 55 points, 1 Copa do Brasil 60 points, 3 state titles 90 points, 1 relegation -50 points. Total points: 155 points.

Fluminese celebrating one of their two league titles they won in the 2010’s.

9. Fluminese: Flu have had one of their successful eras in the club’s history in the 2010’s. They won 2 league titles in 3 years from,2010 to 2012. The club also won a Primera Liga a national tournament in 2016. In this golden era Flu were led by Fred. Gum, Deco and several other star players. (Sadly the tournament no longer exists) While they have had a lot of success there have been disappointments as well most notably their inability to win an international trophy. Flu have also fallen short in state championships winning only one title in the decade which is the fewest of the “big four” Rio clubs. Still despite some disappointments the club returned to glory in the decade. 2 league titles 150 points 1 Primera Liga 30 points 1 state title 30 points Total 210 points

Palmerias winning the leageu in 2018 their second title in the last 4 years.

8. Palmerias: The last 10 years for Palmerias can be split into two parts. The first half of the decade was one full of failure and disasters. Palmerias were a train wreck for the first four years battling to avoid relegation until their descent to Serie B in 2012. After winning Serie B in 2013, they very nearly went down again if not for Santos doing them a favor and beating Vitoria on the final day in 2014. However despite this they somehow won a shock Copa do Brasil title in 2012, unbeaten no less. But from 2015 onward Palmerias returned to form winning the Copa do Brasil in 2015, and two league titles in 2016 and 2018 respectively. With new investment by Crefisa, Palmeriaswere able to sign key players like Felipe Melo, Scarpa, Dudu to the team.  Despite their recent success they are haunted by their inability to win the Copa Libertadores falling short of winning it this past decade. Coupled that with a shameful record in the state championships (no titles since 2008)  makes Palmeiras have to be stuck at number 8. 2 league titles 150 points, 2 Copa do Brasil 120 points, 1 relegation -50 points. Total 220 points

Inter won the Copa Libertadores in 2010 beating Chivas in the final.

7. Internacional: The Gaucho club has had a dominant decade in terms of state titles winning 6 consecutive trophies from 2011 to 2016 led by star midfielder D’ Alessandro. However the decade was marked by the failure in domestic competitions. Inter has not won a national title since 1992. They came close in 2019 reaching the Copa do Brasil final but unforunately lost to Athletico Parananese in the final. They also suffered a historic relegation in 2016, which saw them to go to Serie B for the first time. However these failures didn’t overshadow their conventional success winning the Copa Libertadores in 2010 and the Recopa Sulamericana in 2011. They reached several more Libertadores quarter-finals and sem-final in 2015. But they couldn’t add to their titles in the early and middle of the decade. Post 2016 Inter have not won a single title relegating them to number 7 on the ranking. 1 Libertadores 100 points, 1 Recopa 35 points, 6 state titles 180 points, 1 relegation -50 points. Total 265 points.

Gremio conquered their first Libertadores in 22 years in 2017.

6. Gremio This decade for Gremio was marked by near misses. Gremio despite finishing in the top-4 of the Brasilerao a remarkable 7 times never won the league. They also struggled to win any trophies for the first 6 years of the decade. From 2010 to October 2016 Gremio had only one won one title in the 2010’s. But then the floodgates opened, they beat Atletico Mineiro to win the Copa do Brasil title. In 2017 they won the Copa Libertadores besting Lanus over two legs with the help of Luan, Grohe and Arthur. In 2018 they won their first state title in 8 years and won a Recopa as well. In 2019 they added yet another state championship to close out a very successful last 4 years of the 2010’s. This late run allowed Gremio to pip their rivals Inter and climb to number 6 on the list. Libertadores 1 100 points Copa do Brasil 1 60 points, Recopa 35 points, 3 state titles 90 points. Total 285 points.

Cruzeiro’s title winning team in 2014 which completed two straight league titles, the only club in the 2010’s to win consecutive leageue titles. 

5. Cruzeiro The golden decade for Cruzeiro ended with an inexcusable relegation in 2019. Overall the Mineiro club had a great 10 years. They won 2 consecutive league titles in 2013 and 2014, and 2 consecutive Copa do brasil titles in 2017 and 2018. In addition to their 4 state titles they really had a successful run. Led by star names Ricardo Goluiart, Everton Ribeiro, Fabio and Dede they had a period of winning titles that lasted for 5 years. But their failures to win an international title haunts them as they never really got close to winning either the Libertadores or Sulamericnana. In addition due to their club’s irresponsible financial mismanagement they are now in Serie B to start 2020 and with no guarantee of a return to their former glory. The four major titles Cruzeiro won was in large part due to their reckless spending, that’s why they are so high on this list. I doubt they will be number 5 on the list in the 2020’s though. 2 league titles 150 points, 2 Copa do Brasil 120 points, 4 state tiles 120 points, 1 relegation -50 points Total 340 points

Atletico Mineiro winning a dramatic Copa Libertadores in 2013 beating Olimpia on penalties.

4. Atleico Mineiro: This was the greatest decade in Atletico Mineiro’s history. Bankrolled by Kalil, Atletico like Cruzeiro pushed the limits of spending. However unlike Cruzeiro they didn’t stretch to the very extreme. As a result they were consistently battling for the league for the large part of the 2010’s finishing runner-up twice in 2012 and 2015. Despite their failure to win the league they won their first ever Copa do Brasil in 2014 with miracle comebacks in the tournament before they defeated rivals Cruzeiro in the final. But their finest hour was in 2013 where inspired by Ronaldinho they won the Copa Libertadores for the first time. In 2014 they followed that success by winning the Recopa. Atletico were also the dominant force in the state championships winning 5 of the 10 titles. Overall Atletico Mineiro were one of the elite teams of the decade. 1 Libertadores 100 points, 1 Copa do Brasil 60 points, 1 Recopa 35 points, 5 state titles 150 points. Total 345 points.

Santos lifting the Copa Libertadores in 2011. 

3. Santos: The peixe have had their best decade in terms of titles since the 1960’s. They began the decade by lifting the Copa do Brasil in 2010. The next year they won the Copa Libertadores beating Penarol in the final 2-1. With a squad that included Neymar and Ganso Santos won three consecutive state titles from 2010-2012 and won the Recopa in 2012. In addition with Ricardo Oliveira and Gabigol Santos conquered 2 more state titles in 2015 and 2016. However their lone blemish was their failure to win a single league title. They finished runner-up twice in 2016 and 2019 and battled for the league in another occasion but always fell short. However their contiental success coupled with their state successs puts them high on the list. Another thing Santos has the same number of points as Atletico Mineiro so as a tie-breaker I decided to put the team who I thought had the best overall team between the two clubs a spot higher. Since the Neymar-Ganso sides were a bit more dominant I put Santos third above Galo. (At least Santos didn’t lose4 in the semis of the Club World Cup to Raja Casablanca) 1 Libertadores 100 points, 1 Copa do Brasil 60 points, 1 Recopa 35 points, 5 state titles 150 points. Total 345 points but wins tiebreaker with Atletico Mineiro.

Flamengo winning their second Copa Libertadores after a 38-year drought. 

2. Flamengo: For a side with so many ups and downs it was surprising to0 me how highjy Flamengo ranked in the 2010’s. They began the decade coming off their Brasilerao title in 20009 but quickly reverted into mediocrity for the first part oft the 2010’s only finishing above midtable in 2011. However Flamengo would win a shock Copa do Brasil in 2013 defeating Athletico-PR in the final. Fla despite their erratic form won the state title in 20111 and 2014 beating Vasco in both finals. The club’s fortunes began to change in 2016 when they finished 3rd, then in 2018 they fell just short of winning the league. In 2017 the club won the state title but lost the Copa do Brasil and Sulamericana final. In 2019 it was finally their year as the club won the state title, league and Copa Libertadores in the same year. Led by Bruno Henrique and Gabigol Flamengo swept all before them winning the first treble since Santos in the 1960’s. Flamengo despite being in the wilderness for half of the decade are the only club to have won a league, a cup, a libertadores, and a state title in Brazil. Flamengo’s remarkable 2019 plus their dominance in state championships puts them in second on this ranking/ 1 Libertadores 100 points, 1 league 75 points, 1 copa do Brasil 60 points, 4 state titles 120 points. Total 355 points.

Corinthians celebrating the Club World Cup triumph over Chelsea. 

1, Corinthinas: The Paulista side had easily the best decade of any club in Brasil. They dominated nationally, state, and the world. Corinthians have won 3 league titles which is the most of any club this decade. They also won 4 state titles including the last 3 in a row. In addition Corinthians had their greatest successes in 2012 and 2013. Led by Emerson Sheik. Cassio, and Paulinho Corinthins won their first ever Libertadores title. That same year Corinthians defeated Chelsea to become the ONLY South American club to become world champions in the decade. In 2013 they topped off their international success by beating rivals Sao Paulo to win the Recopa 4-1 over two legs. Paulo Guerrero was decisive in both the Club World Cup and Recopa wins. Corinthians were a title winning machine in the 2010’s lifting 10 titles in 10 years. There’s no doubt they were the class of Brazil in the 2010’s. 1 Club World Cup 150 points, 1 Libertadores 100 points, 3 league titles 225 points, 4 state titles 120 points. 1 recopa 35 points. Total 630 points

 

Bonus the other big clubs

Vasco: 2 relegations. 2 state titles. 1 Copa do Brazil. Lost to Flamengo in three State finals yet again. Not much to say about Vasco’s awful decade except that it’s one of the worst a big club has ever had in Brazil. 1 Copa do Brasil 60 points, 2 state titles 60 points, 2 relegations -100 points, Total 20 points.

Botafogo: Oddly enough this decade has been a vast improvement for Botafogo than the 2000’s. At least they have won silverware more consistently and actually managed to qualify for the Libertadores twice even reaching a quarterfinal in 2017. However no domestic or international title coulped with yet another relegation makes this a decade of disappointment for Botafogo. At least you aren’t Vasco. 3 state titles 90 points, 1 relegation -50 points. Total 40 points.

Sao Paulo: The least successful team out of the big 12 in terms of titles and that’s hard to do considering how poorly Vasco, Botafogo are run. Sao Paulo are the rare club, not bad enough to be a joke yet not good enough to be relevant. They have had one good title run that was in 2014 when they finished 2nd behind Cruzeiro. They got to a semi-final of a libertadores twice yet failed both times. Thy have been humiliated in the Copa do Brasil and haven’t won a SINGLE state title since 2005. The only good thing was the lucky Sulamericana run in 2012 that they clinched over Tigre in controversial circumstances. That’s the only thing that saved them from having no points in 10 years.  1 Copa Sulameircanana 55 points. Total 55 points.