Ferreira leads Palmeiras to back-to-back Copa crowns

Palmeiras won football’s Copa Libertadores for the second year in a row on Saturday and in doing so created a new club great in coach Abel Ferreira.

The 42-year-old Portuguese was already a hero in the green regions of Sao Paulo after leading his team to the 2020 title after just three months in charge.

But Saturday’s win in the South American equivalent of the Champions League elevates the spiky coach to iconic status.

He is now the only non-South American coach to win the Libertadores twice, after substitute Deyverson’s extra-time goal gave Palmeiras a 2-1 win over Flamengo in the final in Montevideo.

A former right back who played for Sporting Lisbon in his homeland, Fereira’s teams play a counter-attacking style that is not always loved by footballing purists.

But his methods have proven highly successful and at a club that has a generous sponsor he has helped build a formidable squad that along with Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro seem set to dominate Brazilian football for the foreseeable future. (Reuters)