Under the spotlight: The stars of Brazil’s Série A

Brazil’s Série A is always jam-packed full of talent — and the 2023 campaign proved to be no different.

In a year where Palmeiras secured their 12th league title and Santos suffered a shock relegation to the second tier, a host of established names and hot prospects made their mark in the competition.

With the State Championships well under way, attention is now turning to the 2024 edition, and which players could have a major impact in Brazil’s top flight.

We’ve loaded up Twenty3’s Toolbox to take a look at some of Série A’s biggest stars.

Gustavo Gómez

Centre-back Gustavo Gómez was central to Palmeiras’ success in 2023.

The imposing 30-year-old commands Abel Ferreira’s backline, fully utilising his vast experience.

He takes a front-footed approach, pursuing his opponents aggressively and allowing them very little time or space.

Gómez ranked second in the division last season for defensive duels attempted by centre-backs (211), coming out on top in 122 battles. He also recorded 341 ball recoveries.

The Paraguay international was similarly dominant in the air, winning 122 aerial duels.

Not only a robust defender, Gómez is also a formidable attacking target, registering two goals and two assists last term and accumulating 17 headed shots.

André

André had a year to remember with Fluminense. 

Though his side underperformed in the league, any disappointment was dispelled by their Copa Libertadores triumph with victory over Boca Juniors in Rio.

The 22-year-old midfield metronome is without doubt one of Brazil’s rising stars and has put a number of clubs in Europe on notice.

Last term, he received (1,844) and completed (2,286) more passes than any other player in Brazil’s Série A. 

He also ranked first for completed passes into the final third (263), with an impressive 95% accuracy. Of those passes, 11 were successful through-balls (from 14 attempts).  

While Fluminense’s No7 shines best when in possession, he is no slouch without the ball, having won 76.16% of his defensive actions in the 2023 campaign.

He covers plenty of ground, averaging 8.24 successful ball recoveries and 4.14 interceptions per 90 minutes.

André will likely continue to be a key player for Flu this year, with teams across Europe’s top five leagues keeping a close eye on his progress.

Raphael Veiga

Raphael Veiga set Brazil’s Série A alight in 2023, helping Palmeiras to the title.

The creative No10 orchestrates the Verdão attack with jinking dribbles, deadly accurate shooting and incisive passing.

Last term, he recorded nine goals and eight assists — combined the fifth-most total contributions in the division.

Veiga is a particular threat from dead-ball situations. He took more corners (156) than any other player in the division last season and also ranked first for accurate free-kicks (30).

His most important contribution came against Botafogo when he delivered a pin-point free-kick to set up a goal in the 99th minute. As a result, Palmeiras completed a title-turning 4-3 comeback win. 

Veiga completed 55 of his 87 dribble attempts. An efficient operator, the Brazilian has a good understanding of the state of play and knows when to release the ball.

He also ranked second in the division for shots assisted (69), completed crosses with an accuracy of 43.08% and made all 17 of his key pass attempts.

But when given space, the playmaker is also eager to test the keeper himself — he ranked third for shot attempts (82), accumulating an xG of 7.35.

An incisive passer, consistent goal threat and genuine leader, Veiga is among one of the league’s finest players.

Paulinho

It would be remiss to go on without mentioning the division’s top scorer, Clube Atlético Mineiro’s Paulinho.

After a frustrating five-year spell in Europe with Bayer Leverkusen, the 23-year-old forward returned home to Brazil in 2022, joining Galo initially on loan before signing for free last summer.

He was exceptional in 2023, bagging a league-leading 20 goals.

Paulinho formed a fruitful partnership with Hulk, with the former completing 91 of his 121 link-up attempts.

The Rio native is ruthlessly efficient once he gets into the penalty area, often finishing instinctively.

No player in the top flight had a better non-penalty xG (12.33), while Luis Suárez was the only player in the division to register more touches inside the opposition box (136).

Paulinho’s will be aiming to build on a prolific 2023 when the new season gets underway.

Pedro

Flamengo striker Pedro continues to impress at the highest level.

The 26-year-old scored 12 goals last season — four of which were from the penalty spot — and overperformed his xG of 10.78. 

Despite his commendable goal tally, he took just 59 shots, evidence of his efficiency in front of goal.

Pedro, though tall and an aerial threat, is comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is difficult to dispossess, completing 21 dribbles from 43 attempts.

He also works hard off the ball, recording an impressive 75% defensive duel win rate.

Pedro’s form in the Campeonato Carioca this year bodes well, with seven goals in seven appearances. 

He will hope to carry that into the league as a new season approaches.

All visualisations in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.