{"id":1158057,"date":"2020-08-22T14:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1158057"},"modified":"2022-08-22T14:20:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T13:20:09","slug":"sao-paulo-former-players-best-xi","status":"publish","type":"cult-corner","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/cult-corner\/sao-paulo-former-players-best-xi\/","title":{"rendered":"How Sao Paulo could have lined up if they hadn\u2019t sold their best players"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sao Paulo have a history of producing some of the finest talent football has to offer, gracing the game with Samba silk and Selecao magic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

From defensive virtuosos in Cafu, to attacking royalty in Kaka, the Morumbi has been home to some of the very best. And even as early as the 90s, the Tricolour produced the world\u2019s most expensive player when Denilson transferred to Real Betis for a whopping \u00a321.5m in 1998.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for football fans, the fertile soil of Sao Paulo hasn\u2019t dried up just yet. In fact, the club\u2019s fruitful conveyor belt has been working overdrive to churn out superstar after superstar, and some of Europe\u2019s biggest clubs have reaped the rewards in recent years.<\/p>\n

Antony is the latest to sprout, terrorise the Brazilian Serie A and then spread his wings to Europe, crossing the Atlantic to link up with Ajax, where he’s blossomed in the home city of Johan Cruyff \u2014 a playmaker grandmaster who had the feet of a Brazilian, and the brain of a Dutchman \u2014 and is now being linked with a \u20ac100m move to Manchester United where his former head coach Erik ten Hag is calling the shots.<\/p>\n

It is no wonder, then, that Sao Paulo haven\u2019t been crowned Brazilian champions since 2008. Every time a starlet emerges, the big boys of Europe come knocking. But, there is no question, if they could instantly recall every active one-time Paulistano, that\u00a0<\/span>14-year drought would end in a heartbeat…<\/p>\n

GK: Ederson<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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    \n
  • Age: <\/strong>29<\/li>\n
  • Current club: <\/strong>Man City<\/li>\n
  • Games for Sao Paulo: <\/strong>0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    A boyhood Sao Paulo fan, Ederson grew up idolising legendary shot-stopper\u00a0Rogerio Ceni, a former Brazil international who is currently the all-time top-scoring goalkeeper, having netted 131 goals (mostly free-kicks and penalties) for the Tricolours across a 25-year career — Ceni retired in 2015 after appearing in over 1,200 matches for Sao Paulo. His No. 1 shirt has since been retired.<\/span><\/p>\n

    “He is my only idol and will always be my main inspiration,” Ederson said of Ceni. “I still watch many of his videos making amazing saves and showing his quality to start his team\u2019s play from the back. His quality was extraordinary.”<\/span><\/p>\n

    Despite Ederson’s boyhood admiration for Ceni, he actually started out as a left-back and excelled at futsal, which may go a long way to explaining his\u00a0superiority with the ball at his feet. Having\u00a0eventually\u00a0transitioned to a goalkeeper, Ederson was snapped up as a teenager by Sao Paulo, but he was released after only one season and subsequently joined Benfica at 16 — 11 years on and he is now one of the game’s best. Ceni would be\u00a0proud.<\/span><\/p>\n

    RB: Eder Militao\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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      \n
    • Age: <\/strong>24<\/li>\n
    • Current club: <\/strong>Real Madrid<\/li>\n
    • Games for Sao Paulo: <\/strong>57<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Already the squad is starting to resemble a who’s who of future Ballon d’Or contenders, and we haven’t even reached the midfielders yet. Having hailed from the esteemed Sao Paulo academy, Militao made an immediate impression in the first team, combining a scheming versatility with physicality and athleticism that betrayed his young age. Naturally, Porto moved quickly to acquire his signature, becoming the latest Brazilian to relocate to Lisbon.<\/span><\/p>\n

      It is a well-trodden path, South America to the\u00a0Estadio do Dragao, and one that has proven a fine stepping stone to the truly elite level for some players. Militao is one such player, joining the Dragons in the summer of 2018 and going on to shine at the back, where he earned a place in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year.<\/span><\/p>\n

      That prompted Real Madrid to come knocking and they picked up\u00a0<\/span>the Brazil international, the same in which he clinched the Copa America with his nation, and he has now added a European Cup and two La Liga crowns to his growing trophy cabinet.<\/p>\n

      CB: Rafael Toloi<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Age: <\/strong>31<\/li>\n
      • Current club: <\/strong>Atalanta<\/li>\n
      • Games for Sao Paulo: <\/strong>103<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        A late bloomer, the skilful centre-back has taken the continent by storm in Gian Piero Gasperini’s fluid back-three system. His imperious showings helped Atalanta finish third in Serie A and reach the Champions League\u00a0<\/span>quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

        The Goddess looked destined for the 2019\/20 semis until Thomas Tuchel turned to Kylian Mbappe and… Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. Either way, Toloi was nigh-on impregnable against PSG until the death, and fits Atalanta’s ball-playing tactics like a hand to a glove. <\/span><\/p>\n

        The 31-year-old initially began his career at Goias in the Center-West region of Brazil, before Sao Paulo sought his services in 2012. <\/span>After three years at the Morumbi, and a brief loan move to Roma, he joined Atalanta in 2015 and\u00a0hasn’t looked back since.<\/span><\/p>\n

        CB: Miranda<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Age: <\/strong>37<\/li>\n
        • Current club: <\/strong>Sao Paulo<\/li>\n
        • Games for Sao Paulo: <\/strong>183<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Still going strong in the Far East with Jiangsu Suning, Miranda was the second half of Diego Simeone’s bulwark double-act at the Vicente Calderon, as Atletico Madrid won the Europa League in 2012, the Copa del Rey in 2013 and La Liga in 2014. His partnership with Diego Godin also culminated in a Champions League final appearance in 2014, while he moved across to Inter Milan shortly after, and bossed the backline there.<\/span><\/p>\n

          But, before the glitz and glamour\u00a0of continental nights, Miranda was earning his stripes at Sao Paulo after an initial failure in Europe. Having emerged from the Coritiba academy, Miranda joined French side Sochaux in 2005, but failed to settle and ultimately returned home in the guise of Sao Paulo.<\/p>\n

          Back in the comforts of his homeland, the Brazilian began to blossom and was part of Sao Paulo’s latest success story. Winning a three-peat of Serie A titles between 2006 and 2008 (their last Brazilian title to date), Miranda was simply too good not to be playing on the grand stage, and Simeone came calling in 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

          LB: David Luiz<\/strong><\/h2>\n
          \n

          2017: David Luiz loses to Arsenal in the FA Cup final, playing for Chelsea.<\/p>\n

          2020: David Luiz beats Chelsea in the FA Cup final, playing for Arsenal.<\/p>\n

          And now he's part of one of London's most exclusive clubs. #FACupFinal<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aZzjcK1YhC<\/a><\/p>\n

          — Squawka (@Squawka) August 1, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n