Rene #6 of Fluminense FC (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Fluminense aren’t your average Brazilian club.
Whereas other Brazilian teams competing in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup have predicated their strategy on developing young, promising talents and selling them for lucrative fees, Fluminense have taken a vastly different approach. One only needs to look at their lineup for Tuesday’s match vs. Borussia Dortmund (0-0) to see the difference. Jhon Arias (27), Everaldo (33) and Agustín Canobbio (26) led the line; Hércules (24), Nonato (27) and Matheus Martinelli (23) comprised the midfield trio; while Fábio (44) held it down between the sticks. Juan Freytes (25) and Thiago Silva (40) started in central defense, while Renê (32) started at left back. And at right back, another late bloomer gave a convincing display in East Rutherford, New Jersey: Samuel Xavier Brito.
Born in São Paulo, Xavier started his career in the lower leagues with Paulista. It was there he won the 2010 and 2011 Copa Paulista, played by São Paulo state teams not participating in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the reserve teams of Paulista clubs playing in the Brazilian league. These impressive displays earned him a move to second-tier São Caetano in 2012, where he emerged as a regular at right back before taking his talents to fellow Série B side Ceará in 2014. Xavier continued his upward rise by winning the Campeonato Cearense and Copa dos Campeões Cearenses in 2014, and the Copa do Nordeste in 2015, before finally earning a move to the Brazilian top flight. He spent three seasons with Série A side Sport Recife, as well as a brief loan at Atlético Mineiro, before returning to Ceará and adding another Copa do Nordeste title to his trophy cabinet.
Breakthrough at Fluminense
After cutting his teeth with various lower-ranking sides, Xavier’s hard work finally paid off in 2021 when he joined Fluminense, one of the G-12 (Brazil’s 12 biggest clubs). He enjoyed an impressive 2022 campaign by claiming the Taça Guanabara and Campeonato Carioca, successfully defending the title the following year. But he couldn’t have dreamt of what would occur in the 2023 campaign.
Under the watchful eye of Fernando Diniz, Fluminense brushed past Argentinos Juniors, Olimpia and Internacional before reaching the biggest match in South American club football: the Copa Libertadores Final. Germán Cano broke the deadlock before halftime, but Luis Advíncula leveled the match for Boca Juniors in the 72nd minute. In extra time, John Kennedy restored Fluminense’s lead and paved the way for their first-ever Copa Libertadores title. As a result, Fluminense qualified for the old format of the Club World Cup (now called the FIFA Intercontinental Cup), beating Al Ahly 2-0 before losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the final. Two years later, they’re back in the Club World Cup and looking to make a name for themselves in the United States.
“This Club World Cup is a tournament that we reached thanks to winning the Copa Libertadores,” said Xavier. “We had a good experience in 2023, playing against Al Ahly and Manchester City, which was a good moment in my career and a special moment to defend the shirt of Fluminense. People say that our team is old, but I think it’s more so an experienced side that knows how to control possession and exploit spaces at the right moment.”
From Glory to Grind — and Back Again
The 2024 season, however, would see Fluminense go from the apex of the game to nearly reaching its nadir. While they managed to beat Ecuadorian side LDU Quito in the Recopa Sudamericana — held between the previous year’s Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana winners since 1988 — they struggled to build on their momentum.
Fluminense lost to local archrival Flamengo in the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca and crashed out in the Round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil to lowly Juventude. They also relinquished a first-leg advantage and lost to Atlético Mineiro in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Worst of all came in league play, with Fluminense finishing 13th in the table and narrowly avoiding relegation.
“I think this rollercoaster situation speaks more about how the Brazilian league is, how balanced it is, and how good it is,” added Arias, who joined Fluminense in 2021.
“Over the past two years, we’ve gone from achieving the maximum glory to a rather complicated year. Rather than just the club, it speaks about how complex Brazilian football is. I think we’ve arrived at the competition at a good moment. We’ve had a good preparation, and we’re conscious of what this means for the Tricolor supporters and Brazil as well. I think that we’re charged with this responsibility, and we’re arriving in a good moment.”
Fluminense have slowly but surely started to creep back toward the mean. After losing to Flamengo in the Campeonato Carioca finals and to Fortaleza in their league opener, the club sacked manager Mano Menezes and hired veteran coach Renato Gaúcho on April 3. Under Renato’s tenure, Fluminense have managed to get their season up and running, ascending to sixth in the league table and claiming 14 points from their first six Copa Libertadores matches. After picking up four consecutive wins against Aparecidense, Vasco, Once Caldas and Internacional, Fluminense delivered a dominant display vs. Borussia Dortmund, racking up 14 shots to the German side’s seven.
While BVB escaped with a 0-0 draw, Dortmund manager Niko Kovač acknowledged that “it was a lucky point for us.” Fluminense manager Renato Gaúcho, for his part, stated after the match: “We were practically better than our opponents the entire time. If they didn’t know us before, they’ve started to know us now.”
Fluminense will face off against South Korean side Ulsan on Saturday in New Jersey before meeting South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns in Miami next Wednesday. Dortmund will face Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati on Saturday before taking on Ulsan there next Wednesday.
Zach Lowy
