Fábio Matheus

Defensive Midfielder - São Paulo
13 Nov 2028
Monday
Process

Marked for Fábio Matheus

112 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

18 Sep 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

São Paulo up to position 2

39 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.

Market

Davi Gabriel puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at São Paulo, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Fabricio Domínguez

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Fabricio Domínguez, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Darwin Rincon keeps scoring at Vissel Kobe

24 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

Fábio Matheus asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

  • Squad Francisco is not doing himself any favours
  • Boardroom The São Paulo production line keeps running
Back issues
109 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

28 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Nothing got past Max Alves

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 39 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Match

Whatever happens, São Paulo do not lose

10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Fábio Matheus

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Erick: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” São Paulo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Clayson

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

One of those days for Chrystian Barletta

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.75, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

São Paulo find a way past Criciuma

Criciuma made São Paulo work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Rodrigo Atencio is carrying São Paulo

5 goals and a season average of 7.40. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

107 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

14 Aug 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Rodrigo Atencio

Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Francisco says São Paulo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Still nobody has beaten São Paulo

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Max Alves

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

The team sheet said everything about Clayson

Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Clayson.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Fábio Matheus

A mark of 7.65, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Squad

No hiding place for Yago Felipe

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yago Felipe, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Daniel Sinisterra keeps on missing

Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

101 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

3 Jul 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Zé Roberto hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what São Paulo can pretend not to have heard.

Market

Matheus Alexandre moves on

Botafogo pay $2.3M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.

Squad

Clayson in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at São Paulo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Fábio Matheus

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Rodrigo Atencio

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Rodrigo Atencio sends São Paulo past Atletico Goianiense

It finished 1‑0, and it was Rodrigo Atencio’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to São Paulo.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Chrystian Barletta

Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Market

The Erick conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Boa will make the call about Erick this week. São Paulo have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Player ratings

Daniel Sinisterra leaves them behind him

Shots: 13. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

100 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

26 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

São Paulo are in among the leaders

Position 2 and 17 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Fábio Matheus

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Market

Marlon Douglas puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at São Paulo, and it is not being withdrawn.

Squad

Danielzinho in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at São Paulo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Chrystian Barletta

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Sérgio Oliveira takes the honours

Marked 7.75 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, São Paulo had the best player on the pitch.

Squad

Yago Felipe gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Danielzinho

Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Match

São Paulo draw a blank against Oeste

The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Oeste defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.

In brief

99 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

19 Jun 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Sérgio Oliveira shuts the door

Defensive actions: 27, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Fábio Matheus

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Daniel Sinisterra sends São Paulo past Nautico

It finished 1‑0, and it was Daniel Sinisterra’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to São Paulo.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Iury Castilho

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Danielzinho

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

No hiding place for Edenílson

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Edenílson, and the manager let it.

Squad

Yago Felipe knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yago Felipe trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

A wage question at São Paulo

Arthur Maron has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.

In brief

91 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

24 Apr 2028
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten São Paulo

The unbeaten run reaches 11. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Rodrigo Atencio

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Arthur Maron

Marked 8.29 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Costly mistake from Lucas Arcanjo

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Lucas Arcanjo knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Fábio Matheus

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

63 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

11 Oct 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Fábio Matheus says São Paulo went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Danielzinho in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at São Paulo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Arthur Maron signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Arthur Maron and São Paulo agree another 5 years.

In brief

60 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

20 Sep 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Davi Gabriel hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what São Paulo can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Danielzinho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Yago Felipe

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yago Felipe, and the manager let it.

In brief

54 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

9 Aug 2027
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Maurício

Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Fábio Matheus

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Danielzinho shuts the door

Defensive actions: 24, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Fabricio Domínguez in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at São Paulo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Marcelo Ajul counts the days

“I watch every São Paulo game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Bahia runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

David Terans gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Pedro Martins signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pedro Martins commits to São Paulo for another 4 years.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Marcelo Benevenuto

A mark of 7.91, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Match

No goals between São Paulo and ABC

Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. ABC will be the happier side with the point.

In brief

39 Edition

The São Paulo Sentinel

26 Apr 2027
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to São Paulo's wait for a win

22 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at São Paulo has to find a result from somewhere.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Clayson

Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Lucca: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” São Paulo have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Davi Gabriel asks to leave São Paulo

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Squad

Tempers go at São Paulo

Marcelo Benevenuto was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Matheus Alexandre

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matheus Alexandre, and the manager let it.

Match

São Paulo come up short against Paysandu

Paysandu left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

Boardroom

Doors closed at São Paulo

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

Squad

Danielzinho knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at São Paulo, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief