A new trio of superclubs

BRAZIL

And then there were three. Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo and Palmeiras from Sao Paulo have been monopolising the major titles in Brazil and South America, fighting out the final of the Copa Libertadores at the end of November. But domestically, there is no doubt about it: Atletico Mineiro from Belo Horizonte have joined the restricted ranks of the superclubs.

In a season where fans were gradually allowed back during the course of the campaign, Atletico won the league for the first time in 50 years by a whopping13-point margin, and then followed it up by completing the double – a feat only achieved once before – thrashing Athletico Paranaense 6-1 on aggregate to claim the highlyprized domestic cup as well. They came close in the Copa Libertadores, too, bowing out unbeaten after elimination on away goals by rivals Palmeiras in the semi-finals.

Last year, under former coach Jorge Sampaoli, Atletico came close, finishing