In football, one certainty is true: history will never be erased, especially when it comes to a title as significant as it was in 2004 when Santos won the Brazilian Championship of that year. Sambafoot recalls how the last time Peixe claimed the competition’s title unfolded.
This December will mark 20 years since the last championship title of the Baixada Santista club in the Brazilian Championship, considered by many as one of the toughest in the world. In fact, it is the São Paulo-based club with the longest drought, as São Paulo last won in 2008.
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Peixe’s Eighth Title
In 2004, Santos managed to lift the trophy of the competition after defeating Vasco 2-1 at Teixeirão, in São José do Rio Preto. The decisive match for the title took place on December 19th of that year. The goals for Peixe’s victory were scored by Ricardinho and Elano. Marco Brito scored the goal for the Rio de Janeiro team in the match.
The title was not an easy feat. Santos had to deal with Robinho’s absence due to his mother’s kidnapping, controversial refereeing decisions with disallowed goals, severe penalties for players, and home venue losses, being forced multiple times to play away from Vila Belmiro.
Record Broken
On the other hand, other aspects made the title even more significant for the club: Peixe set a record for goals in the tournament, with 103 goals scored in that edition. The record, to this day, remains unmatched. At that time, 24 clubs competed in the competition. In other words, there were more rounds.
The Top Four of the 2004 Brasileirão
- 1st: Santos – 89 points
- 2nd: Athletico-PR – 86 points
- 3rd: São Paulo – 82 points
- 4th: Palmeiras – 79 points
10 Years Without Brazilian Championship Titles
This season, Peixe will complete a 10-year title drought. It’s worth noting that in 2007, 2016, and 2019, the club came close but finished as runners-up. Last year, with a campaign that had fans on edge until the final round, Santos was ultimately relegated for the first time to Serie B.
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