The 2021 season was the 107th season in the history of Clube Atlético Mineiro and the club's 15th consecutive year in the top tier of Brazilian football. In addition to competing in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Atlético Mineiro also took part in the Campeonato Mineiro, the Copa do Brasil, and the Copa Libertadores.
The season is considered one of the most successful in the club’s history, as Atlético Mineiro won their second Campeonato Brasileiro, their second Copa do Brasil, and their 46th Campeonato Mineiro titles, achieving the club’s first-ever domestic treble.
Season overview February On 25 February, Jorge Sampaoli stepped down as Atlético's manager and on the following day the club named assistant coach Lucas Gonçalves to the position on an interim basis.
On 28 February, Atlético made their season debut in a Campeonato Mineiro 3–0 win over URT. Victor made his last appearance for the club in this match, having announced his retirement the day before.
March On 5 March, Cuca was appointed head coach of the first team.
April On 21 April, Atlético made their debut in the Copa Libertadores, drawing 1–1 away to Deportivo La Guaira.
On 24 April, the team concluded their Campeonato Mineiro first stage campaign as leaders, with nine victories and two defeats.
May On 22 May, Atlético were crowned the Campeonato Mineiro champions after drawing 0–0 in both legs of the final against América.
On 25 May, they beat Deportivo La Guaira 4–0 at the Mineirão, concluding their Copa Libertadores group stage run with the best overall campaign, with five wins and one draw.
On 30 May, the team made their debut in the Campeonato Brasileiro, a 2–1 home loss to Fortaleza.
June On 2 June, Atlético debuted in the Copa do Brasil third round, beating Remo away 2–0. On 10 June, they secured a spot in the round of 16 after besting their opponents yet again, this time 2–1 at home.
July On 20 July, following two 0–0 draws, Atlético knocked Boca Juniors out of the Libertadores round of 16 in the penalty shootouts; Everson saved two kicks as Atlético won 3–1. This was the first time a Brazilian team was able to beat Boca Juniors in the penalty shootouts of a Libertadores match, after five consecutive wins by the Argentines in previous encounters.
August On 4 August, Atlético qualified for the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals after beating Bahia 3–2 in the aggregate score of the round of 16 clash.
On 8 August, Atlético became leaders of the league for the first time following a 2–1 away victory over Juventude.
On 11 August, the team clinched a 1–0 away win against River Plate in the first leg of the Libertadores quarter-finals. One week later, in the team's first game with an attendance since March 2020 at the Mineirão, they beat the Argentines again, this time by a 3–0 score. This marked only the second time a team knocked out both River Plate and Boca Juniors in the same edition of the competition, following Independiente del Valle in 2016.
September On 15 September, Atlético overcame Fluminense in the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals with a 3–1 win on aggregate.
On 28 September, the team was knocked out in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores by Palmeiras on the away goal rule, after 0–0 away draw in the first leg and a 1–1 score at home in the second.
October On 17 October, the team ended an 18-game unbeaten run in the league after suffering a 2–1 defeat away to Atlético Goianiense.
On 20 October, they bested Fortaleza with a 4–0 home victory in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. A week later, an additional 2–1 win in the second leg secured the team a place in the final.
November Atlético finished the month of November with six wins and a draw in the league, with ten points ahead of second placed Flamengo.
December On 2 December, Atlético were crowned the 2021 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A champions in a thrilling contest away against Bahia: after going 2–0 down at the start of the second half, the team responded scoring three goals in an interval of five minutes, first with Hulk from a penalty kick and then with a brace from Keno. The 3–2 turnaround win secured Atlético the second national league title in the club's history, 50 years after the first win.
On 12 December, Atlético beat Athletico Paranaense 4–0 in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil final at the Mineirão. Three days later, a 2–1 win at the Arena da Baixada earned the club the second national cup trophy in its history.
Players First team squad
Other players with first team appearances
Transfers In PlayerTransferred fromFeeDateSource7 HulkUnattachedFree transfer6 DodôUnattachedFree transfer26 River Plate€4,900,00020 HyoranPalmeiras€1,150,000–Mirassol€60,00027 CalebeSão Paulo€60,00037 Tchê TchêSão PauloLoan19 Diego CostaUnattachedFree transfer Total €6,170,000
Loan returnees PlayerReturning fromDateSource– AdrianoCriciúma– Alessandro ViníciusCriciúma– RalphFerroviária–Coritiba– Matheus MendesCSA–Confiança–Figueirense– YagoCSA– CapixabaJuventude–Goiás– BruninhoSport Recife– Nathan SilvaCoritiba–Corinthians– José WelisonBotafogo– Guilherme SantosCoimbra– Peñarol– BruninhoConfiança– Daniel PenhaBahia– MaíltonCoritiba– Michael Paços de Ferreira– Edinho Daejeon Hana Citizen– Denílson Al Dhafra– Nathan SilvaAtlético Goianiense–Sport Recife–Confiança– TalisonLondrina– AdrianoParaná
Out PlayerTransferred toFeeDateSource– YagoUnattachedReleased– CapixabaUnattachedReleased20 HyoranPalmeirasLoan return1 VictorUnattachedEnd of contract26 CalebeSão PauloLoan return–UnattachedEnd of contract–Athletico Paranaense€1,100,0009 Diego TardelliUnattachedEnd of contract– Léo Sena Spezia€1,250,00046 Iago PortimonenseLoan return40 Bueno Kashima AntlersLoan return– EdinhoFortaleza€250,000– Denílson Paços de FerreiraFree transfer30 Gabriel Yokohama FC€1,700,00038 Marrony Midtjylland€4,500,000 Total €8,800,000
Loans out PlayerTransferred toFeeStart dateEnd dateSource– Gustavo HenriqueBahiaUndisclosed21 January 202131 December 2021– LibertadUndisclosed25 January 202131 December 202150 Marquinhos Botev PlovdivUndisclosed14 February 202130 June 2022– IsaqueConfiançaUndisclosed18 February 202130 November 2021–BahiaUndisclosed18 February 202131 December 2021– RalphBoavistaUndisclosed18 February 202130 November 2021–JuventudeUndisclosed19 February 202131 December 2021–JuventudeUndisclosed23 February 202131 December 2021– Alessandro ViníciusSão JoséUndisclosed1 March 202130 November 2021– BruninhoConfiançaUndisclosed1 March 202130 November 2021– Nathan SilvaAtlético GoianienseUndisclosed1 March 202131 December 2021– Guilherme SantosCoimbraUndisclosed11 March 202131 May 2021–FortalezaUndisclosed15 March 202131 December 2021– José WelisonSport RecifeUndisclosed8 April 202131 December 2021– Guilherme SantosVitóriaUndisclosed8 May 202130 November 202150 TalisonLondrinaUndisclosed23 May 202130 November 2021– BruninhoJuventudeUndisclosed25 May 202131 December 202149 KevinBrasil de PelotasUndisclosed26 May 202130 November 2021– Daniel PenhaConfiançaUndisclosed27 May 202131 December 2021– AdrianoParanáUndisclosed28 May 202130 November 2021– Maílton Metalist KharkivUndisclosed4 June 202130 June 2022– MichaelConfiançaUndisclosed1 July 202130 November 2021– Daniel Penha Newcastle JetsUndisclosed20 August 202130 June 2022– Iago Maidana Gil VicenteUndisclosed23 August 202130 June 2022– Talison AlvercaUndisclosed26 August 202130 June 2022– AdrianoConfiançaUndisclosed10 September 202130 November 2021 Total –
Transfer summary Undisclosed fees are not included in the transfer totals.
Expenditure
Total: €6,170,000
Income
Total: €8,800,000
Net total
Total: €2,630,000
Competitions Overview
Campeonato Mineiro
First stage
Matches
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
Finals
Copa Libertadores
Round of 16
The draw for the round of 16 was held on 1 June 2021.
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Campeonato Brasileiro
Standings
Result by round
Matches
Copa do Brasil
Third round
Round of 16
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Finals
Statistics
Squad appearances and goals Last updated on 15 December 2021.
! colspan="14" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center"|Goalkeepers
! colspan="14" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center"|Defenders
! colspan="14" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center"|Midfielders
! colspan="14" style="background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center"|Forwards
! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center|Players who have made an appearance this season but have left the club
Notes
References
External links