Ever since Alireza Faghani blew the final whistle against Chelsea in Philadelphia, there has been only one thing on Joaquin Piquerez’s mind: Palmeiras must be at the next FIFA Club World Cup™.
“Palmeiras have to compete again at this tournament, against the very best,” the defender stated in an interview with FIFA.
An increasingly key player for the Alviverde and seeking to establish himself with his country’s national team, the Uruguayan knows there are no shortcuts to the competition that brings together the world’s top clubs.
To guarantee their place in the 2025 tournament, Palmeiras needed to win the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 2021. Piquerez and his team-mates know that repeating that feat would get them back to the highest stage of club football.
“The Club World Cup was a unique and unforgettable experience. Competing at that level, against the very best, was amazing … and in the United States, a country that will host the World Cup next year,” he remembered with a smile on his face.
“I hope to be able to play in the next Club World Cup in four years’ time. To do that, we know that we have to be Libertadores champions or qualify by ranking. It’s our dream to win another title. Or two more, three more…”
The casual reader may find it strange that “Jaco”, as he is affectionately known, has such long-term goals, but he has good reason to be thinking ahead.
Last July, Palmeiras announced they were renewing their contract with the 26-year-old defender until the end of 2030. If he completes the full term, he will have spent almost a decade with the team, having arrived in 2021, fresh from making a name for himself at Penarol.
“I was already familiar with Palmeiras, I knew how important they are in South American football. In 2020, they were the reigning Libertadores champions, they were in the fight for titles and they had won the Copa do Brasil the year before,” he recalled.
“When I got the offer, I had no doubts. I knew it would be a really big step up for me, both in terms of quality and in lifestyle.”
Since then, he has played more than 200 games for Palmeiras, winning the Brasileirao title twice, the Campeonato Paulista three times and lifting the CONMEBOL Recopa Sudamericana and Supercopa do Brasil once apiece. In all that time, Piquerez has only had one manager: Abel Ferreira. The Uruguayan immediately enjoyed success as the Portuguese coach’s sterling work with the Sao Paulo side brought a CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores title in his first year with the club.
“What I have learned most from him is how to compete and win titles,” he explained. “I think the Portuguese are kind of similar to Uruguayans in the sense that they’re very competitive and have a lot of grit. And it’s not just him – the coaching staff are just as passionate. I think it’s cultural.”
Under Ferreira’s guidance, Piquerez will be aiming to add another Libertadores to his collection of titles with Palmeiras – without ever losing sight of the Club World Cup place also on the line.
“For Palmeiras, the goal is always to fight for titles and to be champions, even more so with the Club World Cup at stake,” he emphasised again. “The Libertadores is now more important than ever.”
His four years with Palmeiras are not Piquerez’s first brush with Brazilian football. As a child, the Uruguayan was greatly inspired by a legendary Brazilian talent: Ronaldinho.
“If you asked me who my childhood idol was, I would always say it was Ronaldinho Gaucho,” he said. “When I was young, I had a giant poster of him in my house, and I still have it to this day. I grew up watching Ronaldinho and, of course, the way he played. As a kid, you couldn’t help but be fascinated by the things he did.”
A standout in South American football, Piquerez was among those called up by Marcelo Bielsa for the latest Uruguayan squad. The Celeste are just a few points away from guaranteeing their spot at the FIFA World Cup 26™, and the defender is dreaming of returning to North America for another global tournament.
In 2022, Uruguay were eliminated in the group stage at the World Cup in Qatar.
“Every player’s dream is to play for their country. I am very grateful to be able to be part of this squad and to represent a country that means so much to me.”
Piquerez first played for Uruguay under the legendary Oscar Tabarez, but is now seeking to cement his place in Bielsa’s fiercely competitive squad with less than a year to go until the World Cup gets under way.
“Tabarez left a very important legacy with the national team. He was there for 15 years in his second stint, he was our longest-serving manager. He had a fundamental influence too, you know? The whole structure, the generation that grew up with him, that was a generation shaped by certain values,” he said.
“And as for Marcelo, a coach respected worldwide. We’re always trying to learn from him. He’s someone who lives and breathes football. He has so much knowledge and experience, and as players, we have to take advantage of that. We need to learn all we can from him and apply it on the pitch.”
