Key keywords: Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras, Verdão, Copa Libertadores final, surprise squad selection, CONMEBOL Libertadores, decider match, Rony, Estêvão Willian, Maracanã Stadium Long-serving Palmeiras head coach Abel Ferreira has sent shockwaves through South American football circles after revealing his final 23-man squad for the upcoming 2024 CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores decider, with the selection widely referred to by fans and media as one of the boldest calls of the Portuguese tactician’s career. The club, affectionately nicknamed Verdão by its global fanbase, had kept its roster under tight wraps for weeks leading up to the announcement, with Ferreira hinting at a “game-changing surprise” during a pre-match press conference last week that left pundits and supporters guessing. The most notable inclusion in the squad is star winger Rony, who was widely ruled out of the final after sustaining a Grade 2 MCL sprain during Palmeiras’ final Brasileirão fixture six weeks ago. Medical updates in the lead-up to the decider had suggested the 28-year-old Brazilian international would need at least eight weeks of recovery time, making his return in time for the clash at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium seem all but impossible. Ferreira also surprised observers by calling up 19-year-old academy prodigy Estêvão Willian, who has scored 7 goals in 19 senior appearances for Palmeiras this season but had not been named in any of the club’s previous Libertadores knockout stage squads. The teenage winger, who has already been linked to several top Premier League and La Liga clubs, is now in line to become one of the youngest players ever to feature in a Copa Libertadores final if he takes the pitch during the decider. Palmeiras, three-time Libertadores champions, are set to face Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors in the November 23 final, with more than 73,000 fans expected to fill the Maracanã for the region’s most prestigious club football match. Reaction to the squad announcement has been polarized among football analysts: some have criticized Ferreira for taking unnecessary risks with a half-fit Rony and an inexperienced teenager for such a high-stakes fixture, while others have pointed to his track record of successful bold calls, including his surprise selection of youth player Gabriel Veron in the 2021 Libertadores final that Palmeiras won 2-1 against Flamengo. Social media platforms have been flooded with reactions from fans since the roster was made public, with the #VerdãoLibertadores hashtag reaching the number one trending position on Brazilian X (formerly Twitter) within 20 minutes of the announcement. Palmeiras traveled to Rio de Janeiro on Monday to complete their final week of training ahead of the decider, with Ferreira confirming that both Rony and Estêvão will be in contention for minutes in the match.