Hulk's Atletico Mineiro masterclass demonstrates Brasileiro Serie A is not a retirement league

As top football players reach their peak, it becomes difficult in many circumstances to remain competitive and as such, they often have to head for less-fancied leagues to stay relevant.

These less-fancied leagues are sometimes called retirement leagues and because of that, are never taken seriously compared to the top European leagues.

One of the leagues that is often classified in this category is the Brasileiro Serie A. South America's biggest football league has often seen a return of their star players in their twilight years. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano, Dida, Luis Fabiano, Dani Alves, Miranda, Filipe Luis, Felipe Melo, Juan, Fred, Ze Roberto, Juninho, Lucio among others; all made a comeback home. Of course they were less in the spotlight because of where they were playing but it is very wrong to classify Brasileiro Serie A as an obscure and retirement league.

One of the Brazilian stars currently plying their trade in the Serie A is Hulk. The 35-year-old made a name for himself when he moved to FC Porto and was involved in 138 goals, winning 11 titles in five seasons. He found further success at Zenit Saint Petersburg, winning three titles before moving to China where he played for Shanghai SIPG, winning two titles.

Hulk came back home this year to play for Atletico Mineiro. His senior career began at Vitoria in 2004 and he was an instant hit on his return to the motherland as he scored 19 league goals en route to the Alvinegro winning their second Serie A title and first in 50 years. So dominant were Cuca's side they finished 13 points clear of second-placed Flamengo.

Hulk was really the star of the show and he showed his fitness by featuring in 35 of 38 league matches, starting 33 of them. 

Hulk's talent has never been in doubt, with his physique and facial looks giving him the eponymous nickname based on the popular Marvel comics character that is known for sheer strength. That is what Hulk has shown throughout his career and is still doing at the age of 35.

Those who see the Brasileiro Serie A as a retirement league should have a rethink because in reality, the Brazilian football system is arguably the toughest and most physically-demanding in the world. This is because football goes on in the country in the various tiers all year round with very little room for break.

The year begins with the state championship where clubs in various Brazilian states come together to play in a league format before proceeding to the knockout phase. This usually runs from January to April, within which time the Copa do Brasil (Brazilian Cup) kicks off. The Serie A then starts in May and ends in December. Within this period, the continental competitions in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana, are also running. Also, when international competitions like Copa America, World Cup and its qualifiers are on, the Serie A is very active.

2021 was a treble for Atletico Mineiro as they also won the Mineiro State Championship (Campeonato Mineiro) and Copa do Brasil. Hulk of course played his part in both competitions, scoring a combined 10 goals. Overall in 2021, Hulk had a hand in 49 goals in 67 competitive appearances. 

That is simply phenomenal.

Players like Hulk, Alves and those previously mentioned all played in this very rigorous system. Clearly, that is not how a retirement league should look like. What is more is that the Serie A is highly competitive when it comes to the deciding champions. There is no one dominating team, with nine different teams winning the league since 2001, none more than twice in a row.

If anything, the Serie A and the Brazilian football system deserves a lot of attention and credit for how it has constantly remained so vibrant in the midst of very tight fixture schedules, not even close to the kind Premier League clubs in England complain about.

It is from the Serie A majority of Brazil's greatest players went on to be the best in the world. If they are returning home, it is because they want to remain competitive. After all, a very agile Alves - who is the most-decorated player in football history, spent two years at Sao Paulo, playing 95 times, and won the 2021 Paulista State Championship and is still a mainstay in the Brazil national team, playing a key part in reaching the Copa America final on home soil and winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics, all this year at the age of 38.

So rather than call the Brasileiro Serie A a retirement league for being perceived as easy to play in, it should even be a level higher than Europe's leading leagues based on competitiveness. In fact, it is safe to say Hulk, Alves and other big name Brazilians had it easier in Europe than they did back home.

Perhaps, it explains why Brazilians are very tenacious and resilient. The Serie A is therefore not for the faint-hearted but for those who are ready to be stretched to the limit without it telling on their bodies.

That is a league to avoid if one wants it easy in the latter part of their career.