FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 111 YEARS, PELE’S SANTOS ARE RELEGATED, AND PALMEIRAS, THE BRAZILIAN SERIE A WINNER.

After falling short at home against Fortaleza 2-1 in the final round of Brazil’s Serie A, Pele’s former team Santos was demoted for the first time in their 111-year existence on Wednesday.

The coastal city team dropped to 17th place in the rankings with 43 points after a terrible run of five games without a win. The squad was one of three, along with Sao Paulo and Flamengo, to have never been demoted from Brazil’s top division.

Relegation from the 20-team tier was already guaranteed for America Mineiro, Coritiba, and Goias.

owned by City Football Group Vasco da Gama avoided relegation with a 2-1 victory against Bragantino, while Bahia solidified their place in the top division with a commanding 4-1 victory over Atletico Mineiro.

When Santos and Fortaleza tied 1-1 in the second half and Vasco was held 1-1 by Bragantino, it appeared as though Santos would avoid relegation.

But in front of its irate home supporters, Lucero’s goal in stoppage time and Serginho’s goal for Vasco in the 82nd minute condemned the three-time Copa Libertadores champion to relegation.

Conversely, Endrick, who will sign a contract with Real Madrid in July, scored in the 21st minute to lead Palmeiras to a 1-1 tie with Cruzeiro, securing back-to-back titles and a record-tying 12th overall.

The late, great Pele of Brazil contributed to Santos’ rise to prominence as one of the most well-known teams in the world of football. The team had a heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, winning six Brazilian league titles and ten state championships.

In 1962 and 1963, it also won the Copa Libertadores, South America’s version of the Champions League, the same year it won the Intercontinental Cup, a competition between the best clubs in Europe and South America.

Apart from Pele, Santos has given birth to several exceptional athletes, like Rodrygo of Real Madrid, Robinho of AC Milan, and Neymar, the top scorer for Brazil.