The 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Taça Nestlé Brasileirão 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the 49th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Corinthians claiming their fourth national title. The season officially kicked off on April 23, 2005 and concluded on December 4.
 | |
| Season | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Corinthians 4th Campeonato Brasileiro title 4th Brazilian title |
| Relegated | Coritiba Atlético Mineiro Paysandu Brasiliense |
| Copa Libertadores | Corinthians Internacional Goiás Palmeiras São Paulo (as the Libertadores title holders) |
| Copa Sudamericana | Fluminense Atlético Paranaense Paraná Cruzeiro Botafogo Santos Vasco da Gama |
| Matches played | 462 |
| Goals scored | 1,448 (3.13 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Romário (22 goals) |
| Average attendance | 17,536 |
← 2004 2006 → | |
Brasiliense and Fortaleza
Criciúma, Guarani, Vitória, Grêmio
Pre-season favorites Corinthians captured their fourth national championship edition despite a turbulent early season and a campaign that went through 3 different head coaches. Key players Carlos Tevez, Carlos Alberto, Roger and Gustavo Nery led the team to a result of 81 points in 42 games. Despite early season turmoil, Corinthians benefited from being one of the few teams in Brazil who could afford to maintain their talent base throughout the season without having to sell key players. The legitimacy of their title was disputed late in the season due to several scandals on and off the field. As 2005 champions, Corinthians received berth into the first round of the Libertadores Cup as well as the South American Cup in 2006.
Internacional of Rio Grande du Sul executed a strong campaign, finishing with a total of 78 points. Coach Muricy Ramalho led a team with Rafael Sobis, Fernandão, and Tinga to the best performance of any team in the second half, narrowly missing the opportunity for their own fourth national title, but also securing a place in the first round of the Libertadores.
Goiás and Palmeiras were awarded pre-Libertadores qualifying matches with teams to be determined by Conmebol for their 3rd (Goiás's best ever) and 4th-place finishes.
In the top middle of the pack Fluminense, Atlético/PR, Paraná, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Santos, and São Paulo were awarded allocations in the 2006 Copa Sul-Americana; with São Paulo, who cannot participate due to Libertadores commitments, ceding their spot to 12th placed Vasco da Gama. Santos in particular saw their season nose-dive as star player Robinho was transferred to Real Madrid mid season (a similar fate encountered by Cruzeiro as striker Fred was shipped off to Lyon). Atlético/PR and São Paulo both suffered for having to dedicate their primary attention to the 2005 Libertadores Finals.
Finishing in the bottom four and relegated to Série B for 2006 are storied franchise Atlético Mineiro as well as perennial mid-majors Coritiba, Paysandu, and Brasiliense. Série B champions and runner-up Grêmio and Santa Cruz took their place.
Grêmio and Santa Cruz
Coritiba, Altético/MG, Paysandu, and Brasiliense
The season experienced significant turmoil off the field, marred by a match fixing scandal, which resulted in the replay of 11 série A matches between rounds 31 and 37.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corinthians[a] | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 87 | 59 | +28 | 81 | Qualified for the 2006 Copa Libertadores |
| 2 | Internacional | 42 | 23 | 9 | 10 | 72 | 49 | +23 | 78 | |
| 3 | Goiás | 42 | 22 | 8 | 12 | 68 | 51 | +17 | 74 | |
| 4 | Palmeiras | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 81 | 65 | +16 | 70 | |
| 5 | Fluminense | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 79 | 70 | +9 | 68 | Qualified for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana |
| 6 | Atlético Paranaense | 42 | 18 | 7 | 17 | 76 | 67 | +9 | 61 | |
| 7 | Paraná | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 61 | |
| 8 | Cruzeiro | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 73 | 72 | +1 | 60 | |
| 9 | Botafogo | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 59 | |
| 10 | Santos | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 68 | 71 | −3 | 59 | |
| 11 | São Paulo[b] | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 77 | 67 | +10 | 58 | Qualified for the 2006 Copa Libertadores |
| 12 | Vasco da Gama[b] | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 74 | 84 | −10 | 56 | Qualified for the 2006 Copa Sudamericana |
| 13 | Fortaleza | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 58 | 64 | −6 | 55 | |
| 14 | Juventude | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 66 | 72 | −6 | 55 | |
| 15 | Flamengo | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 55 | |
| 16 | Figueirense | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 65 | 72 | −7 | 53 | |
| 17 | São Caetano | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 54 | 60 | −6 | 52 | |
| 18 | Ponte Preta | 42 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 63 | 80 | −17 | 51 | |
| 19 | Coritiba | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 49 | Relegated to série B in 2006 |
| 20 | Atlético Mineiro | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 54 | 59 | −5 | 47 | |
| 21 | Paysandu | 42 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 63 | 92 | −29 | 41 | |
| 22 | Brasiliense | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 47 | 67 | −20 | 41 |
| Scorer | Goals | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Romário | 22 | Vasco da Gama |
| Róbson | 21 | Paysandu |
| Carlos Tevez | 20 | Corinthians |
| Alex Dias | 19 | Vasco da Gama |
| Borges | 19 | Paraná |
| Rafael Sóbis | 19 | Internacional |
While the CBF and Clube dos 13 continue to modify the league format in the hopes of decreasing the number of mid-season departures and improve the overall quality of play, the 2006 edition saw a significant number of players depart for Europe and elsewhere.
| Team | Player(s) Arriving | Player(s) Departing |
|---|---|---|
| Atlético Mineiro | Euller, Luís Mário and Catanha | César Fábio Júnior and André Luiz |
| Atlético-PR | Finazzi | Aloísio and Felipe Baloy |
| Botafogo | Zé Roberto, Ruy and Reinaldo | César Prates, Túlio and Jefferson |
| Brasiliense | Dill | Oséas and Agnaldo |
| Corinthians | Javier Mascherano and Nilmar | Anderson and Gil |
| Coritiba | Caio and Renaldo | Rafinha, Fernando and Miranda |
| Cruzeiro | Alecsandro and Louzada | Fred, Athirson and Ruy |
| Figueirense | Edmundo and Fernandes | Fábio Mello and Creedence Clearwater |
| Flamengo | Augusto Recife and César Augusto Ramírez | Henrique and Jean |
| Fluminense | Dejan Petković and Milton do Ó | Felipe, Fabiano Eller and Antônio Carlos |
| Fortaleza | Rinaldo and Lúcio | Danilo and Nélio |
| Goiás | Roni, Dodô and Mário Jardel | Danilo Dias and Válber |
| Internacional | Iarley, Márcio Mossoró and Wason Rentería | Felipe Soares |
| Juventude | Caíco and Daniel | Naldo and Túlio Souza |
| Palmeiras | Marcinho, Washington and Juninho Paulista | Magrão, Osmar, Ricardinho |
| Paraná | Chiquinho and Maicossuel | Renaldo |
| Paysandu | Felipe Saad, Carlos Alberto and Luiz Carlos | Flávio Tanajura, Alex Pinho and Luiz Carlos |
| Ponte Preta | Evando | Harison, Roger and Kahê (sold) |
| São Caetano | Claudecir, Somália, Edílson | Marcinho |
| São Paulo | Christian and Roger | Luizão |
| Vasco da Gama | Adán Vergara, Fábio Braz and Morais | Dominguez, Anderson Costa and Coutinho |
