The 2006 season was Santos Futebol Clube's ninety-fourth season in existence and the club's forty-seventh consecutive season in the top flight of Brazilian football. This season, Santos announced the return of the manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo, who had left the club in the last season and failed at Real Madrid.On 9 April 2006, Santos won the Campeonato Paulista for sixteenth time in history, by beating Portuguesa 2–0 in the last match.On 31 August, they signed Brazilian midfielder Zé Roberto who was free agent since he left FC Bayern Munich, until June 2007.In the Campeonato Brasileiro, Santos ended in the 4th place, securing a place in the 2007 Copa Libertadores. In the Copa do Brasil, Santos were knocked out by Ipatinga in the quarter-finals. Santos also competed in the Copa Sudamericana,