The attacker Paulinho finally returned to play for Palm trees. After 302 days since he last entered the field, the number 10 was used in the classic against Santos, this Saturday (2), in the 14th round of Series A of the Brazilian Championship.
at Allianz Parque, in São Paulo. In fact, Paulinho could have scored the turning goal against Peixe, with a shot from the edge of the small area, which went close to Gabriel Brazão’s post. The match ended 1-1 — Rollheiser and Flaco López scored.
After the game, the striker opened up about the long period away from the field and celebrated a return that, this time, seems to be permanent.
“Of course, it’s an emotional day for me, marking my return to the games after a very difficult time. Nine months of a lot of struggle, a lot of resilience, in which I needed to seek support, help, in every way, both physically and mentally. I want to thank the group and the staff for letting me belong to the group, because it’s complicated when I’m out. I managed to play in the World Cup, but I didn’t get to be with the group on a daily basis as a normal athlete, and they helped me a lot”, he began.
“The month of May will be important for me, the break on the field, to cool down my body. I want to get back to 100% to help Palmeiras, score goals, win titles, because Palmeiras deserves it. Competitive, classic game, good to play these games, especially in one round. Now it’s time to recover and focus on the next one, because we have a lot ahead of us”, said the number 10.
The last time Paulinho played before this weekend’s match was in , on July 4, 2025. On that occasion, he entered the second stage of the quarter-finals, against Chelsea, when Verdão ended up eliminated from the tournament.
After the World Cup, the striker underwent new surgery to correct a stress fracture in the tibia of his right leg. Paulinho had been training regularly with the Alviverde squad for around two months, but underwent an intense physical reconditioning process.
During his entire stay at Alviverde, the striker had 17 games, three goals and two assists. Palmeiras paid 18 million euros (R$ 115 million at the time) to Atlético to sign Paulinho, in addition to giving two players to Galo.
