Witness the return of the King of the Club World Cup! One goal is worth 12.1 million euros, and was injured for 132 days

In the 1/8 final of the Club World Cup, Palmeiras eliminated Bottafogo in the "Brazil A Civil War" and advanced to the quarterfinals with difficulty. In this game, Paulinho made a substitute and scored the only goal in the game. According to the Brazilian media, this goal is "worth a thousand gold" (the prize of 12.1 million euros in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup). Paulinho, 24, is famous at a young age. In June 2017, he was summoned by his mentor Milton Mendes into the first team of Vasco da Gama. Just 10 months later, Paulinho joined the Bundesliga giants Leverkusen with a record 20 million euros.

At that time, Leverkusen manager Bolt once described the transfer as such: "For us, signing Paulinho means great success, and our Samba tradition continues (Emerson, Juan, Lucio and Ze Roberto all played for Leverkusen). We were deeply impressed by his skills, vitality, confidence and threats in front of the goal, and we were sure that he would play in Leverku."

Paulinho

However, a serious injury almost ruined Paulinho. In July 2020, he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture and missed almost the entire season (316 days off). After returning from injury, Paulinho also lost his former aura and confidence and was eventually sent away for free (joining Minero Athletics for free).

Obviously, returning to the Bundesliga to the Brazilian League is a regression in his career, but for a player who has suffered a major injury, this is not a new starting point. In the 2023 season, Paulinho scored 20 goals, defeating Tiginho and Luis Suarez and won the best scorer in the Brazilian League. The following season, he scored 19 goals in various competitions, tied with Hulk as the top scorer in the team.

Paulinho

In order to fill the vacancy left by Enderick, Palmeiras signed Paulinho at the end of last year, with a transfer fee of up to 18 million euros. But before he could wait for his debut, he suffered severe bone fractures and recuperated for 132 days.

The scene

2 months ago, Paulinho returned from injury, but considering the player's "fragile physique", Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras coach) will strictly control his appearance time. He only let Paulinho play for 30 minutes in almost every game.

in the field

Club World Cup against Bottafogo, Ferreira made an exception and let Paulinho play for nearly 40 minutes, and the latter also rewarded him with a winning goal: "He had an effect as soon as he came up, which is why he was sent to the field. We all know that I can't not rely on him. Although he was replaced later, he has completed his mission."

in the field

Next, Palmeiras will play against Chelsea in the quarter-finals, and Paulinho and his teammates will face greater challenges.

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