Left-back speaks on ‘second debut’ after contract saga with Corinthians

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Central do Timão

·27. Februar 2026

Left-back speaks on ‘second debut’ after contract saga with Corinthians

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians, on the night of last Wednesday (25), visited Cruzeiro at the Mineirão Stadium in a match valid for the fourth round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship, and drew 1-1. The goal for the Alvinegro was scored by defender João Pedro Tchoca, with a header, towards the end of the second half, after a corner kick by Rodrigo Garro.

The match marked the first game of left-back Fabrizio Angileri, 31, in the 2026 season after the dispute over his contract renewal with Corinthians. His contract had expired on December 31, and since then, he had been reconditioning in Argentina before 'returning' to the club. Wearing jersey number 26, he was on the field for the full 90 minutes and earned a score of 7.3 on Sofascore, a sports statistics app.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Throughout the game, he accumulated the following stats: seven defensive contributions, 2/3 tackles won, one interception, three clearances, two ball recoveries, 5/5 ground duels won (100%), 1/1 aerial duels won (1/1), 66 actions with the ball, 1/1 successful dribbles, one key pass, and 26/34 accurate passes (76%).

Right after the match, the left-back spoke to the press in the mixed zone and revealed that before the game, he made himself available to coach Dorival Júnior to play. The position's starter, Matheus Bidu, had played seven consecutive matches and was showing signs of fatigue. Meanwhile, Hugo Farias is recovering from surgery on his right knee.

He was also asked about the reasons that led him to stay at Corinthians. In his response, he mentioned the successful 2025 season. It is worth noting that Angileri was signed at the beginning of last year and was part of the squads that won the Campeonato Paulista (2025) and the Copa do Brasil (2025), against Palmeiras and Vasco da Gama, respectively.

Initially, he was the undisputed starter at left-back, but after Dorival's arrival almost a year ago, he became a substitute and was more frequently used as a third defender. In total, he has two assists in 43 matches (27 as a starter).

“I told him I was available for him. Yes, obviously, I'm not 100% yet, but well, I think today I finished the game with a good 90 minutes, and that is a joy for me to be able to be there and help the team as well. Well, I think a lot was said about what happened. I think here the only idea was to stay here. As I said, in a negotiation many things happen, and there was a willingness from both the club and the managers, and I also wanted to stay here. So, in truth, I'm happy to be here for another year.”

“Well, it was also a very good year, the previous year (2025). I think we managed to win important titles, and it's also impossible to say no to a team like Corinthians. A very big team that shows it day by day. I wanted to stay here because the previous year was very good for me and for the club,” he began.

Later, he commented on his adaptation to Brazilian football, specifically about the language. He also responded if it 'hurt' to have missed the Supercopa do Brasil final against Flamengo in Brasília, at Mané Garrincha, at the beginning of February. It is worth noting that the Parque São Jorge club won 2-0.

“When I arrived here, I didn't understand much Portuguese. Today I try to speak much more, I understand more than when I arrived. I think Portuguese is understood when they speak to me and when I speak to them. So, in my case, I understand, and we always try to help the player who joins the club. It was indeed quite a tough moment (being left out of the Supercopa final), because from Argentina, I supported all the players.

“Thank God we won another title. Obviously, I would have liked to be there. But, as I said before, in a negotiation, it's not easy; many things are sought. I'm back here. A lot of time passed, I kept training there in Argentina. Forty long days passed, which, thank God, had a happy ending and the return here to Corinthians,” he continued.

He then spoke about the contacts with his teammates while negotiating his contract renewal with Corinthians and also assured that the desire was always to remain at Parque São Jorge: “Yes, with some, yes (players). I had the peace of mind that we were always in contact with Corinthians, that there was always a willingness from the club, from Marcelo, and from my side as well. Many things were said that I could leave for another team, but I wanted to stay here. The priority was Corinthians.”

Finally, he analyzed the draw against Cruzeiro away from home and praised the difficulty of facing the opponent: “As I said, it was a very difficult, very intense game. We stayed a bit behind. We believed we could draw and win the game as well. Thank God, we managed the draw. We couldn't win, but it left us with the peace of mind of having played well and being able to play a good game in this stadium, which is an imposing stadium against a very tough opponent,” he concluded.

Corinthians now shifts its focus to the Campeonato Paulista. Next Saturday (28), at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), the Alvinegro faces Novorizontino at the Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi, in the state championship semifinal. A draw will take the decision to penalties.

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