Alves on leaving: Wanted to stay, vows São Paulo return | OneFootball

Still with little time at CSKA Moscow in Russia, midfielder Matheus Alves has already achieved better numbers for his new club and is gradually winning over the fans. Deciding the classic against Dynamo, with a goal and an assist, helped win over the Russians.

The phase is going well. As a starter, with 17 appearances, three goals, and one assist for the club, everything is going even better than Alves could have expected. However, the quick departure from São Paulo, where he managed to play only 15 professional matches, was not the initial preference of the skillful midfielder revealed in Cotia.

“We are at the club where we grew up to be transferred. It's every boy's dream to go to Europe. But at that moment, I thought I would stay longer. I also wanted to stay longer. It would have been more important for me too,” Alves revealed in an interview with Trivela.

“But if I had stayed, something might have happened where I wouldn't play anymore, there was a change of coach. And now I'm playing every game. Everything worked out and it's going very well,” celebrated the 20-year-old.

However, the attacking midfielder acknowledges that, given the situations both Tricolor and he were experiencing, the most natural thing was indeed the immediate transfer to the European market.

“I think in the phase São Paulo was in and in our phase too, it was the most obvious thing to do. Selling the boys, with the debts and the crisis São Paulo was and still is going through. There was no way to hold us much longer because they needed the immediate money. And that's what happened. There was an offer, they needed it, and they had to sell,” he pondered.

The player's career is still just beginning, but his love for São Paulo is eternal. Alves has no doubt that when he returns to Brazilian football, he will defend the Tricolor colors again to 'give back everything the club did' for him.

“For sure (I want to return). What São Paulo did for me since I was 11, I haven't been able to give back to the fullest yet. I only had six months (in the professional team), so I have a lot to give back to São Paulo. So if one day I return to Brazil, the priority will be São Paulo. I do intend to, because it's my club at heart and always will be. So I do intend to return,” said the new CSKA talent.

What did he take from São Paulo?

Matheus Alves also doesn't forget the advice and lessons learned from the veterans, especially Oscar and Luciano, as well as the affection for the former coach, Luis Zubeldía, who promoted him at São Paulo.

“Oscar always came to me to give instructions, especially since we played in the same position. He always came to tell me the things I had to do and didn't have to do. It was very important.”

“Luciano also helped me a lot in terms of mindset on the field. In terms of behavior on the pitch. He's annoying, annoying, but in a good way. He helped me a lot there. He's a top-level professional. On the field, he's a different person. Off it, he loves the banter. He was like a big father figure,” Alves said.

“(Zubeldía) is a man of few words. He said what I had to do and there was no more banter. He says: do this, because if I'm telling you to do it, it's the right thing. That's what helped me. He gave me the opportunities I needed. He helped me a lot. I owe him a lot,” recalled the CSKA Moscow number 7.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.