Bruno César recalls Corinthians start, regrets leaving before titles | OneFootball

Despite a short but standout spell at Corinthians, Bruno César looked back on moments from his journey in the black-and-white shirt. In an interview with Central do Timão, the former attacking midfielder spoke about arriving at Parque São Jorge in 2010, the first opportunities he received from Mano Menezes, and the feeling he carries from having left the club shortly before a period marked by major achievements.

Bruno César joined Corinthians after rising to prominence with Santo André. After standing out in the Campeonato Paulista, the player received different opportunities to continue his career in Série A, but chose Timão. Among the factors the midfielder considered was being adapted to São Paulo, since the other interested teams were from other states.

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr

“After the Paulistão final, my agent told me there was Corinthians, plus three other clubs, all from Série A. I chose Corinthians because I was already adapted to São Paulo, I was already here. The other clubs were from elsewhere, from Rio and the Northeast. Of course, you arrive with a lot more doubt around you because you’re coming from a small club, a lesser one. But I arrived with a lot of confidence because we had played in the Campeonato Paulista and had a good campaign,” he began.

The opportunity at Corinthians came after Bruno César took part in the campaign that led Santo André to the state championship final. Even acknowledging the doubts caused by moving from a smaller club to one of the country’s top teams, the former player highlighted the confidence he had because of his previous performances.

First opportunities under Mano Menezes

Adapting to the new club did not take long on the field. Bruno César said that Mano Menezes had initially indicated that he would get few minutes, but the situation changed quickly.

Against Grêmio Prudente, the midfielder was brought on with Corinthians trailing and took part in the team’s comeback. Then he got the chance to start against Santos. From that moment on, he began to get a run of games in the black-and-white team.

“Mano told me I would play only a little and all that. Then there was the game against Grêmio Prudente and he threw me into the fire (laughs), because we were losing. I was very confident. I had had a great Paulistão and was confident. Then, on the first ball, I think I took the free kick, crossed it in, it got deflected and we equalized. I think it was 2-2. After that, there was a game against Santos, right, which we won 4-2. That was my debut as a starter in a Corinthians shirt. He told me I was going to play and, from then on, I played the whole year,” he recalled.

His strong performances made Bruno César a key figure in his very first season. Known as “Chuta-Chuta” because of the frequency and quality of his mid- and long-range shots, the player finished the 2010 Brazilian Championship as Corinthians’ top scorer in the competition, with 15 goals in 34 matches.

Bruno César admits regret over leaving

His time at Parque São Jorge, however, came to an end the following year. In 2011, Bruno César lost space in the team and was later transferred to Benfica of Portugal, fulfilling his goal of playing in European football.

Years later, the former midfielder admits that the decision also left him with a feeling of regret. That is because, shortly after his departure, Corinthians began a historic run of titles, winning the 2011 Brazilian Championship, the 2012 Libertadores, and the Club World Cup that same year.

“A little (regret). Because we can’t control that. Sometimes, if I had stayed, of course I would have won too, like they did. But it hits me because, if I had lasted a little longer, I could have been much more a part of the club’s history than I was. But I also look at it from the other side, which was fulfilling the dream of going to Europe. But yes, it does hit me, because if I had held on just a little longer, I could have been Brazilian champion and won the Libertadores too,” he concluded.

Spell at Corinthians

Before joining Timão, Bruno César came through the youth ranks at Palmeiras and São Paulo and began his professional career at Ulbra. He then played for Noroeste before moving to Santo André, where he gained national recognition.

Signed by Corinthians in 2010, the attacking midfielder quickly earned his place and ended his first season as one of the team’s main offensive weapons. The following year, he lost his place among the starters before completing his move to Benfica. The deal was closed for around 5 million euros, an amount that corresponded to approximately R$11 million to R$12.5 million at the exchange rate of that period.

After his experience in Portuguese football, Bruno César went on to play for other teams throughout his career, including Palmeiras and Vasco da Gama in Brazil. For Corinthians, he made 53 appearances, scored 16 goals, and provided 12 assists, totaling 28 direct goal contributions. Despite his individual performances, Bruno César ended his time at Parque São Jorge without winning titles with the club. His spell ended just before the run of trophies that marked the following years in Corinthians’ history.

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