Corinthians icon frustrated by 2025 exit, regrets missing Copa

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Central do Timão

·12 February 2026

Corinthians icon frustrated by 2025 exit, regrets missing Copa

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Considered one of the great legends of Corinthians women's football, right-back Paulinha ended up leaving Parque São Jorge at the end of last season after not renewing her contract. Now at Internacional, she gave an interview to Resenha das Gurias from Zero Hora, and mentioned a certain frustration at not having continued at the club, highlighting her desire to have played in the Copa das Campeãs – Women's Club World Cup – wearing the Corinthians jersey. The Brabas, it’s worth remembering, finished as runners-up in the tournament after losing 3-2 to Arsenal in extra time at Emirates Stadium.

“Obviously, there was a feeling of frustration for not being there (at the World Cup), because it was something I fought very hard for in my career. I knew it would happen one day. But, for reasons… I’ll say it like this, I saw myself, and I think I can say this openly, retiring at Corinthians. It’s a love that will last forever, but love changes. We live many loves in life and can build a new love,” she began.

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Photo: Rebeca Reis/Agência Paulistão

She then stated that she didn’t expect to leave Corinthians the way it happened: “Honestly, I confess that I didn’t expect it to happen the way it did, but I think when things have to happen, they happen. Sometimes we plan something, but God comes and does everything in a very different way […] Of course, it was a very difficult decision, to leave a club that was practically my whole life”, she continued.

Later, even though she was no longer part of the Brabas squad, she revealed she was rooting for Alvinegro in the Copa das Campeãs and didn’t hold back on praising the Parque São Jorge club for their performance in the tournament. In the semifinals, they beat Gotham FC from the United States 1-0, with a goal from midfielder Gabi Zanotti. In the final, as mentioned, they ended up losing to Arsenal.

“What they did in the final was eye-catching. It was truly impressive. Everyone was saying, right, that they would lose by a landslide. I always believed, because I worked there and I know the girls’ mentality. So, there’s a lot: there’s a coach, a technical staff, a leader, but there are the girls. When you flip the switch and think: ‘You need to win, you need to have that winner’s mentality,’ things happen differently.”

In total, wearing the Brabas jersey, she played 256 games, with 197 wins, 40 draws, and 19 losses – an 82.16% success rate. Altogether, she won 17 titles, including the Campeonato Brasileiro, Campeonato Paulista, Conmebol Libertadores, Copa Paulista, Copa do Brasil, and Supercopa Feminina. Given that, she reflected on her journey at the club.

“I won almost 20 titles with Corinthians, and each title had its own flavor, it was special. There’s no way to say ‘oh, one was…’, there’s no way. Each one had its own way, its own difficulty, its own joy, and often even its own sadness, because we know the year is very long. It’s not a quick year. Sometimes we start one way and end another.”

“Sometimes, you get there once, twice, and it’s very easy. I think the biggest challenge is to stay there, and maybe that’s the Corinthians way of thinking. The pressure inside is like: you need to win the Paulista, the Brasileiro, the Copa do Brasil, the Supercopa. When you stop winning a championship: ‘Wow!’ ‘But you won four.’ Crisis! ‘But you won three.’ Crisis! No, you have to win everything. So, staying there, I think, is the biggest challenge,” she concluded.

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