Defender who won state title with Corinthians recalls club spell | OneFootball

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Center-back Manoel, 36, who had a spell at Corinthians in 2019 and won the Campeonato Paulista title against São Paulo in the final, gave an exclusive interview to ge.globo and recalled his time at Parque São Jorge. The experienced defender wore the Corinthians shirt for one season on loan from Cruzeiro. At the start of 2020, his deal was not renewed and he returned to the Minas Gerais club.

“It was a very good spell. I played 59 matches, I was a starter, I played alongside Gil. I became a three-time Paulista champion and scored important goals. I scored three goals in derbies. I really wanted to stay there, but unfortunately Corinthians did not exercise the purchase option. Then I went back to Cruzeiro and moved to Turkey. But it was a very good spell. I won a title with one of the biggest clubs in Brazil,” he began.

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Agência Corinthians

Overall, wearing the Corinthians shirt, he recorded 25 wins, 21 draws and 13 losses in 59 matches (all as a starter) – a 54.24% success rate. In addition, as mentioned, he was part of the 2019 state championship-winning team managed by Fábio Carille. In that title run, he formed the defensive partnership with Henrique, now retired.

In the middle of that year, Gil returned to Parque São Jorge and Manoel was able to play alongside the former No. 4 who, across two spells at the club (2013-2016 and 2021-2023), scored 19 goals and provided 10 assists in 444 matches (435 as a starter), winning three titles: Campeonato Paulista (2013), Recopa Sudamericana (2013) and the Brasileirão (2015). In 2019, Timão had one of the best defenses in the Brasileirão.

“Gil is a really good guy. He helped me a lot at Corinthians. He had already played for Corinthians, left and come back. He showed me what Corinthians is. He showed me that there is a lot of pressure and that you have to stay very focused. He, Cássio and Fagner helped me a lot. We managed to become three-time Paulista champions, and it was a very special moment that I’ll keep in my memory forever,” he continued.

Later, he was asked about the period working with Fernando Diniz, current Corinthians head coach, at Fluminense — between 2022 and 2024. Manoel wore the Rio club’s shirt between 2022 and 2025, scoring 10 goals and providing two assists in 118 matches. There, he won: two state titles (2022 and 2023), the Libertadores (2023) and the Recopa Sudamericana (2024). He is currently without a club.

“Diniz trains a lot, with many repetitions, and you end up building confidence. His style of play makes you feel lighter on the pitch. He was crazy, but he was a guy who helped me a lot. In matches, you had to do the same thing as in training, and if you got it wrong, you were f*cked. He said we had to do what would help Germán (Cano) score later on, help Arias score... So we had to do it that way to get there.”

“We were under a lot of pressure. We trained for two hours, and it was very objective. And that’s what made it work. Fluminense had a very good year, and I improved a lot with him because of that. He gave you a lot of confidence. When you made the right play and things started happening, you felt lighter, and that was very important,” he said.

Finally, he spoke about winning the 2023 Conmebol Libertadores, in which Fluminense beat Argentina’s Boca Juniors in the final at the Maracanã Stadium. At that moment, Fernando Diniz was at his peak in charge of the team from Laranjeiras.

“It’s a very important title, not just for me, but for all the players, for the fans and for Fluminense. It was a wonderful feeling. In 2022, we started building a very strong team and gaining confidence, with the players getting to know each other and having freedom. In training, everyone was very serious and focused. That was very important for 2023. It was very special. A title of this magnitude is very important, and it’s one that will stay in my memory,” he concluded.

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