Dória prioritises fitness, feels mature on São Paulo return | OneFootball

Matheus Dória has returned to São Paulo after 11 years. After experiences in football in Spain, Turkey, France, and Mexico, the defender has adopted a mature approach in this new chapter and highlighted one of his top priorities upon returning to Brazilian football: physical conditioning.

The new number 4 for São Paulo feels physically fit and revealed the differences between Brazilian and Mexican football, where he spent the last eight years of his career. Given the packed schedule, with matches every three days, the defender has already revealed one of his plans to maintain his physical form and help the club throughout the season. It’s worth remembering that Tricolor suffered many injuries last year.

“One of the things I discussed with my staff, with the people who take care of me, is the biggest difference between Brazilian football and Mexican football. Over there, you work to have a lot of intensity in the games. Since the week is full of training, they really focus on intensity. When you’re in good shape, it often happens that, from the 80th minute on, two or three goals are scored because the team is physically strong. That’s the difference between one team and another over there. Here, I feel it’s about recovery, because there’s a game every three days. Whoever is in better physical shape and recovered comes out on top,” he said.

São Paulo will compete in four tournaments this season. The Campeonato Paulista has already started, but Tricolor is also fighting for the Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil, and Copa Sudamericana.

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Maturity on the Field

Born in São Gonçalo, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Dória was developed in Botafogo’s youth academy in 2012. The defender was exposed to the football world from a very young age and had to balance family responsibilities with the routine of training and matches. He quickly matured and gained experience alongside top-level players.

By 2015, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, which later loaned him to São Paulo. For Tricolor do Morumbi, he played 18 matches and scored two goals. After stints with clubs in Spain and Turkey, Dória established himself in Mexican football, where he played for Santos Laguna (2018 to 2024) and Atlas FC (2024 to 2025). His experiences abroad made him return to the São Paulo team much more mature.

“I think that comes a bit from my family upbringing. I debuted at 17, and I had teammates who helped me a lot. On the team where I debuted, there was Jefferson [goalkeeper], Seedorf, Loco Abreu, Bolívar—people with a lot of experience. One had won a World Cup, another three Champions Leagues, another was the national team goalkeeper at the time. I observed and learned a little from each of them,” said the defender.

“It was also a bit of my family upbringing. Since I was 16, I’ve helped my father take care of my mother and my brother. I had a very strict upbringing and had to be an adult before anyone else my age. At 17, many people are f

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inishing high school, and I was training, playing, and sometimes had class the next day. I had to mature ahead of time. I feel older than others, but I’m still only 31 [laughs],” he concluded.

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