Ex-Corinthians midfielder on Osmar Stabile 'backtracking' over Memphis | OneFootball

Former defensive midfielder Zé Elias, who came through Corinthians’ youth ranks and played for the club’s first team between September 1993 and August 1996, commented on the situation involving Timão and forward Memphis Depay. Last Tuesday (11), Alvinegro announced that the Dutchman’s contract would not be renewed in an effort to preserve the institution’s financial health.

However, in recent hours, speculation has emerged that Corinthians could reverse the decision due to the negative reaction from the fans. On X, formerly Twitter, the hashtag #ForaStabile was among the most talked-about topics on the social network. Fans also launched a petition, which recently reached 30,000 signatures, calling for the president to leave his position. In addition, the club from Parque São Jorge also has a debt of just over R$ 40 million related to bonuses for targets achieved that were предусмотрed in the player’s contract with Timão.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

In a video published on ESPN Brasil’s social media, Zé said that if president Osmar Stabile really changes his mind, it will show that he is not fit to be in charge of the club from Parque São Jorge: “If that happens, it shows Osmar Stabile’s total inability to be president of Corinthians. When you reach this position, you have to be firm in your convictions, confident in your decisions, and believe that you did what was best for the club. If this really happens, it shows that he has no business being where he is and he should leave at the very moment he signs the contract with Memphis, because it shows that he has no ability to be president of Corinthians. As for the situation, it is a bad joke with the fans, and especially with Memphis, because of the poor way it was handled, because of everything that was done in the negotiation and then not signing the contract.”

Zé Elias at Corinthians

Zé made his first-team debut for Timão when he was only 16 years old. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he scored two goals in 161 matches (155 as a starter), with 80 wins, 50 draws, and 31 losses – a 60% success rate. In addition, he won three titles: Copa Bandeirantes (1994), Copa do Brasil (1995), and the Campeonato Paulista (1995).

Still young, he left Parque São Jorge for European football, where he played for Bayer Leverkusen (Germany), Inter Milan (Italy), Bologna (Italy), Olympiacos (Greece), and Genoa (Italy). In 2004, he returned to Brazil to play for Santos and then Guarani. The last clubs of his career were: Metalurh Donetsk (Ukraine), Omonia (Cyprus), Londrina, and SCR Altach (Austria).

Still on Memphis….

Memphis Depay has been in Brazil since the early hours of last August 4, Tuesday, and even underwent medical tests at a hospital in São Paulo with a possible renewal with Corinthians in mind. The No. 10 was on vacation after the World Cup with the Netherlands national team, which was eliminated in the round of 32 against Morocco on penalties. Even without playing since then, the player had been keeping himself physically ready, as he worked with Diego Pereira, Corinthians’ fitness coach between July 2024 and April 2025, who worked with the player during part of his time at Parque São Jorge.

On the same day he learned that his contract would not be renewed, the player spoke out on social media, saying he was deeply disappointed with the situation and that there had already been an agreement between the financial and legal departments, as well as alignment within the board, for the deal to be extended until 2028.

Memphis Depay at the World Cup

In three matches at the world’s biggest international tournament (all coming off the bench), he recorded one assist and 51 minutes on the field – Japan (2-2 – 20 minutes), Sweden (5-1 – 18 minutes played and one assist), and Tunisia (3-1 – 13 minutes played). In the match that resulted in the Netherlands’ elimination, the No. 10 did not even come off the bench for Ronald Koeman’s team.

Memphis Depay’s current form

Corinthians’ No. 10 is having a season below expectations. In 14 games for Timão in 2026 (11 as a starter), he has one goal and one assist. Between late March and the end of May, Memphis was sidelined, as he was recovering from a grade 2 muscle injury suffered in a match against Flamengo in Itaquera in the eighth round of the Brasileirão.

Between the injury diagnosis and the start of the World Cup, Memphis Depay played in only two matches for Corinthians, one coming off the bench (Atlético-MG – Brasileirão) and the other starting (Platense-ARG – Conmebol Libertadores), but he was substituted by Fernando Diniz at halftime.

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after not having his contract renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and immediately played a key role in the team’s surge in the previous Brazilian Championship edition (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifiers), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in the club’s Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) triumphs, totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 matches – 40 wins, 18 draws, and 21 losses – a 58.23% success rate. He is the fifth-highest-scoring foreign player in the club’s history.

Before playing for Atlético de Madrid of Spain and Corinthians, he had spells at PSV in the Netherlands – where he came through the ranks – Manchester United (England), Lyon (France), and Barcelona (Spain).

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