Ex-defender: I nearly joined Corinthians in Club World Cup season

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Central do Timão

·25 September 2025

Ex-defender: I nearly joined Corinthians in Club World Cup season

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Recently retired, defender Gil, a Corinthians idol during two remarkable stints, revealed that he could have worn the black-and-white jersey even before 2013. In an interview with PodPah, the former defender shared that in 2012 everything was already set for him to sign with the club, but he ended up being deceived by the then-president of Valenciennes, France, the team he played for at the time.

“On the last day of the transfer window, he had already given his word: ‘I’m going to sign, you’re leaving’. All my things were packed. You have no idea. Chico, at the time, who worked at Carlos Leite’s company, wanted to kill the guy,” Gil recounted.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“He was banging on the table: ‘No one is leaving here today until the document is signed!’. And the guy (the president) took his plane and disappeared. And we were there sitting in the room waiting for the president. I showed up a week later to train, right? I’m not going to train... I’m not going the next day either. I’m stubborn.”, he continued

According to Gil, his departure from French football had already been decided months earlier, which made the deal with Corinthians unsurprising, since all the details were settled even before his farewell.

“It was already agreed, it was. Everything was set. And then I left in December 2012, everything was already set to sign the contract. He had already signed the document too, already pissed off, but he signed it,” he recalled.

The former defender also revealed behind-the-scenes details of the negotiations and highlighted that he even turned down a more financially advantageous offer for Valenciennes to prioritize his personal desire.

“Corinthians paid six million, I think. There was a team from Germany that wanted to pay ten. I told him: ‘No, president, there’s no way.’ He would show me the offer and say: ‘We have this here, we could make much more profit here.’ ‘No, not we! You guys will profit, but I won’t.’ I won’t be happy here,” he said.

Revealed in the youth ranks of Americano, from Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), Gil also played for Jaguaré-ES, Atlético-GO, Cruzeiro, and Valenciennes itself before arriving at Corinthians in 2013. His first stint lasted until 2016, when he transferred to Shandong Taishan, China. Three years later, in 2019, he returned to Parque São Jorge to begin his second spell, which ended in 2023, shortly before joining Santos.

For Timão, the defender played 444 matches, becoming the second center-back with the most appearances in the club’s history. He scored 19 goals and won three titles: the Recopa Sudamericana and the 2013 Campeonato Paulista, as well as the 2015 Campeonato Brasileiro. Between 2014 and 2016, Gil was also called up to the Brazilian National Team, playing in 11 matches.

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