Fans share their views on Pablo Maia’s season at São Paulo, check it out | OneFootball

Pablo Maia was one of the most important names in the midfield for São Paulo in recent seasons. However, in 2025, the midfielder who came up through Cotia had a year below expectations and was unable to establish himself as the first-choice for the position under coach Hernán Crespo.

In a poll conducted by Gazeta Esportiva, the majority of fans rated Pablo Maia's season as average. In total, 56.25% of the votes classified the midfielder's performance this way, while 25% considered the campaign terrible. Another 12.5% described the season as poor, and only 6.25% rated it as good.

The season had already started off complicated for the player. In February, Pablo Maia suffered a right ankle injury that kept him off the pitch for much of the first half of the year and required surgery to correct a ligament problem in the area.

The midfielder returned gradually and even showed signs of recovery, contributing an assist in his second game back, against Libertad in the Libertadores. Even so, he struggled to regain his prominence and resume commanding the tricolor midfield.

With Crespo’s arrival, Bobadilla and Marcos Antônio became the starting pair of midfielders. This decision led to Pablo Maia being used more frequently in a more advanced role, almost as a playmaker, moving him away from the position that had made him a key player under previous coaches.

Even outside his comfort zone, the number 29 managed to adapt. He put together a streak of 15 consecutive starts, alternating between the roles of midfielder and playmaker—a scenario also influenced by the high number of injuries that affected São Paulo’s squad throughout the season.

Pablo Maia’s Numbers

By the end of 2025, Pablo Maia had played 42 matches, starting in 30 of them, with two goals scored and one assist. According to SofaScore, he also registered 11 key passes and completed eight dribbles.

Despite renewing his contract in August, with a deal valid until the end of 2029, São Paulo does not rule out the possibility of negotiating him. Recently, Pablo Maia’s name was mentioned in a possible swap with Botafogo, which would also involve Bobadilla and Rodriguinho.

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