Gabriel Paulista leaves Besiktas for personal reasons | OneFootball

Gabriel Paulista has left Besiktas with the club’s permission for personal reasons linked to his mother’s incurable illness. He is 35.

He departed Valencia on 31 January 2024 in a late-window exit. His deal ran to 30 June, with an automatic extra year if he played 20 games, and across six seasons he made 220 appearances. He then had a short spell at Atlético Madrid before joining Besiktas in Türkiye.

A farewell video was shared on the club’s X account, wishing him a good journey. Head coach Sergen Yalçin expressed thanks and said the door would remain open for him.

“I had a contract and an automatic renewal clause. I wanted to stay, tried to speak to the club to maybe lower my salary, remove the clause, but nothing. I told my agent I felt Valencia were going to push me out,” he said. He told Relevo.

“My agent said he did not think that would happen because I had a history at the club, had won a title and had been there almost seven years. My wife said the same, ‘they will not respect you, they will push you out’. As January approached my heart tightened because I did not want to leave, and then January came and what everyone knows happened.”

Paulista could now return to Brazil to be with his mother and see out the final stages of his career.

Source: Superdeporte