Gabriel Paulista plays through pain as Corinthians mainstay, calls it part of the madness | OneFootball

Gabriel Paulista says he has been playing through pain to keep pace with Corinthians' schedule, remaining a mainstay under Fernando Diniz.

"There are games when we play on sacrifice. Sometimes we play on a Thursday then again on Sunday, with an away trip and no time to recover." According to Globo.com, he is the club's fifth most-used player in 2026, logging 3,624 minutes across 39 games, a level he had not reached since 2019-20.

"When we step on the pitch we forget the pain, we forget everything, but sometimes the physical fatigue or aches stop us performing better. It is part of the madness of games one after another," he said.

The 35-year-old came through Vitória, left Brazil in 2013 and spent over a decade in Europe with Villarreal, Arsenal, Valencia, Atlético Madrid and Besiktas. In January he terminated his deal in Türkiye to join the club he supports.

"I felt the physical side a lot and spoke to the staff to help me. It was more about adapting, the pitch is different and there is this madness of travel that Europe does not have, there trips are shorter and the rest time is longer. Here you do not have as much time, Corinthians' structure helped me with nutrition and rest to build a good run, I am happy."

He has skipped some training for load management and recently took a hip knock that ruled him out against Cruzeiro, though he kept his place alongside Gustavo Henrique. "It was not an injury, not something complicated. I played against Rosario, Coritiba and Santos with no problem, tiredness and pain we will feel, but nothing that will keep us out," he said. He will be absent on Sunday against Chapecoense as he serves a one-game ban for his third yellow card.

Source: Globo.com

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