Injuries overshadow Rafael Tolói’s return to São Paulo | OneFootball

The year 2025 marked the return of Rafael Tolói to São Paulo after ten seasons in European football. Signed until December 2026 and seen as the man to lead the Tricolor defense, the 35-year-old center-back was unable to live up to expectations. The long period of inactivity after leaving Atalanta (over four months without playing) weighed heavily on his readaptation to Brazilian football.

Since his arrival in August, Tolói has taken the field only seven times for São Paulo, starting in four of those matches. Like much of the squad, he struggled with a series of injuries.

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Injuries against Ceará and Corinthians

In his third match for the club, against Ceará, he had to be substituted in the first half after feeling pain in the back of his left thigh. Tests confirmed a muscle injury that kept him out of action for almost two months.

He returned in the derby against Corinthians, but Tolói again felt a muscle problem, this time in his hip. The new injury, however, was milder, and he missed only one match.

Final stretch and fight for a place

Despite the difficulties, the defender managed to play in the last three matches of the season. He came on in the second half against Fluminense and played the full 90 minutes in the matches against Internacional and Vitória.

With São Paulo facing a severe financial crisis and planning only targeted signings for 2026, Tolói is trying to finally establish himself in the Tricolor defense. The competition for the position, however, promises to be intense, as the squad also includes Arboleda, Ferraresi, Sabino, and Alan Franco.

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