Kaio César wowed by Corinthians fans in Brasília, gives fitness update

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Central do Timão

·4 February 2026

Kaio César wowed by Corinthians fans in Brasília, gives fitness update

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Early in the afternoon of last Tuesday (3), forward Kaio César was officially presented as the newest signing for Corinthians. The new number 37 for Corinthians made his debut with the Alvinegro shirt during the Supercopa victory over Flamengo last Sunday (1), in Brasília, when he played for 13 minutes and provided the assist for the second goal, scored by striker Yuri Alberto.

During the press conference, Kaio César, who was signed on loan until the end of the season from Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia, was asked about his physical condition and detailed his playing style on the pitch: “I believe I am physically well. Over there we were in the middle of the season, so I think I arrived here in very good shape. I need match rhythm, more minutes… But physically I’m good. My playing style is that I help a lot defensively, not just offensively. I help the full-back with marking. I believe I’ll be available for whatever Dorival asks,” he began.

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Photo: Fernando Bueno/Agência Corinthians

He later praised the Corinthians fans’ celebration in Brasília in the stands of Mané Garrincha. In total, nearly 200 buses from the six organized supporter groups of Alvinegro (Gaviões da Fiel, Camisa 12, Pavilhão Nove, Estopim da Fiel, and Coringão Chopp) left São Paulo to follow the team in the Federal District.

“What caught my attention was that it was a game in Brasília and the fans from São Paulo traveled all the way there to support Corinthians. I saw that it’s a fanbase that really supports the players and Corinthians. It’s a wonderful fanbase, I could see up close that it’s huge. Without them it’s very difficult, they help us a lot. They helped us a lot to win this title, seeing them in the stands always gives us extra motivation,” he continued.

Soon after, he commented on having worked with great football coaches worldwide, despite his young age, such as Portuguese Jorge Jesus and Filippo Inzaghi, both at Al-Hilal in the Arab world, and how those experiences made him a better athlete: “Despite my young age, I’ve already worked with good coaches who helped me a lot. From Portugal to Al Hilal, like Jorge Jesus and Fillipo Inzaghi. Coaches from whom I gathered a lot of information as a player. I arrive with good experience to wear this shirt. Having worked with them makes me more prepared,” he added.

Kaio César also spoke about how to manage his arrival with a title so that it doesn’t eventually affect his performance on the field and further detailed his characteristics on the pitch. The 21-year-old winger also reflected on his time playing abroad. Revealed in Coritiba’s youth academy in 2023, the youngster was sold shortly after to Vitória de Guimarães, in Portugal, and soon after, to Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia.

“Even though I’m very young, I need to manage this well in my head. It was one game, one assist, and one title, but I have a lot to achieve, to show the fans who Kaio César is. I have to manage this in my head. Not always when everything is going well am I the best, and when things are bad I’m not the worst. I need to stay focused, working, and available to help Corinthians. My playing style is one-on-one, I take on defenders a lot and help my teammates defend. I’m ready to help coach Dorival with whatever he asks.”

“It was very good (my time playing abroad). It made me evolve a lot. I think I arrived very young, without experience. Today I’m already more experienced. I don’t see coming back here as a setback. Coming to Corinthians will never be a failure. It’s a pleasure, I’m not taking a step back. I’m taking a step forward,” he added.

The player also recalled when he almost joined Corinthians in the middle of the 2025 season. However, the deal was not completed due to a transfer ban imposed by FIFA for a debt of R$ 40 million related to the non-payment for defender Félix Torres, in January 2024, from Santos Laguna, Mexico. He also explained a post with an image of a child wearing the Alvinegro shirt while he was in negotiations with the club.

“I was really anxious to come, since the middle of last year. About that photo, I do a charity action with some friends of mine where we help people in need. I was in negotiations with Corinthians, we did the action here and a boy showed up wearing a Corinthians shirt, by coincidence. That really touched me. It was a sign from God. In the middle of the action, a boy appeared with a Corinthians shirt. It touched me a lot.”

Next, Kaio César answered whether, at any point in his football career, he suffered prejudice because of his height – 1.68m. He revealed that when he was 13 years old, he was released from Sport’s youth academy because of his height. In addition, the Northeasterner cited inspiration from short-statured athletes such as Messi, Romário, and Soteldo.

“I’m 1.68m tall. Few people know, but when I was 13, I was released from Sport’s youth academy because of my height. If I didn’t have a family that supported me, I would have already given up on playing football. Not every boy can handle rejection. I went through that very young, because of my height. My family didn’t let me give up. Soon after, I got the opportunity to come to Coritiba and here I am today. You’ll always face prejudice and teasing because of height, but I don’t care about that. There are great short players who are successful. Messi, Romário, Soteldo… I take it in stride, I don’t care. Being short makes me a bit more agile. It doesn’t get in my way, it helps me.”

Finally, he praised forward Memphis Depay for the way he treats his teammates day-to-day at the club, especially the young players from the youth academy. Kaio César also highlighted how he was welcomed by the Dutchman upon his arrival.

“He’s a guy who welcomed me very well. I’ve worked with great players now, but he’s someone who really impressed me. He’s a great player and had every reason to think only about himself. What impressed me is that he treated me very well, he’s very close to all the players, especially the young ones. He gets along very well with the group. He helped me when I arrived here to adapt, talked to me, joked with me… After the game he joked with me, we danced together. He brings a lot of good things to the players. I have a lot to gain from him. I’ll take as much information from him as I can. He’s a big name in football,” he concluded.

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