Lulinha recalls early Corinthians promotion, highlights 2007 woes | OneFootball

Developed through Corinthians’ youth academy and regarded as one of the club’s main prospects in the 2000s, Lulinha recalled joining the senior squad at just 16 years old. Nearly two decades later, the former player said that his young age, the pressure created by his standout performances in the academy, and the troubled period Timão was going through in 2007 made it harder for him to adapt to the first team. The statements were given to Lance!.

Lulinha got his chance in the senior team during a delicate season for Corinthians. That year, the club faced problems on and off the pitch and finished the Brazilian Championship with the first relegation in its history. Amid the need to find solutions for the team, youngsters developed at Parque São Jorge began to receive opportunities.

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr./Ag. Corinthians

Looking back on that moment in his career, the former attacking midfielder acknowledged that the chance to reach the first team so early was met with enthusiasm, but he believes he had not yet completed the necessary development to handle the demands of professional football.

“I was very young, I still wasn’t a fully developed player ready to be in the senior team, I was only 16,” he said.

Corinthians’ situation increased the responsibility on the youngsters

Lulinha’s assessment of his spell is not limited to his age. With the experience he gained throughout his career, he also links the difficulties to the context Corinthians were living through that season.

The sporting situation demanded immediate answers. In the former player’s view, that contributed to his arrival in the senior squad happening without a longer adaptation period.

“Today, with more experience, we can do some self-analysis of everything, more or less of what happened, of what the club was going through at the time. […] I think that, without a doubt, contributed to me not performing as well at Corinthians,” he said.

Lulinha was not the only young player used during that period. Dentinho and Everton Ribeiro also received opportunities while Corinthians tried to recover in the Brazilian Championship. For the former attacking midfielder, the team’s situation meant the youngsters had to take on greater responsibilities at a time when they were still getting to know the reality of professional football.

“You had to play, because there was no one else there to make up for the difficulties the team was facing. Me, Dentinho, Everton Ribeiro, we had to step up. […] I didn’t have that adaptation period to professional football; I had to come in and try to show my football right away.”

Expectations from the academy also increased the pressure

Before reaching the first-team squad, Lulinha had built up major expectations because of his performances in Corinthians’ youth ranks. His standout displays meant that his promotion came with heavy pressure on a player who was still only 16.

Looking back on that period, he believes he lacked the chance to develop through a more gradual transition. Instead of being prepared for longer before taking on a role, Lulinha recalls that he had to step directly into a scenario of pressure for results.

“When you move up as a big prospect, as was my case, expectations are higher. I was very young, I still wasn’t a fully developed player ready to be in the senior team, I was only 16. Back then, there wasn’t anyone who came up and said: ‘No, Lulinha, take it easy, it’s not your time yet, let’s wait, you’ll still mature, your moment to play will come.’ But there wasn’t,” he explained.

The 2007 experience ended up being only the beginning of the player’s path in the first-team squad. Lulinha remained tied to Corinthians in the following years and was part of the club’s rebuilding period after the drop to Série B.

His spell included three titles with Corinthians

Despite the difficulties he faced in his first steps in professional football, Lulinha was part of a successful period for the club. In 2008, he was in the squad that won the Brazilian Série B, a campaign that marked Timão’s immediate return to the top flight.

The following year, he was part of the group that won the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa do Brasil. He thus ended his spell at Corinthians with three titles.

In total, Lulinha played 85 matches in the black-and-white shirt, starting 43 of them. During that time, he was part of 45 wins, 23 draws, and 17 losses, numbers that represent a 62% points rate. Individually, he scored four goals and provided 11 assists, reaching 15 direct goal contributions.

His last match for the club came in June 2009, in a 1-0 defeat to Athletico-PR in the Brazilian Championship. After that, the player went out on loan to Estoril and Olhanense, both in Portugal, as well as Bahia. His contract with Corinthians came to an end at the start of 2013, before his move to Ceará.

Lulinha maintains a grateful relationship with Timão

Even though he recognizes that he was unable to show in the senior team the same level that had fueled expectations during his development, Lulinha does not feel he owes Corinthians anything.

The former player prefers to look at the relationship built since the youth ranks and the opportunities he received during the years he belonged to the club. Today, according to him, he follows Timão from a different perspective: that of a fan.

“I don’t owe anything, no. I’m very grateful to Corinthians for everything I went through there. […] Today I follow it closely, but as a fan,” he concluded.

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