Memphis Depay speaks out after penalty in Corinthians' Libertadores exit | OneFootball

Just over two days after being eliminated in the Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals against Estudiantes of Argentina at Neo Química Arena, forward Memphis Depay used his official Instagram account to apologize to Corinthians fans for the negative result in the middle of last week.

It is worth remembering that the No. 10 had the chance to equalize in the final play after a penalty was committed by the team from La Plata. However, the Dutchman sent the spot kick wide and, consequently, prevented the decision over who would advance from going to a penalty shootout, eliminating any chance of Alvinegro reaching the next round.

Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

In a social media post, he apologized to the people “who believed in our dream of winning the Libertadores.” The No. 10 also described the episode in question as the biggest disappointment of his career, overshadowing his great moments wearing the Corinthians shirt, such as the Paulista Championship (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) titles, against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively.

In the text, he also mentions the entire ordeal surrounding his contract renewal with the club until July 2028. Initially, the board had decided not to keep the player, citing financial health concerns. But after negative backlash from the fans, who supported his stay, the directors reversed course and resumed talks with the Dutchman. In the current season, the No. 10 had been dealing with physical problems and, in this second half of the year, has been getting a longer run on the field despite poor numbers — just one goal and two assists in 20 matches for Timão this year.

The Netherlands national team forward addressed the message to those who “truly love this club (Corinthians)” and stressed his purpose of “putting Corinthians, together with the team and the fans, where it belongs” — read the full statement at the end of this article. Last Friday (18), the player was confronted by Gaviões da Fiel, the club’s main organized supporters group, which went to CT Dr. Joaquim Grava for a meeting with the squad amid the team’s poor run this season.

With Memphis Depay looking to make amends after the mistake and likely to start, Corinthians return to action on Sunday afternoon (20) at 4 p.m. (Brasília time). The club from Parque São Jorge will host Fluminense at Neo Química Arena in the 28th round of the 2026 Brazilian Championship. Coming off five straight defeats in the national competition, the Corinthians side currently sits only 14th in the table with 32 points — eight wins, eight draws, and 12 losses, with 28 goals scored and 29 conceded. Timão is just four points above the relegation zone — the first team in it is Vasco, with 28 points from 26 matches — and is enduring its second-longest winless run of the season.

Read below the statement from forward Memphis Depay apologizing to Corinthians fans after the Libertadores quarterfinal exit:

I want to apologize to the fans, to the millions of people who believed in our dream of winning the Libertadores. My heart is broken because of this. The penalty that could have kept us in the game became the biggest disappointment of my career so far. I was fully confident in the way I should strike the ball, just as I had done so many times in my career, but the outcome was painful. The reason I joined this wonderful club was always to show my talent, discipline, and work ethic. Two years later, we built great memories, but that is over and in the past. I renewed my contract fully aware and knowing things would not be easy, since my year has been bad so far. My heart filled with joy when I received your full support! The fans who showed up when I needed it most. That is why this result hurts even more deeply! I understand and accept all the criticism and emotions that come with this moment, but I will never stop trying to build an even greater story at this club and to take Corinthians — uniting team and fans — to the place where it belongs. So, once again, I want to apologize to everyone who truly loves this club. It’s time to work harder or leave, because I am not the kind of man who hides behind excuses... Things will not be easy, but those who know me know I am a warrior... I remain on the battlefield because the dream we all have is not dead — at least not in my heart. And to those who find joy in our pain, remember that this changes nothing about the journey we are on. Life will teach everyone a lesson in its own time. Memphis

Memphis Depay’s numbers for Corinthians

Signed in September 2024 after his contract was not renewed by Atlético de Madrid of Spain, Memphis Depay arrived at Corinthians and immediately played a key role in the team’s surge in the previous Brazilian Championship edition (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifying stage), scoring seven goals and providing one assist in 11 matches in the national tournament.

Last season and at the start of this one, he was decisive in the Paulista Championship (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) title wins, totaling two assists in those finals and playing an important role in the earlier knockout rounds. Wearing the Corinthians shirt, he has 20 goals and 15 assists in 85 matches (66 as a starter) — 41 wins, 19 draws, and 25 losses — a 55.7% success rate. This year, the Dutchman has been dealing with physical problems and has been trying to regain a consistent run of games. In 20 appearances in the 2026 season, he has only one goal and two assists.

Before playing for Atlético de Madrid in Spain and Corinthians, he had spells at PSV in the Netherlands — where he came through the youth ranks — Manchester United (England), Lyon (France), and Barcelona (Spain). He is the fifth-highest foreign scorer in Timão’s history, behind Ángel Romero (67), Paolo Guerrero (54), Tévez (46), and Herrera (22).

Campaign and total prize money earned in the 2026 Libertadores

In the group stage, the club from Parque São Jorge finished top of Group E with 11 points — three wins, two draws, and one loss — alongside Platense-ARG, Peñarol-URU, and Santa Fe-COL. In the round of 16, they eliminated Rosario Central-ARG after winning 1-0 on aggregate — 0-0 in the first leg (Argentina) and 1-0 in the second leg. Finally, in the quarterfinals, they were beaten by Estudiantes-ARG. In this edition of the competition, Alvinegro totaled four wins, four draws, and two losses — 10 goals scored and six conceded.

For participating in the group stage, Corinthians received US$1 million. For each group-stage victory, they earned US$340,000 — US$1.02 million for the three wins. Qualification for the round of 16 brought Alvinegro US$1.25 million. For reaching the quarterfinals, after eliminating Rosario Central-ARG in the round of 16, Fernando Diniz’s side collected another US$1.7 million. Had they reached the semifinals, they would have pocketed another US$2.3 million (R$11.8 million). In total, they earned US$4.97 million, about R$25.55 million.

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