Remember him? Ex-Corinthians star Gringo da Favela coaches at Arsenal

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Central do Timão

·26 December 2025

Remember him? Ex-Corinthians star Gringo da Favela coaches at Arsenal

By the Central do Timão Editorial Team

Which Corinthians fan doesn’t remember Colin Kazim-Richards? Known in Brazil simply as Kazim, the striker played little during the campaign for the club’s seventh Brazilian championship in 2017, but he scored the winning goal against Avaí at the Neo Química Arena, which practically sealed the national trophy and etched his name into the club’s history.

The “Gringo da Favela,” a nickname he adopted himself and still uses today, played for Karagümrük, in Turkey’s first division, since July 2022, but left the club the following year and, shortly after, announced his retirement from professional football. Although he currently lives in Europe, the former player often visits Brazil and attends Timão matches at the Neo Química Arena.

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Karagümrük, in Turkey, was Kazim’s last club. Photo: Publicity/Karagümrük.

Kazim was born in London, the capital of England, but played for the Turkish national team for eight years, between 2007 and 2015, after becoming a naturalized citizen. He began his professional career at the small club Bury, in his home country, in 2004, and went through Brighton and Sheffield before moving to Turkish football, where he played for Fenerbahçe between 2007 and 2011.

After that, he played in other countries such as France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Scotland, until he decided to come to Brazil to play for Coritiba in June 2016. After winning over the green-and-white fans and putting in good performances, he was signed by Corinthians in January 2017 on a two-year contract. Timão paid a R$ 1 million release clause to the Paraná club to secure the striker’s arrival.

Kazim started the 2017 season as a starter under Fábio Carille. In his debut, against Vasco in the Florida Cup, he scored a goal and provided an assist in the 4-1 win. He then found the net again in the 1-0 victory over Audax in Osasco, during the Paulistão. However, he couldn’t maintain consistency and ended up losing his spot to Jô, playing little for the rest of the year.

His most memorable moment in the black-and-white shirt happened on November 11, 2017, in the 34th round of that season’s Brasileirão. He replaced the then number 7, who had to serve a suspension imposed by the STJD, and scored the winning goal with his chest, which practically secured the national trophy for Corinthians, ending a personal drought of almost nine months without scoring.

Kazim celebrates his goal against Avaí in the 2017 Brasileirão. Photo: © Daniel Augusto Jr. / Ag. Corinthians

The Englishman, naturalized as a Turk, got more opportunities during the 2018 Paulistão, filling the spot left by Jô, who had just been transferred to Nagoya Grampus in Japan. Even though he started the competition as a starter, Kazim didn’t make the most of his chances and again lost his place in the black-and-white team.

Despite not having outstanding technical ability, the foreigner was never hated by the fans, who were won over by the charisma and commitment of the center forward on the pitch. He said goodbye to Timão with 37 matches played, four goals scored, and three titles won.

After a year and a half at Corinthians, the Gringo da Favela left CT Joaquim Grava in mid-2018 to play for Lobos BUAP in Mexico, on loan until the end of his contract, which was valid until December of that year. The following season, he moved to Veracruz and, in 2020, played for Pachuca, both in Mexico, before deciding to return to Europe, when he signed with Derby County in England.

The English club, however, was relegated to League One, the country’s third division, last season. After the relegation, Kazim decided to leave England to return to Turkish football in July 2022. He then signed with Karagümrük, a top-tier Turkish club coached at the time by Italian legend Andrea Pirlo. After one season, he left the team.

Last year, Kazim announced a new phase in his football journey. Through social media, the former striker announced that he had joined the coaching staff of Arsenal’s youth academy in England, where he remains to this day, working as a forwards coach. Although he went through the youth ranks at the London club, he never played professionally for Arsenal.

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