Rigoni: São Paulo love, return inspired by James, Calleri, Crespo | OneFootball

@avantmtricolor

The third and final reinforcement for São Paulo for the remainder of this second half of the season, Rigoni was presented on the afternoon of this Thursday (11) at the Barra Funda training center, where he fully declared himself to Tricolor and spoke about some names that helped in his return to the São Paulo club.

The forward, now 32 years old, did not hide his happiness at returning to São Paulo, where he truly feels at home like nowhere else, according to his own words.

"The way the fans and people at the club treated me with affection. I felt very valued. I didn't have that at every club. That created a very close relationship with São Paulo, and I always thought about coming back and being happy here. The best moment of my career, my happiest time, was here. It was hard to find that happiness elsewhere, so coming back was a joy. I am grateful to the board and to the group that welcomed me so well, it's incredible," Rigoni began in his interview.

"I am very happy, the happiness is mutual. I formed a bond with many fans and I feel the same way. That's why I'm happy. As for my performance, it depends on motivation, drive, and the desire to be at a club like São Paulo. I was at other clubs where my stats weren't what I expected; it comes down to feeling comfortable and being motivated," he continued.

"The pressure is irrelevant, I feel that São Paulo is my home. I don't see it as a burden, I see it as a responsibility. It's a moment where we need to stand out, deliver immediate results, and I am prepared. I feel good, I trained this week and I feel physically very well," said the São Paulo player.

JAMES, CALLERI AND CRESPO

Rigoni was playing for León, in Mexico, which also has midfielder James Rodríguez, who didn't leave much of a mark with Tricolor fans, but spoke highly of his former club.

"We always spoke well of São Paulo, he always spoke very highly of the club, we had a good relationship, we talked about how beautiful it is to be here. And I was lucky enough to be able to come back and I am very happy," said the new signing about his relationship with the Colombian star.

A close friend, fellow countryman and also forward Calleri was also an important and essential figure in the negotiations for Rigoni's return to São Paulo.

"With Jonny it's more than just a friendship, we have a very close and intimate relationship. During the years I was away, we always talked, I always knew how the club was doing. In recent days, with the possibility of coming back, he was very happy, we talked a lot. He was very important to me in my first spell and I care a lot about him. Meeting him again is very important to me," he said.

And another Argentine, coach Hernán Crespo, of course, who managed Rigoni in his first spell at Tricolor, between 2021 and 2022, also played an important role in the forward's decision to return to the Morumbi club.

"We always think about the possibility of coming back, hoping because of the relationship I have with Crespo, but I never lost focus on where I was, I knew about the possibility, but it depended on whether the club needed me, wanted me, many things. Even when he (Crespo) wasn't there, I wanted to come back. It did increase my hope a bit, yes, when he came," confirmed Rigoni, who added.

"The relationship I have with him is very good, close, we trust each other to talk. When the opportunity came up, he was also part of the reason I'm here. I'm happy and glad, I hope to perform and always be 100% for the club and for those who trusted me. The relationship we had is good and will help the club," concluded São Paulo's new player.

The forward has already been training with his teammates in recent days and should be available to Hernán Crespo for Tricolor's next match, against Botafogo, this Sunday (14), at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time), for the Brasileirão.

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