Welcome, sheriff: transfer ban lifted, São Paulo unveil Domingos Duarte | OneFootball

Finally, with the debt to Lazio paid off and free from the transfer ban, São Paulo officially announced on Friday morning (6) the signing of 31-year-old Portuguese center-back Domingos Duarte.

The player, who was at Getafe, arrives at Morumbi on a free transfer after his contract with the Spanish club expired and signed a deal valid until July 31, 2028.

The signing strengthens the team’s defense after the registration restrictions were lifted by FIFA, bringing in a player with extensive experience in Spain’s top flight and appearances for the Portuguese national team.

Defensive Solidity in La Liga and International Experience

Over the last two seasons wearing the Getafe shirt, Domingos Duarte was part of campaigns that placed the club among the most efficient defensive units in the Spanish league:

2025/26 season: 38 goals conceded by the team, a mark bettered only by Real Madrid (35) and Barcelona (36).

2024/25 season: 39 goals conceded, matching champion Barcelona’s total and trailing only Athletic Bilbao (29), Atlético de Madrid (30), and Real Madrid (38).

On the international stage, the defender has earned call-ups to both Portugal’s youth teams and senior squad. First called up in 2019 during the Euro qualifiers, he made his debut in 2020 in a 7-0 win over Andorra at Estádio da Luz, and was also part of Portugal’s World Cup qualifying campaign for 2022.

Professional Career

Born in Cascais, Domingos de Sousa Coutinho Meneses Duarte began his development at Estoril Praia and completed his youth career at Sporting. Before moving to Spanish football, he played for Belenenses (2016/17) and GD Chaves (2017/18).

His journey in Spain began in the 2018/19 season with Deportivo La Coruña, followed by notable spells at Granada (2019-2022) and Getafe (2022-2026), before agreeing to move to Brazilian football.

Protracted Negotiations

The saga to sign Duarte was a long one and lasted virtually the entire mid-season break the team had during the calendar pause caused by the World Cup.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR reported, in information confirmed by president Harry Massis himself, the center-back has a newborn daughter, which created some resistance from his wife and family about moving to Brazil.

That led Duarte to agree to and reject São Paulo’s offer twice, to the point that the Tricolor had completely given up on him. Pressured by his agents, the player himself called the club, apologized, and accepted the salary terms that had originally been set.

Tricolor was not the first Brazilian club to monitor the Portuguese enforcer. In 2021, Flamengo opened talks to sign him, but backed out because of Granada’s high asking price.

Busy Transfer Window

Duarte is the fourth signing announced by Tricolor in the current window. Before him, Victor Sá, Newton, and fellow Portuguese player Aurélio Buta had already been officially unveiled. The club still has to announce Iago, the last of the signings, who arrived on loan from Bahia.

Of all the names, it is no exaggeration to say that the Portuguese defender is the one generating the most excitement among São Paulo fans, not only because of the strong praise from the press in his home country, but also because of Getafe’s numbers in the last Spanish league season and his experience with the Portuguese national team.

At a more superficial glance, he arrives as an undisputed starter in one of the team’s most problematic areas this season, constantly hit by injuries and surrounded by controversies such as Dória’s departure, after he reported that his family had received threats, and Arboleda’s near-exit, before being reinstated after being forgiven by the board and coaching staff.

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