Copinha winner to first team: Tchoca’s journey at Corinthians

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Central do Timão

·26 de enero de 2026

Copinha winner to first team: Tchoca’s journey at Corinthians

By Vinícios Cotrim | Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians has confirmed negotiations with Torino for a loan with an obligation to buy the defender João Pedro Tchoca. He is yet another player developed in the club’s youth academy heading to Europe. At Parque São Jorge, the defender won titles in the youth categories, was loaned out to gain playing time, and returned to the professional team with a consistent run.

Signed in 2019 to play for Timão’s U-17 squad, João Pedro Tchoca always fought for a starting spot in the teams he played for. After three solid years with the U-20s, he captained the club to victory in the 2024 Copinha, his last appearance in youth competitions. After that, he played two matches for the senior team and was loaned to Ceará until the end of the season.

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Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

At Vozão, he became an important player for coach Léo Condé and took part in the campaign that led Ceará to promotion to the 2025 Série A. With more playing time and experience, Corinthians brought him back to the squad, and he even started matches under Ramón Díaz. Last year, he won the Paulistão and the Copa do Brasil with the senior team.

This year, with only five rounds of the Paulistão played, he took the field once, against Red Bull Bragantino in the second round, totaling 33 matches in the black-and-white shirt. At 22 years old, he is being loaned to Torino for around 1.5 million euros (about R$ 9.5 million) until the end of June. For the Italian club to be obliged to buy him, he must play ten matches with at least 45 minutes on the field in each.

If he meets the targets, Torino will pay an additional 4.5 million euros (just over R$ 28 million) to secure the player’s rights. Corinthians will also retain 12% of any future profit—if he is sold in the future for more than 4.5 million euros. In addition, there are bonuses that have not been disclosed by the clubs.

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