Official: Corinthians announce signing of midfielder Matheus Pereira

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Central do Timão

·16 de enero de 2026

Official: Corinthians announce signing of midfielder Matheus Pereira

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

It's official! On the afternoon of this Friday (16th), Corinthians announced the signing of another reinforcement in the current transfer window. It is the midfielder Matheus Pereira, 28 years old. The player joins Timão on loan from Fortaleza, valid until the end of the current season.

The signing of the player became a focus for the alvinegra board after the departure of Maycon, who chose to sign with Atlético-MG. Matheus Pereira arrives to compete for a position with other names such as André Carrillo, Breno Bidon, André Luiz, Charles, and José Martínez.

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Thus, the player fills one of the gaps in the squad identified by the technical committee at the start of the season. Dorival Júnior also pointed out the need to sign a defensive midfielder, a more advanced midfielder, and wingers.

Who is Matheus Pereira?

Trained in Corinthians' youth categories, Matheus Pereira moved up to the professional team early, at just 17 years old. In 2015, he participated in the pre-season held in Florida under the command of Tite, alongside defender Pedro Henrique. The following year, he was part of the alvinegra squad that reached the final of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, finishing as runners-up after losing to Flamengo on penalties.

In the tournament's decision, the midfielder ended up missing a penalty by attempting a chip shot and hitting the crossbar, a move that negatively marked his passage and weighed on his loss of space at the club. Overall, Matheus played only three times for the main team and was part of the 2015 Brazilian champion group.

His departure from Corinthians happened in June 2016, when he was negotiated with Juventus for 2.5 million euros, an amount that corresponded to approximately R$ 9.3 million at the time's exchange rate. Despite the transfer, the São Paulo club did not have an immediate financial return, as it retained only 5% of the economic rights. The other 95% went to the businessman Fernando Garcia, as compensation for existing debts, as revealed by ge.globo.

In European football, Matheus began his journey in Italy, being loaned to Empoli soon after arriving at Juventus. Without space in the main team, he returned to the Turin club and began to accumulate loans, playing for Bordeaux II, Paraná, Juventus B, Dijon, and Barcelona B. It was at the Catalan club that the midfielder had his best moment, which led to his permanent acquisition in 2021, for about 8 million euros.

In the following season, the player was negotiated with Eibar, where he built a consistent passage in the Spanish second division, totaling 118 matches played. With the end of the contract, he signed with Fortaleza in June 2025, establishing a bond valid until December 2027.

Even with the relegation of the Ceará team to the Série B of the Brazilian Championship, Matheus Pereira had a standout performance. Throughout the campaign, he participated in 20 games, contributed with three assists, and scored two goals. With him on the field, Fortaleza managed to sketch a recovery in the competition but finished the tournament in 18th place, with 43 points accumulated.

Left-footed and 1.83 meters tall, the midfielder stands out for his technical ability, especially in short and long-distance passing, as well as his good reading for through balls. Versatile, he can play both in a more withdrawn role and in offensive midfield functions, arriving to fill the space left by Maycon, who transferred to Atlético-MG.

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