Reinaldo: I nearly joined Fluminense but gave my word to Mirassol | OneFootball

The full-back was approached by Diniz after leaving São Paulo, and by Mano Menezes after leaving Grêmio, but he already had a verbal agreement with the São Paulo team on the second attempt

The left-back Reinaldo, 36, a standout for Mirassol in the team's surprising Serie A campaign, revealed that he was very close to becoming a Fluminense player on two separate occasions.

In an interview with “Charla Podcast,” Reinaldo detailed the approaches. The first occurred at the end of 2022, when he ended his contract with São Paulo. At the time, coach Fernando Diniz got in touch, but the negotiations didn’t move forward and the full-back ended up going to Grêmio.

The second attempt by Fluminense was recent, in 2024, when Reinaldo was leaving the club from Rio Grande do Sul. The request reportedly came from then-coach Mano Menezes. This time, the reason for the “no” was a commitment previously made.

“I had already given my word to Mirassol, to Paulinho (the club’s football executive). There was no way to go back, since I had already given my word,” the player explained.

Reinaldo said he is happy with his choice, highlighting Mirassol’s great campaign, but made a point of praising Tricolor: “Thank God I made the right decision. Not because I didn’t go to Fluminense, which is a giant, but because I’m happy at Mirassol.”

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