Dória unfazed by São Paulo crisis, says he's not the new leader | OneFootball

Defender Dória was introduced this Tuesday (13) at the Barra Funda training center as the new reinforcement for São Paulo for the 2026 season. The 31-year-old player returns to the club from Atlas, Mexico, and arrives with a contract valid until December 31, 2027 – with the possibility of renewal for another season.

In his first press conference, he was, of course, asked a lot about the political and internal crisis that Tricolor is experiencing at the beginning of the year, but he preferred to steer clear of controversies, ensuring that everything can be changed on the field by the players.

“These are things that happen and are normal in the world of football. It happened to me when I was at Botafogo in the last year, an election year. I think the ones who can solve this are the players, it's about having a good mindset to work, dedicating yourself during training days, delivering positive results, not using it as an excuse,” said the defender, who continued.

“A negative result is because something is going wrong at the club. I don't think that's the case. The ones who enter the field and make the actions, who make mistakes and who get it right, in the end, it's us, we have to be focused on our work. And I also experienced this in Mexico. But things were resolved, the team kept working, stayed focused. People came to talk to us, just like they did here at São Paulo. ‘Guys, keep working. The political issue doesn't concern you. You have to work.’”

“For me, since the day I arrived here, I saw that nothing was lacking. The structure São Paulo has is impressive. Even compared to 2015 when I was here, the improvements made within the club, the locker room, the facilities here, are on par with any team in Europe. So, it's just about focusing and playing football, really. I think my answer to all this is us, the players, we have to focus on playing football,” said Dória.

NEW LEADER IN THE SQUAD?

Much more experienced than in his first stint with Tricolor, when he was only 20 years old, Dória refuted the idea that he is coming to be one of the group's leaders and emphasized that he is here to help with his work on the field.

“I think this is a natural thing, it doesn't have to be forced. I'm not coming with the mission, ‘I will be the leader and I will be the savior, everything will change’. It's not like that. Whatever I can do to help my teammates, I will do. I really like to set the example, I'm a guy who arrives early.”

“And I feel that I can get five or six guys who will be watching this example and will want to do the same. And many things, many examples that you set and see the result on the field, you end up bringing along teammates who want to do things right. Rest, sleep early, eat well, arrive early at the club, do preventive work.”

“It seems cliché, but in football, everything is resolved by working. Sometimes you're in a bad moment, losing many games, everyone will have a meeting, look at each other and ask: how are we going to get out of this situation? By working. And that's it, that's how I think I can help my teammates too,” he responded.

INDESCRIBABLE FEELING

Dória also stated that, although brief, his first stint at São Paulo was very significant, and he would like to continue the story at the club. And the defender opened his heart to talk about how his return to Tricolor was received.

“It was very nice. It was a feeling I didn't know I needed until I felt it, until I got here. I'm very happy to arrive at the restaurant and see the cooks, the chef, the security staff, my photographer who is back there and be able to hug them. It's a tremendous happiness. I didn't know I needed to feel this until I got here at São Paulo.”

“And I'm very happy, I'm proud of the guys, of the work they've done all this time, of the improvements the club has received here. I just want to train, I'm already eager. I've trained two or three times. I want to train, enter the field, feel that emotion of Morumbi and let's go. I'm very happy.”

“It was a very right choice by my staff and Rui (Costa) who brought me, something I even talked to him about. During my career, I played for several teams and never had this feeling, this closeness with a team's director who can make a video call, talk to you face to face, explain how the situation is.”

“These are things that touch the heart and you can't say no, think twice, I already want to be on the field, help my teammates and feel this emotion of wearing this jersey which is the best thing an athlete can have,” concluded the team's new reinforcement.

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