Tolói to be unveiled at São Paulo: defensive boost, recent stats | OneFootball

Defender returns to Tricolor after ten years from the first stint (Photo: Miguel Schincariol/SPFC)

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Exactly ten years later, Rafael Tolói will return to defend the colors of São Paulo, which has re-signed the experienced 34-year-old defender during this mid-season transfer window of Brazilian football.

In the meantime, he became a reference in the defense of Italy's Atalanta and even changed his nationality to become a European champion with the country that hosted and welcomed him. Tolói had won the South American and U-20 World Cup with the Brazilian National Team in 2009, but in 2021 he lifted the Euro Cup trophy, now defending the colors of the Squadra Azzurra.

Since it is a period without games due to the FIFA Date, São Paulo scheduled this week for the presentation of its three new reinforcements, right-back Maílton, forward Rigoni, and first, Rafael Tolói.

The Tricolor defender will be presented this Tuesday (9), at 12:30 PM (Brasília time), at the Barra Funda Training Center. The defender has been training with his new teammates for three weeks, since August 17, to regain his ideal physical condition, having been inactive for the last four months after his contract with Atalanta was not extended.

As AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR anticipated, Tolói is using the FIFA Date training period to reach his best form. Before arriving, he had said he needed three to four weeks to fully recover, which will be fulfilled even before the team's next match.

The name of the new reinforcement is already cleared to play by the CBF after registration in the BID, and his participation against Botafogo on Sunday (14) in the Brasileirão will only depend on the evaluations of the Argentine coach Hernán Crespo's technical team. He is expected to be listed and at least be on the bench.

With a contract signed with Tricolor until December 2026, Rafael Tolói arrives at a time of significant shortage in the team's sector. After losing Ruan, São Paulo was left with few options for the defense, also dealing with the constant appearance of injured players, like Arboleda recently.

Now, with all names in ideal physical conditions, Crespo has Alan Franco, Ferraresi, Arboleda, Sabino, and Rafael Tolói for the defense, in addition to the frequently used Igão from the under-20 team.

LAST YEARS IN ITALY

After experiencing his great peak between 2021 and 2023, a period in which he defended the Italian national team, Tolói gradually reduced his game consistency at Atalanta. In the 2024/25 season, he played only 17 matches, also dealing with some injuries that kept him out of action.

In 23/24, he played 24 games for Atalanta, and in the previous season, he participated in 34 matches, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

Between 2015 and 2022, Rafael Tolói always played at least 24 games per season, maintaining good regularity for the Italians and also being a scoring threat. He scored 14 goals during his excellent stint at Atalanta.

He becomes a good option, therefore, for Hernán Crespo, and will address the press for the first time in a press conference scheduled for early Tuesday afternoon at the Barra Funda Training Center.

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