302 days to his return: Paulinho's road back into Palmeiras squad

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Nosso Palestra

·2 Mei 2026

302 days to his return: Paulinho's road back into Palmeiras squad

Palmeiras face Santos this Saturday (02), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Allianz Parque, for the Brazilian Championship. The big news for the match is the return of Paulinho; the No. 10 will be included in the squad after 302 days away from the pitch.

Serious injury

While still playing for Atlético-MG, Paulinho was feeling intense pain in his shin. Even so, the forward kept playing for the club from Minas Gerais, which was going through a season full of crucial matches. Over time, the player developed a stress and impact fracture in the bone.

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At the end of the season, he underwent shin surgery while still with the Minas Gerais club and transferred to Palmeiras shortly afterward.

After arriving at Verdão, the forward recovered from the injury and made his debut in the green-and-white shirt on April 12 against Corinthians in Barueri. However, the No. 10 was still dealing with pain in the shin area, but even so he was taken to the FIFA Club World Cup, where he experienced one of the best moments of his career.

Despite the pain, he was decisive in Palmeiras’ campaign with two goals, one of them against Botafogo. But the Club World Cup left serious aftereffects on the forward, who did not play again after the elimination against Chelsea on July 4.

Palmeiras player Paulinho battles for the ball with Chelsea FC player during the quarterfinal match of the FIFA Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. (Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras/by Canon)

New surgery and long treatment

After the FIFA Club World Cup, the forward had to leave the pitch again to undergo shin surgery. At first, the fans expected him to return by the end of the season, but that was unthinkable given the severity and rarity of the No. 10’s problem.

During treatment, Paulinho spent around six months without doing any impact activities, only doing strengthening work and waiting for the area that had been operated on for the second time in less than a year to heal.

After the healing period, Paulinho began the most delicate part of the process: increasing the workload and impact in the area. Over time, he returned to the pitch to do movement work with the physical therapists, but without the ball.

Gradually, the forward began activities with the group, taking part in warm-ups, rondos, and later small-sided scrimmages with the players. The next increase in workload was to begin full training sessions with the squad, even traveling to Salvador and Colombia.

Even so, the forward was not being called up, and Palmeiras handled his situation cautiously to preserve the player, who was eager to return, as reported by NOSSO PALESTRA.

Return in a derby

In an official statement this Friday (01), Palmeiras officially announced Paulinho’s return to matches after more than 300 days. The forward commented on the situation with happiness and anxiety.

It is already a remarkable and emotional day. Of course, this week I had in mind that there was a strong chance of being included in the squad for the match, and we worked very hard toward that since Monday. No matter how much we prepare our minds, there is always a bit of anxiety, which is normal. My conscience is clear because of everything I fought for, everything I worked for to reach this moment of being included again and being available to the coach to help the team. I believe tomorrow will be even more emotional, with my family at the stadium, returning after a very difficult period, both physically and mentally. I’m trying to take in this moment and I hope to crown it tomorrow with a win and, if possible, a few minutes in the match.

His return does not mean that Paulinho is 100%; the forward still needs to go through some recovery steps, but he is already available, according to NSP coordinator Daniel Gonçalves.

There has already been clinical recovery, the consolidation of the fracture corrected by surgery, but this final phase still requires biomechanical and physical parameters to be met and, for that reason, the player is not yet at his fullest level, fully cleared for matches. The fact that he is being called up for this game does not mean that, from now on, he will be called up regularly. That will depend on load progression, on how he responds when he is used. Whether he plays a little or not, he will be pushed in training during the week, and all of this helps build the necessary foundation and structure for Paulinho to withstand the 2026 season.