Copinha: Corinthians youth winger returns to action after four months

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Central do Timão

·10 Januari 2026

Copinha: Corinthians youth winger returns to action after four months

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Late last Friday afternoon (9th), Corinthians faced XV de Jaú at the Zezinho Magalhães Stadium for the third and final round of the group stage of the 2026 São Paulo Cup and won 3-1. The goals for the Filhos do Terrão were scored by Guilherme Pires, Luiz Fábio 'Favela', and Luizinho. With this result, Timãozinho advanced to the knockout stage as the leader of Group 8 with seven points and will face Goiás in the second phase.

Besides the victory, the match marked the return of forward Nicollas Melo (2008) to the field after four months recovering from a left thigh injury. The young player was brought on by coach William Batista at the 31st minute of the second half, replacing Rodrigo Júnior. Previously, his last match was on September 23, 2025, in a 2-1 home defeat against Flamengo in the Under-17 Brasileirão.

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Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

According to information published by Meu Timão, the plan is to have the athlete 100% physically fit for the knockout stage of the Copinha, which begins this Monday (12th) against Guarani, also in Jaú. The date and time have not yet been set by the Paulista Football Federation (FPF). Nicollas joined Parque São Jorge at the age of 11, in 2019, and since then, he has accumulated several call-ups for the Brazilian youth national team.

Counting both the Under-17 and Under-20 teams of Corinthians, the 17-year-old winger has scored eight goals in 60 matches (31 wins, 14 draws, and 15 losses). In August, after the Kauê Furquim case, the Alvinegro renewed his contract until the end of 2028, which was previously set to expire in June 2027. The club from Parque São Jorge increased the value of his national and international release clauses – the latter being around 30 million euros (R$ 190 million).

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