Gabriel Bontempo returns to Santos starting XI after almost six months | OneFootball

Gabriel Bontempo returned to Santos’ starting line-up after almost six months. The number 49 began the 2-1 win over Noroeste at Alfredo de Castilho in Bauru on Sunday, the seventh round of the Paulistão.

Diario Do Peixe notes it was his first start under coach Vojvoda. His previous start came in the 2-0 defeat to Bahia at Arena Fonte Nova in the Brasileiro on 24 August last year.

He started the year sidelined after undergoing septoplasty before Christmas, a procedure to improve breathing caused by a deviated septum. As he neared a return, he also suffered muscular oedema in the back of his left thigh.

Bontempo featured in the state fixture and came on in both Brasileiro games. He is contracted until the end of 2027 and has been with the first team since last year.

Last season he began in the Copinha, then earned promotion and debuted in the Paulistão, without returning to the academy. The 21-year-old from Uberaba, Minas Gerais, is a fan of Neymar and Coutinho. He trained at local schools with coaches Leandro “Marmita”, Luizinho, Piu and Clebio, and passed a trial in 2015, staying with the Alvinegro for a decade.

Source: Diario Do Peixe