Gabriel Paulista gets new shirt number at Corinthians after defender leaves

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Central do Timão

·21 Januari 2026

Gabriel Paulista gets new shirt number at Corinthians after defender leaves

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

The defender Gabriel Paulista has started using a new number at Corinthians. Previously wearing the number 20 jersey, the defender will now wear number 3 in the alvinegro squad. The change was officially announced by the club on social media through a video.

“Gabriel Paulista has taken on the number 3 jersey of Timão!”, published Corinthians. Traditionally, the number 3 carries historical significance in football, being part of the classic numbering from 1 to 11, generally associated with the starting players of the teams.

Video OneFootball

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

The number was available since the loan of Ecuadorian Félix Torres to Internacional, finalized last week. The defender was loaned to the club from Rio Grande do Sul until the end of the current season, with a purchase option included.

Gabriel Paulista joined Corinthians at the beginning of this year, after terminating his contract with Besiktas, Turkey. A declared Corinthians fan, the defender gave up amounts he was owed by the European club to sign with Timão until December 2027.

Before his stint in Turkish football, the defender built his career in Europe, with spells at Villarreal, Valencia, and Atlético de Madrid in Spain, and Arsenal in England. In Brazil, he also played for Vitória and Taboão da Serra.

At the start of his journey with Corinthians, Gabriel Paulista has been an option on the bench, behind Gustavo Henrique and André Ramalho in the alvinegro defense. So far, the defender has only played once this season, in the 3-0 defeat to Red Bull Bragantino, in the second round of the Campeonato Paulista. Besides them, coach Dorival Júnior also has João Pedro Tchoca and Cacá as alternatives for the defensive sector.

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