Ganso at São Paulo? Fluminense struggler should never rejoin Tricolor | OneFootball

The big news that broke on Tuesday night (26), while São Paulo secured its qualification in the Copa Sudamericana, was that midfielder Ganso was sidelined by Fluminense after revealing another Brazilian club’s interest in signing him in this upcoming transfer window.

After a good spell with Tricolor between 2012 and 2016, when he won the Copa Sudamericana title in just his first few months at the club, Ganso’s name was immediately linked to a possible return to the Morumbi side.

There is one group inside São Paulo that vehemently denies any chance of a return, and others who are assessing whether he would fit into Dorival Júnior’s squad, as reported by ESPN.

PH Ganso’s technical quality, vision, and football intelligence are unquestionable. Even more so for those who, like me, saw his brilliant early career at Santos alongside Neymar, as well as standout performances during his run of more than 200 matches for São Paulo.

But that was at least ten years ago. Even at Santos, he had already started dealing with serious injuries, the first major one coming back in 2010. The truth is, the star never managed to be the same player he was at the start of his career, but he always proved to be an important player because of his exceptional quality.

He had an unsuccessful spell in Europe, just as Seedorf had warned, and returned to Fluminense to stand out again, changing his style and adapting to the football proposed by Fernando Diniz. Even though he could not handle the demanding schedule, he won titles, the most important being the 2023 Copa Libertadores.

But his performances have dropped sharply in recent seasons. Now nearly 37 years old, he has been playing no more than 15 minutes in the most recent matches in which he has come on for Fluminense.

Ganso has played in only 22 matches this year, scoring two goals. In 2025, he made just 28 appearances, again with two goals and one assist. Those are far too weak numbers for someone who is not on a small salary, as he reportedly earns around R$500,000 per month. Ganso no longer has the same physical condition and continues to struggle with injuries that keep him off the pitch.

There is absolutely no way São Paulo, in the endless crisis it faces on and off the field, should even consider bringing Ganso back for the ‘final act’ of his career, now clearly in decline. He would just be another familiar face in Tricolor’s rehab department at Barra Funda. As Hernán Crespo would say, the club needs ‘fresh players’.

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