Tupãzinho on his start, joining Corinthians and Vicente Matheus

In partnership with

Central do Timão

·18 Januari 2026

Tupãzinho on his start, joining Corinthians and Vicente Matheus

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Last Tuesday (13th), former forward Tupãzinho, who played for Corinthians from January 1990 to early 1997, gave an exclusive interview to Central do Timão and reminisced about his childhood, also detailing his first steps in football. Born in Parnaso, a district of Tupã, in the interior of São Paulo, the former player revealed that he never dreamed of becoming a football player.

“I started working at 11, milking cows on the farm and playing football in the afternoon, then I started playing at the Tupã Futebol Clube school, which is the team where I started and today I am the president and everything there. Slowly building a career, as we say, but I never dreamed, if I said: ‘I’m going to play for Corinthians, I’m going to play there’. So, things happened naturally in my life, I just have to thank God for all of this,” he began.

Video OneFootball

Photo: Reproduction/Central do Timão

Later, he talked about his first championship that he competed in his city before going to Tupã Futebol Clube and the difficulties of competing in tournaments at that time, unlike what happens today: “My first championship was a rural championship that I enjoyed at 14 years old, because I live in a district, I live in Parnaso, so Parnaso is a district of Tupã, it was the first championship I competed in, I did well in this championship. In this championship, I went to Tupã Futebol Clube. From there, I went to the juniors at the time.”

It was a huge difficulty because in our time there wasn’t this, so many championships. We played for the district team itself, which was Primeirão and had Cascudão, then you played in Cascudo both halves, which was more for the kids, and in Primeirão which was for the more elite guys, who they hired to play, and I started playing right there in Parnaso, then from Parnaso I went to Tupã,” he continued.

Between the ages of 14 and 17, he defended the colors of Tupã Futebol Clube until he transferred to São Bento at 18, in 1987. Tupãozinho recalled his arrival at the Sorocaba team and detailed that initially, he didn’t have much space, a scenario that would change in the following two years when he became a starter and stood out for the team in the interior of São Paulo.

“At Tupã Futebol Clube, I played from 14 to 17 years old. At 18, I went to São Bento de Sorocaba. There was a friendly match between Tupã Futebol Clube and São Bento, from Sorocaba, where I stood out, scored the winning goal, and was loaned to São Bento. Then at São Bento, I played in the Juniors, the first year, in 87. Then in 88, I already went to play my first Paulista, my first Campeonato Paulista. I didn’t play in 88 and most of the games on the bench. There I wasn’t a talisman. People confuse this a lot, right? That I was a talisman at São Bento. No, the talisman was at Corinthians. Then in 89, I already played professionally, I was already a starter, played almost all the matches, missed two matches. There I stood out in Paulista and was hired by Corinthians,” he continued.

In 1990, along with defender Guinei, who was also from São Bento, he was hired by Corinthians. The former number 7 recalled his arrival at Parque São Jorge and a match he played against the club before transferring to the Alvinegro.

“I even did well in the game against Corinthians, right? I wasn’t 100%, but I was at 70. And I ended up going to Corinthians. The president (of São Bento) came and said: ‘look, you’re going to Corinthians. In the preseason, at the beginning of ninety. Me and Guinei. Actually, Guinei came first. Guinei was hired because Jorge Luiz, who was the defender at the time, had left, to Rio de Janeiro. Then they needed a defender. And Guinei did well in the championship too. Guinei played all the matches at São Bento de Sorocaba. And as captain.”

“Then the president said: take that long-haired guy there, that long-haired guy is good at football, okay, okay, the president of São Bento told the president of Corinthians, who at the time was Mr. Vicente Matheus, right? I said there, let’s bring both, and we stayed in ‘test’ for three months, but in thirty, I think 40 days already, they bought the pass, everything was fine,” he added.

Tupãozinho was also asked about the historical and folkloric Vicente Matheus, who was president of Corinthians on different occasions in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1990s. He also recalls a curious episode with the manager when he was renewing his contract with the Alvinegro after winning the 1990 Brazilian Championship title, in which he scored the goal for the club's then-unprecedented victory.

“He was a very serious guy. To renew a contract, it was difficult, it wasn’t easy. Actually, I arrived at Corinthians, I didn’t even know how much I was going to earn. You have an idea, right? The emotion was of a Corinthians fan playing for Corinthians. And we arrived in a van, we arrived at Parque São Jorge there in a van, we stayed a long time to get in, and then in the conversation with Mr. Vicente (Matheus), with the directors, sign the contract there, if not, an experience contract, and it ended up working out in this experience.”

“Both Guinei and I had a good Paulista championship, then the first Brazilian, champions, so it was happening, as I said, happening naturally. Mr. Vicente is a fantastic guy, right? I say a lot, my first apartment, my first contract. At the beginning of 91, the first thing he (Vicente Matheus) said: ‘it’s not because you scored a little title goal that you think you’re going to earn a lot’. That’s all he fought so hard to have this Brazilian, right? Then he relaxed, he said, fine there and such. Then it was, we talked, agreed, and I ended up staying until 97.”

Finally, Tupãzinho analyzed the 1990 Brazilian Championship victory. Initially, the Alvinegro had difficulties in the tournament. In the knockout stage, Nelsinho Batista's team improved their performance and overcame Atlético-MG and Bahia in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. In the final, two 1-0 victories over São Paulo at Morumbi.

“In 90 it was natural. We didn’t build a team to be champions, we built a team to stay in the first division, a team to compete in the Brazilian, when they say: ‘we built a team to be champions in 90’. No, that didn’t happen. Actually, it was hiring the pieces needed to build a team, to have a strong team there. And the team started to connect, started winning games,” he concluded.

In total, Tupãzinho played 341 games wearing the Corinthians jersey (231 as a starter), with 164 wins, 113 draws, and 64 losses – almost 60% success rate. Additionally, he scored 52 goals and won five titles: Brasileirão (1990), Supercopa do Brasil (1991), Copa Bandeirantes (1994), Copa do Brasil (1995), and Campeonato Paulista (1995).

See More: