Marlon Freitas joins Palmeiras, apologises for 'wink' incident | OneFootball

Midfielder Marlon Freitas was presented at Palmeiras at the Football Academy on Thursday afternoon. In his first interview wearing the number 27 jersey of Verdão, the 30-year-old player was asked about the “wink” episode that happened when Marlon played for Botafogo in 2023, in a match against his current club, and he described the gesture as “unfortunate.”

“It’s a delicate subject. I don’t even like to talk about it much, but it’s actually good that you asked because it’s something you won’t hear or see me doing again. It’s something that really marked me. Many people don’t remember my achievements, but they remember my wink, so that doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.

“It’s something I don’t like to talk about, but it was an unfortunate gesture on my part. I wasn’t raised that way and at no point did I try to be disrespectful. In fact, if I had been disrespectful, I wouldn’t be here. It was an unfortunate gesture and I’ve acknowledged that in several interviews,” he continued.

The “wink” episode

The “wink” happened during Palmeiras’ comeback for a 4-3 win over Botafogo, in the 2023 Brazilian Championship. At the time, the team from Rio had taken a 3-0 lead at Nilton Santos Stadium, but ended up losing. While Botafogo was ahead, Marlon Freitas was fouled and gave a “wink” to the opponent.

That year, Palmeiras overcame Botafogo’s huge lead in the Brasileirão and won the national title. The following year, the midfielder won the Brazilian Championship and the Libertadores with Botafogo.

Marlon Freitas apologizes to fans

Starting his journey at Palmeiras, Marlon Freitas took the opportunity to apologize to fans of both Verdão and Botafogo, assuring that this kind of attitude is not part of his character.

“I apologized to both Botafogo fans who felt hurt in any way and to Palmeiras fans. So, I think this is also an opportunity for me, now that I’m wearing the Palmeiras jersey. To the fans who felt offended, here are my apologies, because it was not my intention. It was an unfortunate gesture, yes, I take responsibility for my mistake, but it will not happen again. And this gesture will not be repeated,” he assured.

“It was difficult for me, but at no time did I take a public position. I told myself, talking to myself: ‘I’ll only be able to change this on the field, with work, with dedication, with character. So people understand that I’m not that Marlon. You’re seeing a completely different Marlon here, and that’s the Marlon you’ll see for many years while I wear the Palmeiras jersey and elsewhere as well, anyway. But that’s my character. It was an unfortunate moment that won’t be repeated,” he concluded.

When will Marlon Freitas debut?

Marlon Freitas is Palmeiras’ first signing for the 2026 season. The player signed with Verdão until the end of 2028. He is awaiting his registration with the CBF’s BID to be able to debut for his new club. Palmeiras will debut in the Paulista this Saturday, against Portuguesa, at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Canindé.

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