"Fantastic player", says Matheus Pereira on Filho do Terrão

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Central do Timão

·21 de janeiro de 2026

"Fantastic player", says Matheus Pereira on Filho do Terrão

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the afternoon of this Tuesday (20th), midfielder Matheus Pereira was officially presented as the new signing for Corinthians. A product of the Corinthians youth academy, the player returns ten seasons after leaving the club. During the press conference, he was asked about Breno Bidon, one of the biggest revelations from the Alvinegro youth ranks in recent years.

Matheus Pereira commented on possible advice he would give to the youngster amid constant monitoring from European clubs interested in his football. Star of the Copinha in 2024, Bidon was a starter and played an important role in winning the Campeonato Paulista and Copa do Brasil, both in 2025, against Palmeiras and Vasco, respectively.

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Photo: Vinicios Cotrim/Central do Timão

“Well, about Bidon, of course everyone has their own personal goals. As a Corinthians fan and as a player, I want him to stay, obviously. He’s a player of such quality that he has to stay with us. He’s a fantastic player, and above all, a fantastic person. So, my advice is, the longer he stays here at Corinthians, wearing this shirt, for us Corinthians fans and players, the better,” he began.

He then recalled his time with Cristiano Ronaldo during his stint at Juventus, in the 2017/2018 seasons in Italian football. Matheus Pereira praised the professionalism of the Portuguese legend, even after building a victorious career at Real Madrid, and his mentality of always wanting to win, which ended up inspiring those around him.

“What I was able to learn over these years in Europe is mainly about work, the seriousness with which they approach their work. What I take as a great example is Cristiano (Ronaldo). At Juventus, he was one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave, so you look at a person, a player of Cristiano’s stature working as hard as he does. So, that gives you the desire, the will to work, because if he, having achieved everything he has, still works that way, then I can’t do less than him,” he continued.

He then detailed his physical condition and his desire to work with Dorival Júnior. Regarding his physical condition, the midfielder emphasized that he had already returned to training on December 29th, the date he reported back to Fortaleza. Regarding the Corinthians coach, he commented on his successful career in football, including his time with the Brazilian National Team.

“About my physical condition, I’m already doing very well, I had already been training with Fortaleza, we had already started pre-season on December 29th, so I had been training for some time. And about Dorival, it was always a desire of mine to work with him, because I know what a great coach he is, how much he has achieved, and he has also coached the Brazilian national team. So, he’s a coach who has a lot to add to my football and I hope to learn a lot from him,” he added.

Finally, he analyzed his style of play – more vertical – and looked ahead to the 2026 season with Corinthians, which will include the following competitions: Campeonato Paulista, Supercopa do Brasil, Copa do Brasil, Brasileirão, and Conmebol Libertadores.

“I’m a player who mainly looks for the guys up front, I always look for those more vertical passes, breaking lines, which is also what matters. Of course, I won’t always get it right, I try to get every pass right, but I’ll always try to play forward, look for my teammates, Breno Bidon, Vitinho, whoever it may be. So that’s always been my goal.”

“My personal goals with this club are, of course, to play well and win titles, to make my history at this club. And what I’m aiming for this season is to win, but we already know that we have to win at every moment, we have to be fighting for titles, because of the size of the club, because of the size of the fans. So, my goal with the club is to win titles,” he concluded.

Matheus Pereira joins Corinthians on loan from Fortaleza until the end of the season. In addition to him, the Alvinegro has already announced the signing of 35-year-old defender Gabriel Paulista, is about to announce right-back Pedro Milans, who was at Peñarol, and has also reached an agreement with forward Kaio César, from Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia. The Alvinegro is also interested in midfielder Alisson, 32, from São Paulo.

After leaving Corinthians in 2016, Matheus Pereira played for: Empoli (Italy), Juventus B, Dijon (France), Barcelona II, Eibar, and Fortaleza – at the latter, he scored two goals and provided three assists in 20 matches.

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