Luiz Gustavo shines on return after 6 months, earns praise: “Love for football” | OneFootball

Luiz Gustavo was one of the highlights of São Paulo in the 2-0 victory over Fortaleza, this Thursday, at Arena Castelão, for the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. The defensive midfielder had not played for six months due to a pulmonary thromboembolism, but he showed resilience throughout the year to finally return to the pitch.

At 38 years old, Luiz Gustavo did not seem to have been inactive for so long. Even though he had not played official matches for a semester, the experienced defensive midfielder showed great skill against Fortaleza and responded very well whenever tested - and there were many times due to Rigoni's expulsion 20 minutes into the first half.

Exactly because he had a direct participation in São Paulo's defensive success playing with one less man on the field for more than half of the match, Luiz Gustavo ended up receiving praise from coach Hernán Crespo.

"All players have a story. I think it is much easier to talk about Luiz Gustavo today because Luiz Gustavo six months ago was running around the field and fighting to return. With a career like this, believing in coming back, only a great passion, for the love of football, this happens. These things are important for the group, but it is a message for everyone. You can win, you can lose, but when you play with passion, train with passion every day, it's cool," commented Crespo.

Luiz Gustavo is considered one of the leaders of São Paulo's squad due to the experience acquired throughout his remarkable career, which includes a stint at Bayern Munich and a World Cup played with the Brazilian National Team. Therefore, the defensive midfielder's attitude throughout the entire recovery process from his health problem has been highly evaluated by coach Hernán Crespo, who sees him as a great example within the locker room.

Luiz Gustavo may be kept in the starting lineup for São Paulo's next match, Sunday, at 4 pm (Brasília time), against Palmeiras, at Morumbis. With so many absences in the defense, Crespo may have to improvise in the defensive system again.

"Whatever happens until Sunday... today, we're happy. We return home happy, confident with the group for the great result, for the great performance of the team, spirited, with courage, with many difficulties. Played very well, understood what was needed, needed to fight, to struggle, to respect the ball," concluded the São Paulo coach.

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