Matheus Pereira celebrates Corinthians return, credits Paz | OneFootball

The Corinthians introduced midfielder Matheus Pereira on Tuesday, the team's second reinforcement for the 2026 season. Returning to Timão after a decade, the player celebrated his return to the club that launched his career and sees himself as “more mature.”

“I’ve known about the interest for some time. I was anxious, had butterflies in my stomach, the feeling of coming home. When I found out, I told my agents that I wanted to return. I did my entire youth training here, I support the club. Wearing this jersey once again is a source of pride,” said the new number 23 of Corinthians.

“You can expect a more mature, more experienced Matheus. It’s been ten years away, I had the opportunity to mature. I’m more focused. The things that happened in my career made me evolve a lot. I’m here to do my best. It’s undoubtedly the chance of my life, I have to give my best always,” he added.

Error in Copinha

Matheus Pereira also spoke about the missed penalty in the Copinha of 2016, against Flamengo. He said that the mistake helped him “change his attitude.”

“I didn’t want to miss that penalty, but it made me mature. Thanks to that mistake, I changed my attitude, today I am different. I am happy to be returning,” he commented.

Influence of Paz

According to the midfielder, the football executive Marcelo Paz also had an influence on the deal with Corinthians. The director had already been responsible for the player's return to Brazilian football last year when he was acting as CEO of SAF at Fortaleza.

“My return to Brazil goes through him. I already had an interest in working with him at Fortaleza, I heard great things about him. I chose Fortaleza for that reason too. When I received the invitation from Corinthians, I didn’t think twice,” he said.

Hunger for Titles

Matheus Pereira also spoke about his personal goals upon returning to Corinthians: winning titles. He says he is in good physical shape and explains how he can help Dorival Júnior’s team on the field.

“I think I could have delivered more [in the first stint], my return is for that, to continue my story. I have a desire to win many titles,” he stated.

“I’m very well, I was already training at Fortaleza. We had already started the pre-season. I’m a player who seeks out the forwards, breaking lines. I won’t always get it right, but I will always try to play forward. I’ve always been like that. I’m a versatile player, I’m available to the coach for whatever he needs,” he concluded.

The 27-year-old midfielder joins Corinthians on a one-season loan, with an option to buy. Timão will pay R$ 1.8 million to Fortaleza and will fully cover the player’s wages.

A product of Terrão, Matheus Pereira played only two games for the club before transferring to Empoli, Italy, in 2016. Since then, the player has moved around various European clubs. He has played for Bordeaux, Juventus, Dijon, Barcelona B, and Eibar.

The player was signed by Fortaleza in May of last year. He scored two goals and provided three assists in 20 matches but couldn’t prevent Leão do Pici’s relegation to the Serie B of the Brasileirão.

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