Orthopaedist who treated Craque Neto to lead R$21m overhaul at Reffis | OneFootball

São Paulo has secured the hiring of orthopedist Lucas Leite as one of its new doctors. He will lead the much-discussed overhaul of Reffis, which has been reported by various media outlets in recent days, but without further details.

According to information gathered by AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR, Leite will, among other measures, implement new regenerative procedures for athletes. The investments, starting in January and lasting for the next three years, will amount to approximately R$ 21 million, largely funded by partnerships established by the Morumbi club.

A professor at the Paulista School of Medicine, Leite has already provided outsourced services to athletes and football clubs. He recently gained notoriety for operating on and being responsible for the surgery and recovery of former player and current presenter Craque Neto, who had knee problems.

Although Leite has not been officially announced by the Tricolor, he has already used his social media to comment on the work he will undertake. A presentation of the work that will begin next season took place last week in the Morumbi's noble hall. The event was attended by former forward and now commentator Caio Ribeiro, whose father is a doctor and one of São Paulo's medical consultants.

The arrival of the orthopedist comes at a turbulent time for Reffis. São Paulo has recorded 62 injury cases so far this season. In the defeat to Bragantino on Saturday (8), there were 12 absences due to clinical problems, the highest number for the club since May 2023.

“A new center will be built, a center, an outpatient clinic, where we can perform invasive procedures, infiltrations, neuromodulations, to improve the treatment and recovery of these athletes,” said Leite, in a video released on his social media (see full video below).

Leite's arrival strengthens São Paulo's medical department, which has been understaffed since September, when Ricardo Galotti left the club for rival Corinthians, accepting an invitation from coach Dorival Júnior.

Galotti was the second consecutive doctor to leave São Paulo to work at Corinthians. Fábio Luiz Novi, who joined the club in 2023 with him, transferred to Parque São Jorge at the beginning of 2024 alongside psychologist Anahy Couto. Both, however, left the rival after just over two months there.

Galotti and Novi joined São Paulo at the request of then-coach Rogério Ceni for a restructuring of Reffis. As a result, Carlos Tadeu Moreno was dismissed, and José Sanchez, a historic figure at Morumbi, was given a symbolic role as medical coordinator of the transition, which he still holds, without frequenting the daily routine at the Barra Funda training center.

Without Galotti, the Morumbi club has Pedro Henrique Perez in its medical department, who joined last year to replace Novi and is expected to take charge of the sector.

In addition, the Tricolor has physiotherapists Felipe Marques (currently the Reffis coordinator), Carlos Alberto Presinoti, Cilmara Moretti, Bruno Nestlehner, and Igor Phillip, as well as physiologists Luis Fernando de Barros and Paulo Teixeira, and nutritionists Gabriela Giglio and Jaqueline Guedes.

In total, including the stint with the Brazilian National Team, where he went after leaving São Paulo at the beginning of 2024, Dorival has taken exactly ten professionals from the Tricolor staff in total.

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