BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Paulinho, who will turn 33 years old on July 25 local time, officially returned to the team after ending his six seasons in Guangzhou, China, last Sunday. In the 2017-2018 season, Paulinho formerly played for Barcelona, representing the team 49 times, contributing nine goals and three assists. Foreign media international sports newspaper said, now due to the new crown epidemic and "bureaucratic problems", Paulinho can not come back to China, after the return of the team he is still very excited, he said he is "free", before making a decision on his future, he will be patient! Waiting for an offer, although he made it clear that his intention is to continue competing in Europe, and suggested that if Barcelona asked him again, he would "not care about the money or the timing of the contract, because I spent one of the most beautiful moments of my life there".
Talking about the reason for the termination of the contract with Guangzhou, Paulinho said: "I stayed in Brazil for six or seven months, and because of the new crown epidemic, our consulate has never agreed to my entry. During this time, I have been practicing with Red Bull Bragantino, who followed the practice program given by the Guangzhou team, and I have always done that. But since I couldn't travel to my country and I had more than a year left on my contract, both sides agreed to terminate it. I would have liked to say goodbye to the Guangzhou fans on the field, but after six very successful seasons, this is a good ending."
Talking about his priorities now, Paulinho stated, "I know that after my year at Barcelona, there are definitely teams in Europe that are interested in me now, but everything is yet to be produced and we have to wait."
Barcelona is looking for a midfielder, before the likes of Wijnaldum eventually chose Paris. Talking about this, Paulinho said: "Barcelona is a team I know well, whether it is in the salon or in this city, I have spent an unforgettable year. We won the league title and the Copa del Rey, and if I were given another chance to return to Barcelona, it would be good for me and my family and I would be very happy."
But now that Barcelona's finances are in a bad state, Paulinho said: "For me, money and the length of my contract have never been an issue. Especially if it's Barcelona calling you. I proved this when I left Guangzhou for Barcelona, where I was paid much less than in my country. I've never prioritized money in my career, so salary won't be an issue if I return to Barcelona. Moreover, this time the salon won't have to pay a transfer fee for me."
Paulinho hasn't been involved in a competition for seven months, speaking about this he stated, "It's true that I haven't been involved in an official competition for seven months, that's a long time, but I've always practiced as hard as I can at the Red Bull Bragantino saloon and I'm holding on to my physical condition. I just need to play soccer. If I were to sign for a club, I would only need three or four games to get into the rhythm of the competition."
Paulinho's career has spanned 16 seasons, and he has only once missed five matches due to injury. Speaking about his secret to staying healthy, Paulinho said: "Thank God I haven't had any serious injuries in my career. If you ask me the secret to avoiding injuries, it's to practice hard and take care of myself. I've always been very professional in my work, and I think that also helps to avoid injuries."
