Paulinho is about to enter the gates of 33 years old on June 24, Beijing time, as July 25 approaches in local time. He capped off his six seasons at Guangzhou with a farewell match on Sunday and officially returned to his parent team. Looking back at the 2017-2018 season, Paulinho played for Barcelona, contributing nine goals and three assists in 49 appearances for the team. According to Sport Internazionale, due to the new crown epidemic and "bureaucracy", Paulinho can not return to our country for the time being, but nevertheless, he is looking forward to the prospect of returning to the team, saying that he is "relieved". While waiting for an offer, Paulinho made it clear that he wants to continue to shine in Europe, and said that if Barcelona extends the olive branch to him again, he is willing to disregard the money and the duration of the contract, because that was one of the best times in his life.
Speaking about the reason for the termination of his contract with Guangzhou, Paulinho revealed, "I was stranded in Brazil for six or seven months, due to the delay in my country's consulate authorizing my entry. During that time, I followed the training program provided by Guangzhou and kept training at Red Bull Bragantino. However, due to the fact that I was unable to return to my home country and had more than a year left on my contract, the two sides finally reached an agreement to terminate my contract. I would have liked to say goodbye to the Guangzhou fans on the field, but after six successful seasons, this is a happy ending."
Talking about his current priority, Paulinho said, "I understand that after I leave Barcelona, teams in Europe will definitely be interested in me, but nothing is set in stone and we have to be patient."
Barcelona is looking for a midfielder, after players such as Wijnaldum eventually chose to join Paris. Speaking on the matter, Paulinho said, "Barcelona is a team I know well and I have had an unforgettable year both at the club and in the city. We won the league title and the Copa del Rey, and I would be very happy if I could get another chance to return to Barcelona, which would benefit me and my family."
However, Barcelona are currently in a worrying financial situation. Paulinho said, "For me, money and the length of my contract have never been a problem. Especially when Barcelona called me. I proved this when I left Guangzhou to join Barcelona, where I was paid much less than when I was in my country. I have never prioritized money in my career, so if I return to Barcelona, salary won't be a problem. Moreover, this time the club won't have to pay a transfer fee for me."
Paulinho has not played an official game for seven months. Speaking about this, he said, "It's true that I haven't played an official game in seven months, which is a long time, but I've been training hard at Red Bull Bragantino FC to keep myself fit. I just need to play soccer. If I sign for a club, I only need three or four games to get back into the rhythm of the game."
Paulinho's career has spanned 16 seasons and he has only missed five games due to injury once. Talking about his secret to staying healthy, Paulinho said, "Fortunately, I have never had a serious injury in my career. If you ask me the secret to avoiding injuries, it's to train hard and take care of myself. I've always been very professional in my work and I think that also helps to avoid injuries."
