Paulinho is about to celebrate his 33rd birthday on June 24th in Beijing. He just ended his illustrious six-season journey with Guangzhou last Sunday and officially returned to his country of origin. Looking back at the 2017-2018 season, Paulinho played for Barcelona, contributing nine goals and three assists in 49 games for the team. According to foreign media outlet Sport Internacional, Paulinho has not been able to return to his home country due to the new crown epidemic and "bureaucracy". Nevertheless, he is excited about his return and says he is "relieved". He is willing to wait patiently for an offer before making a decision on his future, but has made it clear that he wants to continue to shine in Europe. If Barcelona were to make another offer, he even said that he would do it "regardless of the money, regardless of the length of the contract", as it was one of the best times of his life. Paulinho spoke about the reason for his termination of contract with Guangzhou, revealing: "I was stranded in Brazil for six or seven months, and because of the Xinguan epidemic, my consulate delayed authorizing me to enter the country. During this time, I have been training with Red Bull Bragantino, following the training program provided by Guangzhou. However, due to the inability to return to my country and with more than a year left on my contract, both parties finally decided to terminate the contract. The original plan was to say goodbye to the Guangzhou fans on the pitch, but it was a nice end to six successful seasons." On his immediate priority, Paulinho said, "I am aware that after my year at Barcelona, European teams will certainly be interested in my return, but nothing is finalized yet and we must be patient." Barcelona are currently seeking a midfielder after players like Wijnaldum opted for Paris. Speaking about this, Paulinho said, "Barcelona is a team I know well and I had an unforgettable year both at the club and in the city. We won the league title and the Copa del Rey. If I can get another chance to return to Barcelona, it will be beneficial for me and my family, and I will be very happy." However, Barcelona's financial situation is not optimistic. Paulinho confessed, "Money and the length of my contract have never been an issue for me, especially when Barcelona called on me. I proved this when I left Guangzhou to join Barcelona. My salary at Barça is much less than when I was in my country. I have never prioritized money in my career, so salary will not be an issue when I return to Barcelona. Moreover, there is no transfer fee to pay for this transfer." Paulinho has not played an official game in over seven months. Speaking about this window period, he said, "It's true that I haven't played an official game for more than seven months, which is a long time. But I've been training hard at Red Bull Bragantino FC to stay fit. I just need to get back into the game. 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 is now 16 seasons old and he has only missed five games for injury reasons. Talking about his secret to staying fit, Paulinho said, "Thank God 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."
