Believe it or not, the latest transfer trend is the Brazilian league. However, while we are used to seeing Brazilian league players going across the pond to play in European Leagues like the Premier League or La Liga, we have yet to see players actually transferring to the Brazilian League.
After the transfer craze that we saw last year with the Saudi Pro League being the hot new location for players, this year the trend is shifting to Brazil. Things are going much slower for now, but could pick up pace really soon.
Memphis Depay (Corinthians)
It was actually Memphis Depay who started off this craze. The 30-year-old Dutch striker ended up without a club after he departed Atletico Madrid. He wasn’t without offers, to say the least. As a former Man Utd, Barcelona, and Olympique Lyon striker, the market was not closed for him.
But instead of going for the hustle and bustle of the busy leagues, he decided to go somewhere more peaceful. Namely São Paulo and play for Corinthians. The city of São Paulo is definitely not somewhere where you can find peace and quiet. But Memphis reported that it is exactly what he needed for this stage of his career.
Philippe Coutinho (Vasco da Gama)
The former Brazilian international, Philippe Coutinho, was once the most expensive player in the world after joining Barcelona from Liverpool. But things seemed to be going down the hill for him from there on. He went on loans to Bayern Munich and Aston Villa and eventually ended up playing for Al-Duhail in the Qatar Stars League.
But it seems that he has had enough of the busy life. He decided to come back to the Brazilian Premier League. He chose Vasco da Gama, a team that he already played for between 2008-2010. At just 32 years of age, he does have the chops to make a difference for this team.
Thiago Silva (Fluminense)
It actually makes sense for Thiago Silva to head back to Brazil. The former Brazil captain is 40 and should have ended his career a long time ago. Yet, he still keeps on trucking and has just finished a season with Chelsea. While he still has the skill and agility to play at a high level, it seems that he realised that it was time to settle down a bit. Where else to do it than at the club where he made his mark.
He started off his youth career at Fluminense and started off an international career while still very young. He returned to Rio de Janeiro and played for Flu between 2006 to 2009. From there, his career took him to Milan as we know the rest of the story. He played in over 200 matches for PSG and in more than 100 for Chelsea. He won multiple trophies with every club he has played for.
