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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Emotional ex-Tottenham ace Paulinho reveals end to injury hell is his ‘biggest trophy’

An end to nine months of injury hell is the biggest trophy Paulinho has ever won, the former Tottenham man has revealed.

The Brazilian midfielder, 34, was a cult hero during two years in north London before he went on to win titles with, among others, Barcelona.

Now back at old side Corinthians, Paulinho suffered a serious knee injury in May of last year and, on Sunday night, finally made his return to the starting line-up as he scored in the Campeonato Paulista defeat to Ituano.

The emotion was clear to see as he netted a header to level the scores in the first half, his teammates rushing to embrace him.

Speaking ahead of the game, Paulinho revealed he feared his career was over during a long recovery process that ultimately proved successful despite his advancing years.

“The biggest title I’ve won in my life is my return to football,” he told Globo.

The moment followed a goal off the bench against Santo Andre as the veteran midfielder ripped his shirt off in celebration.

“Felt pain so much pain I thought of giving up,” he posted on social media.

“But the emotion I felt yesterday showed that I had to believe. That's what I have to pass on to everyone. Believe in yourself, in what you do and who you are. The work continues and I’ll keep believing.”

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