In the early morning of July 23rd, when the dawn broke in the east, Saudi Arabia's Jeddah National Football Club came with heavy news: Brazilian star Paulinho officially joined the team's lineup. Previously, Paulinho agreed to terminate his contract with Guangzhou, where he played for many years, and became a free agent. Given Paulinho's historical contribution to the team and his reputation as a meritorious player, Guangzhou fans have been expecting him to find a new home quickly after his return to the team. Paulinho, who is 33 years old, was highly sought after in the transfer market, and Jeddah National finally managed to sign the Brazilian superstar after a fierce competition.
Paulinho didn't choose to return to the Barclays Premier League, a decision that surprised many fans. During his temporary stay in Brazil, a number of Brazilian League 1 teams have been drooling over him. Considering the fact that Paulinho has entered the late stage of his career, returning to Brazil to retire and play soccer seems to be a good choice. However, Paulinho chose to join the Saudi Arabian League. The reason behind this may not be complicated, perhaps the annual salary offered by the Barclays Premier League failed to meet his expectations.
Despite the Barclays Premier League side's desire to land Paulinho, they were unable to offer a salary that would satisfy him. On the contrary, Jeddah National of Saudi Arabia, offered a tempting high salary, sincere invitation to Paulinho to join. Paulinho thought he could play for another three to four years and did not need to return to Brazil to retire for the time being. Therefore, he decided to accept the high salary invitation to join Jeddah National and start a new chapter in the Saudi Arabia League.
Paulinho's new owner has been confirmed and Guangzhou fans are rejoicing. Since joining Evergrande in the 2015 season, Paulinho has been performing excellently, and whenever the team is in trouble, he can always step up and save the day. It is worth mentioning that Paulinho's outstanding performance in Guangzhou not only helped the team win the Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League titles, but also allowed him to usher in the pinnacle of his career and was spotted by European giants Barcelona.
Barcelona brought Paulinho to La Liga by activating his liquidated damages clause. In representing Barcelona in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, Paulinho performed equally well and won the praise of many Barcelona fans. After his time at Barcelona, Paulinho chose to join Guangzhou again to play for his old club in the Chinese Super League and the AFC Champions League. However, in his second stint with Guangzhou, he failed to help the team win the AFC Champions League again. Originally planning to leave Guangzhou after completing his contract, Paulinho was delayed in returning to the team due to the Brazilian epidemic. In order to avoid the embarrassment of being unemployed for a long period of time, Paulinho decided to terminate his contract with Guangzhou. Hopefully, Paulinho will continue to perform at a high level after joining his new owner, Jeddah National, and hit another career high.
