Just a couple of days ago, the football world was shaken by Barcelona's decision to acquire the Chinese-based player Paulinho for 40 million euros. Most football fans and experts already consider this transfer a huge mistake, but The Guardian's Asia football expert John Duerden presents his arguments why this player deserves a chance to prove himself in the Catalan team.
April 2017: Paulinho fell apart. The 29-year-old Brazilian appeared in a commercial ad for a Chinese betting website alongside a Japanese porn star. His then-club, Guangzhou Evergrande, was extremely dissatisfied that such a controversial action by the defender was hidden from them, which even sparked rumors about a possible deportation of the player from the country. But that was just one of the few noticeable mistakes Paulinho made during his time in Asia.
Even the most dedicated gambler from China or North London, back in the summer of 2015 when Paulinho moved from Tottenham Hotspur to Guangzhou, wouldn't have bet that after two years and two months, the same player would rise to Barcelona. After all, this player in England, after two disappointing seasons at Tottenham Hotspur from 2013-2015, was considered a huge disappointment. That disappointment was so great that after just three matches in the next season, he was sent to China, to former Brazil national team coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. Although the poor reputation of the Chinese Super League in Europe is probably not a secret to anyone - despite numerous famous names coming to this country, they didn't change the league's reputation: everyone coming here does it just for the money.
Despite all the aforementioned things, Barcelona decided to spend 40 million euros to activate the buyout clause in the player's contract. 40 million euros is almost three times the amount Spurs received and more than double the previous record for Chinese clubs for player transfers. As the news of this transfer was announced, many people who heard it couldn't hide their amazement and were astonished by Barcelona's decision. Even before the transfer became official, the BBC called this decision "one of the hardest to understand transfers in recent years" and also raised the question whether this would be a good step for teams like West Ham United or Everton.
However, another question can be raised: how many people have seen the former Corinthians defender play since he left England? Such questions arise knowing that Paulinho was simply fantastic in the Chinese Super League. He was better than Alex Teixeira, better than Ramires, better than Ezequiel Lavezzi, and better than Oscar. Granted, after the latter was suspended for 8 matches for hitting two opponents during a match that led to a mass brawl, it's hardly fair to compare these Brazilians by the same standards.
"Sometimes in training, we would just watch him. He would be a second faster than all the other players," confessed former Paulinho teammate Zheng Zhi, who has represented Celtic and Charlton Athletic during his career.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the Brazilian also managed to find time and give advice to younger colleagues in the Guangzhou Evergrande team. Zheng also added that Paulinho will be missed not only by his teammates but also by all Chinese football fans, and the pain of leaving the country could be mutual. Paulinho has emphasized more than once how much he enjoyed life in China and shared his joy that both inside and outside the country he could work with Scolari: a man who also knows well what it means to leave London with disappointment and deal a huge blow to his reputation.
If Paulinho managed to revive his career in the Brazil national team, he can also successfully enhance his reputation in Europe. China and other Asian leagues cannot completely erase the label of a "failed purchase" that they previously had - this would change only if more players from this country moved to the strongest European clubs. However, Barcelona is one of the most watched football teams in the world and successful performance in this team can erase all previously stuck labels.
The step from Canton to Catalonia is undoubtedly huge, but we shouldn't dismiss the possibility that Tottenham fans, for one reason or another, simply didn't see what a very good player is capable of. A successful performance in the Guangzhou Evergrande team certainly doesn't mean he is a world-class talent, but just as equally a difficult career stage in Spurs' ranks certainly doesn't guarantee that he isn't. Paulinho is not just a randomly acquired player - Paulinho earned the opportunity to shine in the Barcelona club with his demonstrated play, which allowed him to be the best player in the Chinese league for the past 18 months.
