Before joining Fulham as a free agent this summer, Willian had a bit of a tense period in Brazil.
The winger, who started his career at Corinthians, had always spoken about his love for the club and his wish to return there. That happened in August 2021, when he left Arsenal and joined the Timão on a free transfer.
Unfortunately, his year there wasn’t great. Not only because he didn’t win any titles, but also because the relationship between fans and players in Brazil is different, and the squad even had death threats at the time.
Willian left Corinthians through the back door to return to England, where he later agreed a deal with Fulham. Now in an interview with ESPN Brasil, he talked about his period in the South American country, and confirmed that it was nothing close to what he expected.
“I didn’t regret having returned. I felt this desire in my heart to return to the club that launched me. At least to play for a year… and then I could leave. But I had this desire to return, as a form of gratitude. to the club where I was revealed. But the things that happened are things that we can’t control,” Willian told ESPN Brasil.
“If I had imagined that this would happen, I’d never have returned. Everyone knows what I did to be able to return to the club, I gave up a lot. I left Arsenal because I wanted to. And I returned to Brazil because I wanted to. I had other proposals, I could have stayed in England, even in Europe or several places, but I wanted to return to Corinthians so I could play. But these things happened, unfortunately. These are things that happen in Brazil all the time, unfortunately.”
Now at Fulham, where he has one goal and one assist in seven appearances, Willian is relieved to be having a calmer experience.
The winger has a contract with the Whites until the end of the season, and made clear he’s happy with his situation.
“I’m very happy and so is my family. We always need to look ahead, that’s the most important thing.”
