Thiago Heleno Discusses Corinthians

The footballer Thiago Heleno, who currently plays as a defender, has recently addressed the rumors surrounding Corinthians’ interest in acquiring him during this season. Despite the speculations, Heleno remains committed to his current team, Athletico, and has stated that he has plans to discuss a potential contract renewal with the club’s president, Mario Celso Petraglia. As of now, his existing contract with Furacão is set to expire at the end of the current year.

During a recent press conference in the mixed zone following Athletico’s 3-1 victory over São Joseense, Heleno expressed his focused commitment towards Athletico. He stated, “My focus is Athletico. I have a contract until the end of the year. I haven’t spoken to the president yet [Petraglia]. As in other years, my renovations were handled with him, with great clarity. My goal is to train well, help the team, help the players who are arriving now, who have been hired.”

In his eighth season with Athletico, Heleno has become one of the club’s most significant players. Despite some criticism from fans, the 35-year-old defender has no plans of retiring at the end of this season. He stated that his sole focus is on giving his best performance for Athletico without making excuses for his mistakes or flaws.

Commenting on his tenure with the club, Heleno said, “I’m in my eighth season, it’s difficult for a player to stay at the same level for so long. The other day I looked for other players who have been with other teams for so long, many have gone through difficult years. Following the games, with everyone else The team will be much better. This year is special, where after a lot of criticism, we can give a gift to the fans, it will taste better.”

It is speculated that Corinthians’ interest in acquiring Heleno was due to a request from their coach, António Oliveira. The two have previously worked together at Rubro-Negro between 2020 and 2021. In addition to Heleno, Corinthians is also currently in negotiations to purchase defender Cacá, who trains separately at Athletico. Meanwhile, Heleno continues to remain in Osorio’s plans and has already played six matches this season.

As far as Furacão’s current progress is concerned, the team has qualified for the quarterfinals of Paranaense and will face off against Londrina. The first leg of the match is scheduled to take place on Saturday (2) at 4pm, at Estádio do Café. The return match in Curitiba will be held on the following Sunday (10) at 6:30pm.