Such a Hulk would be useful in the RPL. The new year is off to a great start for the 37-year-old Brazilian.
Nikita Paglazov February 25, 2024, 13:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Will Zenit strengthen now?
Hulk is one of the best foreign players in the history of Zenit and the RPL. The Brazilian left Saint Petersburg in 2016 and moved to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG. He seemed to be beginning the final stage of his career. However, the striker continues to destroy his opponents! How is the 37-year-old forward feeling now?
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Hulk left China at the beginning of 2021. A lot of money left local football and the level of the league dropped considerably. The limit on foreign players was affected by government financial restrictions and the coronavirus pandemic. Hulk earned about 20 million euros a year at Shanghai SIPG. Obviously the club couldn’t pay that much. In January 2021, the Brazilian joined Atlético Mineiro as a free agent, signing a two-year contract. The start was controversial: in 11 games in the Liga Mineiro (state championship), he scored only two goals.
In addition, once he was not included in the lineup and in one match he remained on the bench. However, Atlético Mineiro still won the tournament. But in the championship and in the Brazilian Cup, Hulk was at his best. In 35 Serie A games, he scored 19 goals and provided seven assists. In the Cup: eight goals and one assist in 10 games. Atlético Mineiro ended up winning both tournaments and also reached the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores.
Helmet
Photo: Vilela/Getty Images
Hulk was only the second footballer in history to become the top scorer of the Brazilian Cup and Championship, while his team won both trophies (previously, Gabriel Barbosa achieved it in 2018). At the end of the year, Hulk won several individual awards: the best player of the Brazilian championship from Placar magazine, from the Brazilian Football Confederation and the Golden Ball from the Brazilian Cup.
The forward was also included in the symbolic team of the Copa Libertadores and in the 2021 South American team of El País. By the way, in August he was called up for the first time in five years to the national team for the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. In general, he did not move to his homeland for nothing!
2022 was not as successful. Atlético Mineiro only won the Brazilian Super Cup, being stronger than Flamengo in the penalty shootout, and also won the Mineiro League. The team finished seventh in the championship, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Brazilian Cup and in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Hulk missed a large number of matches due to various injuries, but managed to score 12 goals in 25 Serie A matches. And in the Copa Libertadores not everything is so bad: five goals in 10 matches. Individually, Hulk did not lower his standards.
Helmet
Photo: Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images
The next season turned out to be almost a carbon copy of Hulk. Atlético Mineiro won the state championship for the third consecutive time, took third place in Serie A and was also eliminated in the round of 16 of the Brazilian and Libertadores Cups. Hulk himself scored 30 goals and provided 14 assists in 59 games. Solid! As the Hulk season progressed, two interesting pieces of news emerged. After the Liga Mineiro match against Tombense (2-1) at the end of January, the media published the news that the forward lost almost 6 kg during the match. It is about the Brazilian’s increased sweating. Interestingly, after the meeting, Hulk was still taken for a doping test.
At the beginning of November, the forward was sent off in a match with América Mineiro, for which he became angry and launched into a tirade in front of journalists. And at the end he said: “This is disrespectful. I’m tired of Brazil. “One more month here and I’ll be gone.” However, a few hours later, Hulk admitted that the judge was right and also apologized on social media for his words. Another funny situation involves Hulk’s personal life. He was in a 12-year relationship with Irana Angelo, with whom he has three children. But in 2020 he broke up with her and married her relative, Camila Angelo. In 2021 they had his first child and, at the end of 2023, Hulk announced that he would have a second child with his new wife. A Brazilian soap opera, no less.
HULK WITH CAMILAH ANGELO
Photo: from Hulk’s personal archive.
2024 began with good news for the 37-year-old footballer. He agreed with Atlético Mineiro on a new contract, officially concluding it at the end of February. Hulk, 37, will spend two more years with the team. Atlético Mineiro already plays in the Mineiro League. The club won five times and lost once in six games. And Hulk is still great: he has four goals and two assists in five games.
Interesting statistics: Hulk played for Atlético Mineiro the largest number of games in his career – 178. For Porto he played 169 games, for Zenit – 148 and for Shanghai SIPG – 145. The Brazilian’s statistics in goals and assists are impressive currently club – 99+34. Hulk, even at 37, is cool and he’s cool in his homeland. And the Brazilian journalist Fabio Aleicho believes that now the forward would benefit Zenit.
Fabio Aleixo
Brazilian journalist
“Even now, Hulk would be a reinforcement for Zenit and would stand out in the RPL. He was the top scorer of the Brazilian Championship, won a lot with Atlético Mineiro, showed himself well and is already an idol of the fans. He is in good physical shape. The hypothetical transfer of him to Russia would be interesting. But Zenit is interested in other players, a little younger. However, the current Hulk would be a very good striker for the RPL. There is a level, I have no doubt. For example, Hulk is definitely better than Zabolotny and he has already scored a ton of goals this RPL season.”
Considering the current level of RPL, these words are close to the truth. But Hulk still has a couple of seasons left in Brazil. There is no doubt that he will manage to give us some crazy goals.
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