Former Manchester United and England star Jesse Lingard has completed his move to Brazil, joining Corinthians.
The midfielder left FC Seoul in Korea at the end of last year when his contract expired, having made 67 appearances, scoring 19 goals. He spent nearly two years with the club.
He turned down interest from a number of other clubs to move to the South American giants, who also boast another former United player on their books in Memphis Depay.
Wolves, Genoa and West Ham – where Lingard had a successful loan spell in 2021 – were all interested, but the ex-Red Devil opted to remain abroad.
Corinthians confirmed the 33-year-old has penned a deal until the end of the year, with a further 12 months to be triggered if certain objectives are met.
‘First, I saw the fans at the airport saying “Go, Corinthians! Go, Corinthians!”,’ Lingard told the club upon completing his move. ‘There is a lot of passion from the fans, which is wonderful to see.
‘The players welcomed me with open arms, the coach, the director, it was great to meet them. My first impressions: very happy, I can’t wait to play.’
Lingard, who made over 230 appearances for Manchester United and amassed 32 caps for England prior to 2022, finished his last season with Seoul having scored 13 goals in 41 appearances.
He made his final appearance for the club on December 10, scoring in a 1–1 draw against Melbourne City in the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.
His time in his homeland came to an end in 2023 when he left Nottingham Forest after a year with the club.
And though he played a key role in England’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018, he has not played for his country since 2021.
