James Rodríguez’s tenure at São Paulo didn’t go to plan. The Colombian struggled to adjust to Brazilian football, failing to establish himself in the starting lineup, and ended up being questioned both inside and outside the club. However, he is not the first star who leaves the Morumbi on bad terms.
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Renato Gaúcho
Renato Gaúcho’s case must be one of the biggest embarrassments in a transfer market for São Paulo. At the age of 34, the forward had agreed to join São Paulo as Fluminense were in debt with him. He was even announced by the Tricolor, but before signing the contract, he decided to return to Rio de Janeiro, as Flu offered to pay the money owed to him.
Rivaldo
Late in 2010, Rivaldo promised to return to Brazil to defend the colors of Mogi Mirim. However, his destination upon returning to the country ended up being São Paulo, where he would wear the tricolor shirt for the rest of the season. However, the 38-year-old left a lot to be desired: with only seven goals in 45 matches, he was released towards the end of 2011.
Lúcio
In 2012, São Paulo secured the arrival of the World Cup champion with Brazil in Korea/Japan 2002. Although he came from Juventus, the 34-year-old defender was already well past his prime. Six months later, he was removed from the squad due to alleged indiscipline. He trained separately for almost four months until he finally agreed to terminate his contract. Originally, he had agreed to a two-year contract.
Dani Alves
Dani Alves returned to São Paulo after leaving PSG in 2019. He was able to show his talent and even celebrated the Campeonato Paulista in 2021. But the problems started that same year as the club ended up owing him millions. In the agreement to terminate the contract, São Paulo committed to paying him around R$ 500,000 per month for five years.
