When Lucas Moura returned to São Paulo this summer after five seasons at Paris Saint-Germain and five at Spurs, he was given a hero’s welcome. São Paulo had won their last trophy, the Copa Sudamericana, a few weeks before he set off to Paris in January 2012, so the fans hoped his return would coincide with more glory. Their dreams have already become reality.
São Paulo beat Flamengo in the Copa do Brasil final in September, winning the trophy for the first time in their history. It is hard not to compare this triumph with Tottenham’s run in Europe during the 2018-19 season. Moura was the hero of the semi-final against Ajax, scoring a hat-trick in Amsterdam to help the club reach their first Champions League final.
The occasions are similar but Moura has a greater standing in the São Paulo team. He was on the bench against Liverpool, but was the go-to player against Flamengo in the two-legged final. “A final stirs up a lot of emotions,” he says. “We have to be mentally well prepared – not just physically, technically and tactically – but especially psychologically. So I made sure to prepare myself well for these duels, both in the first game in Rio and in the decisive match at Morumbi. Thankfully, everything went well.
“In the Champions League final, it was a different situation. I really didn’t expect to be on the bench but, in the end, it was the coach’s decision. I was solely focused on coming in and helping the team. Liverpool were very tough opponents and it was a complicated game, a very sad one for us. I had a lot of hope we would be champions but, unfortunately, we couldn’t make it happen. These things are part of football.
“However, I must confess, considering that São Paulo is the club I supported – the club of my heart – where the fans had requested my return, the emotions and nerves were heavier. Coming back to São Paulo and winning this title was very special, without a doubt one of the greatest achievements of my career. Returning to my country, returning to the team I love – which is like a second skin to me – and being able to win and feel this emotion again was priceless. Playing for São Paulo is different for me as it is the club where I was formed.”
Moura is a different player to the one who left Brazil over a decade ago. At times this season the field seemed to open for him and his power pushed São Paulo forwards. His teammates knew he would have an instant impact: Rafinha, Alexandre Pato and Jonathan Calleri, for instance, sent him messages asking him to come back.
“It was unusual,” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t expect it. That was really nice and it made me more comfortable. I was very well received by all the players and coaching staff. What mattered most was the way fans approached me on social media, flooding me with messages. I had an avalanche of messages on my social media, and on my wife’s, asking us to come back. That really touched us.”
Playing in the Premier League for five years developed his game. “Thanks to God for the period I spent outside of Brazil,” he says. “I learned a lot. One of the things I learned the most outside of Brazil was tactics – especially playing without the ball. In England we worked a lot physically, so I added intensity and aggression to my game. My time in Europe did me a lot of good, especially in the Premier League, which in my opinion is the most competitive and beautiful league in the world. At São Paulo I try to pass on what I learned so we can improve.”
Moura’s last season with Spurs, however, was tough. “It was very difficult, not only for me but for the whole team. I would have liked to end my time at Tottenham with better results, but I didn’t have many opportunities to play. I struggled with an injury that kept me out for a long time. But these situations are part of football, part of our careers.”
Despite that disappointment, he left Tottenham with happy memories. “What remains for me is everything I built there: the things I achieved on and off the field, the friendships I made. I was very happy and fulfilled in many ways, despite not winning a title. I evolved a lot as a player, as a person, and it was a very memorable journey. And in my farewell match, I was able to come on for a little bit and even scored a goal to leave with that feeling of celebrating. It’s a club I will hold dear in my heart.”
When he looks back at his time in Europe, which moment stands out? “That game against Ajax is hard to beat. That was undoubtedly the most magical game. I believe I stood out. Three goals in the Champions League semi-final, in that scenario. So that game was very magical.”
Having returned home and won a final, Moura has become even more popular with São Paulo fans, who want him to renew his contract for one more season. Will he stay? “That’s the question I answer the most,” he says, laughing. “We are negotiating but I want to finish the season and then sit down with my wife, discuss it and make that decision with a cool head.”
One thing is clear. Moura is just 31 and still hopes to have a future with the Brazil national team. He won the last of his 35 caps in 2018, but thinks playing in Brazil may keep him in the conversation. The Seleção have lost their last three games, so his experience could prove useful. “The national team has always been on my radar,” he says. “I knew that coming back to Brazil, I would have more proximity to a call-up. It has always been a goal. I need to work hard, give my best and let things happen naturally, but undoubtedly it is a goal I will fight hard to achieve.”
Moura has already made plenty of happy memories since returning home. When asked for his favourite, he surprisingly does not choose winning the cup but rather the party the fans threw for the players as they made their way to Rio to face Flamengo. “The fans did something I had never seen before in my life,” he says. “As we made the trip to Rio for the first game against Flamengo, thousands and thousands of fans followed the bus from the training centre to the airport.
“It really moved and motivated the players. And there were people of all ages: children, teenagers, adults, elderly people, making the party, literally carrying us. It was as if they had carried the team on their shoulders. It was a striking experience.”
Life is good for Moura. He is back at the club of his heart, back winning trophies and back home.
Brazilian football expert Josué Seixas is on X, formerly known as Twitter
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