Back in 2015, having burst onto the scene at PSV and become a Golden Boot winner in the Eredivisie, Memphis was taken to Old Trafford in a £25 million ($34m) transfer. He was considered to be a rough diamond in need of some polishing, but excited those that were eager to see what he could do in the Premier League.
The answer turned out to be, not much. Just seven goals - with only two of those coming in English top-flight competition - were registered across his debut campaign in England. By January 2017, with Jose Mourinho calling shots at Old Trafford by that point, he wasmoved on to Lyon at a financial and sporting loss to United.
Alost spark was rekindled in France, with end product returning to his game, and few eyebrows were raised when Barcelona snapped him up as a free agent in 2021. LionelMessi departed Camp Nou a matter of weeks later, leading to added pressure being lumped onto Memphis’ shoulders. Just one full season was spent in Catalunya before heading to Atletico Madrid for 16 months and eventually over to South America.
Memphis has become a fan favourite at Corinthians, with his technical ability and desire to dip into a bag of tricks tailor-made for life in Brazil - alongside the party lifestyle that Sao Paulo has to offer.