Lucas Paqueta played his last game for West Ham United on January 6th during their clash with Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium.
Paqueta was forced off after 63 minutes of that game with a supposed back problem, but the West Ham fans weren’t convinced.
It was last week when Paqueta completed his move from West Ham to Flamengo, with the Brazilian said to be desperate to return to his homeland.
How will you remember Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
A graphic showing Lucas Paqueta's all-time statistics for West Ham.
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The 28-year-old joined the Hammers in August 2022 but, in truth, he never really lived up to expectations at the London Stadium.
In fact, it’s fair to say he flattered to deceive for the most part during his time with the Hammers.
Paqueta left West Ham in the January window, and Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo used that money to sign the likes of Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felipe and Adama Traore.
However, the way in which the former Lyon midfielder pushed for an exit in January left a bitter taste in the West Ham fans’ mouths.
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Lucas Paqueta reveals the truth about his back injury
The 28-year-old wasn’t included in any of the West Ham match-day squads after the defeat to Forest at the start of January.
West Ham United v Liverpool - Premier League
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The official word coming out of West Ham was that Paqueta had a back injury.
However, the cynics among the Hammers fanbase believed that the ‘injury’ was nothing more than a ploy from Paqueta to help force through a move to Flamengo.
And sources inside the club claimed that Paqueta was, in fact, not injured.
Those claims quite obviously angered the Hammers fans, rightly so.
West Ham backed Paqueta throughout his trials and tribulations over the past two years and they felt like the Brazilian didn’t appreciate that backing due to the way in which he made it clear that he wanted out of the London Stadium.
And now, Paqueta has lifted the lid on whether he was actually injured or not.
Lucas Paqueta reacts during Wolverhampton Wanderers v West Ham United - Carabao Cup Second Round
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“Thank God I’m better now.
“People think I didn’t have back pain, but I actually had really strong back pain. I played right up until my last match against Nottingham while in pain, and I ended up feeling it in that game too.
“So, besides the negotiations, I chose to protect myself and take care of myself – to completely get rid of that pain.
“And of course, in the final days, in the last week of negotiations, it was also really about the negotiations. It was a mix of everything.
“I went a long time without training and without playing. And now I hope to get my fitness back so I can help Flamengo.“
Lucas Paqueta’s nightmare Flamengo debut
Paqueta received a mixed reception from Flamengo fans when making his second debut for them this weekend, so to speak.
He missed an absolute sitter during Flamengo’s defeat to Corinthians on Sunday.
Paqueta’s startling miss was made to look even worse when Corinthians immediately went down the other end and scored their second goal.
If Paqueta is leaving for £35m, how much is Summerville worth right now? 🤑
Roma made an offer this month…
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The Brazil international spoke out after the game, insisting that he will work even harder to ensure that he never misses a chance like that ever again.
“I was anxious, but there’s no excuse,” Paqueta said.
“I had to score the goal.
“I made a choice that wasn’t the best one.
“I’m going to work really hard so that next time I get the chance, I put the ball in the net.”
Paqueta is clearly happy, having returned to his boyhood club. However, he will have to start performing quickly if he is to justify the £35 million fee that Flamengo paid to bring him back.
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