Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton visited one of his former clubs at the weekend.
The 29-year-old went back to where it all began as he attended Sport Recife’s 2-0 victory over Nautico, a result that took them top of the Brasileiro Serie B table.
Joelinton came through the academy at the Brazilian club and went on to make 39 senior appearances before making the move to Europe.
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He arrived at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in 2015, which included a two-year loan spell at Austrian outfit Rapid Wien, before joining the Magpies for a then club-record £40million four years later.
It may have been 11 years since Joelinton first left Recife but it’s clear both him and the club retain a strong bond.
Joelinton was invited pitchside along with his eldest son Netinho and held conversations with some familiar faces before being presented with a Recife home shirt with ‘Joelinton 7’ on the back.
He then wore the shirt before shaking hands with some as he made his way to his seat in the stands to watch the game.
Recife posted a video of his visit with the caption (translated from Brazilian): “Look who’s here! On vacation, Joelinton came to visit Sport and killed his longing for Retirement Island. Another blond fan- black on the classic! Always a pleasure having you around Big Joe!”
Replying to the post, Joelinton wrote: “Always an honour”.
Joelinton, who was left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad, missed the final two matches of last season with a thigh injury will be ok for the start of pre-season on July 13.
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