
Barcelona midfielder Paulinho has left to rejoin his former club Guangzhou Evergrande, the Chinese Super League club have announced.
The 29-year-old will return on loan after just one season in Spain, with no transfer fee announced.
🔵🔴 @paulinhop8 at Barça:
⚽️ 49 games
👟 9 goals
🏆 2 trophies pic.twitter.com/vIC1xRfv5N— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 8, 2018
Paulinho played 34 games and scored nine goals as Barcelona won La Liga last term, and started all five of Brazil’s World Cup games in Russia.
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The Brazil midfielder made 63 league appearances for Guangzhou Evergrande from 2015-2017.
Thank you for everything, @paulinhop8! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/De4FbrhDMq
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 8, 2018
A mainstay of Brazil boss Tite’s side in Russia, Paulinho scored once in the 2-0 group-stage win over Serbia and played 73 minutes of their 2-1 quarter-final defeat by Belgium before being replaced by goalscorer Renato Augusto.
He joined Tottenham for £17m from Corinthians in 2013, before moving to China in 2015.