It might not be the Brazilian Barcelona fans were hoping to see join this summer, but the Catalan side has spent €40 million to sign Paulinho from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.

His time at White Hart Lane won’t exactly be remembered fondly, so it came as no surprise that he was named as their worst ever player recently, and was sold by the north London side which saw him depart to the Chinese Super League in a €14 million deal.

SURPRISING MOVE

Fast forward two years, and the Brazil international has become the fourth most expensive signing in Barca’s history, behind Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Suarez.

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He seems to have resurrected his career in China, as his performances didn’t only help Evergrande win last season’s Chinese Super League, but he’s established himself as a regular in the Brazil side since Tite was named as the new coach last year.

It was revealed that the 29-year-old paid €7.5million of his own release clause, such is the lure of the Blaugrana, but senior staff member Liang Ke has explained why Paulinho will be missed sorely – and it’s all because of his generosity.

He revealed on his Weibo account that Paulinho gifted his Mercedes to his driver before departing, while he also covered all the expenses of his private podiatrist after flying them out to China from Brazil.

GENEROUS

According to Goal, he wrote: “Paulinho never put on any airs. He says hello or thank you to almost everybody and always meets the needs of others.

“He is reluctant to receive any money, instead, he loves giving. For example, he gave his pair of Beats headphones and [Mercedes-Benz] car to his driver.

“His gesture of goodwill is not determined by his high salary. There are tons of people who are richer than Paulinho, but few are as generous and broadminded as him.

“Paulinho brought a private podiatrist from Brazil along with him after joining Evergrande.

“After noticing the maladjustment suffered by his podiatrist, Paulinho invited the podiatrist’s wife and children to come here and covered the entire expense.

“Paulinho paid tuition fees for the podiatrist’s children after helping them enrol in an international school. He also paid medical bills before one of the children undergoes a surgical procedure.

“Paulinho even provided plane tickets and five-star accommodation if the podiatrist’s family fancy travelling to watch his away games. Have you ever met another employer as good as Paulinho?”

He also went on to reveal that Paulinho showed support for Chapecoense football club following the tragic plane crash by secretly wearing an armband, even though Chinese authorities rejected his application.

What do you make of Paulinho’s generosity in China? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

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