There’s taking one for the team and then there’s Paulo Otavio’s brutal tackle for Wolfsburg vs Hoffenheim.A contender for one of the most cynical red card offences we’ve ever seen, the incident which happened towards the end of the 2020-21 campaign has re-emerged on social media.Trailing 2-1 deep into stoppage-time, Wolfsburg had a corner and one final opportunity to rescue a point away from home.Goalkeeper Koen Casteels went forward but was frantically racing back towards his own goal moments later after the ball was cleared.Hoffenheim forward Mu’nas Dabbur burst away from Casteels and looked certain to put the ball into the unguarded net.But the Israel international was scythed down by a flying two-footed tackle by Otavio, who was left with absolutely no complaints when referee Markus Schmidt flashed a straight red card in his direction.The Brazilian left-back knew full well that the early bath was deserved.Watch the tackle in all its glory here:

Absolutely outrageous!

Let’s check out some of the reaction to the clip:

How long was Paulo Otavio banned for?

While Otavio may have prevented Wolfsburg from conceding a third goal, he was slapped with a four-match ban by the German Football Association.

Was it really worth it, Paulo?

What did Paulo Otavio say about his tackle?

In a lengthy statement on Instagram after his red card tackle went viral, the South American said, per The Metro: “Today was an ‘atypical’ day in my life, I don’t know if I should say anything. But out of respect for all who support me, I will speak.

“When I started in this sport, I didn’t imagine that I would get here. I dreamed, I dreamed a lot about several moments. Moments when I would leave games as a hero, smiling, on top of the world.

“I would say that today would be one of the nightmares I had. But the worst thing about the nightmare is not when you ‘dream’ it, it is when you keep remembering it.

“Has this happened to you? Waking up from your nightmare and being afraid to sleep again, for fear of ‘dreaming’ again?

“After the game I retracted it, apologised to whoever I thought I should apologise to. Although I thought I was doing the right thing in that moment, I didn’t imagine it would be that bad.

“I never meant it with malice, on the contrary, it was always with love. Love for those who cheer for me, love for those who follow me and love for sport, for life. I have made many mistakes for loving too much. And today, it was one more of them!

“There was never any evil on my part. However, there is some malice in some people! Bad in judging, bad in pointing fingers. Simply forget everything that was built, for years and years, and say who you are, or who they say / think you are, for a fraction of a second.

“Thanks to God I did not hurt my companion of work, for my willingness to stop the goal. But I believe that many have already been hurt by their judgments. Just like they are doing today!

“Thanks for the support messages. We grew up with mistakes. The human being is flawed! God bless you all. Love, lots of love to you.”

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