Former Tottenham Hotspur man Paulinho made headlines for the right reasons today.
Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho was the hero for Barcelona on Saturday.
The Brazilian came off the bench to rescue all three points for his new club by snatching an 84th-minute winner in the 2-1 win away to Getafe.
The hosts had led 1-0 at the break through Gaku Shibasaki, before Denis Suarez equalised midway through the second half.
In truth, Barcelona raised more than a few eyebrows with their decision to sign the 29-year-old, who left Tottenham for Guangzhou Evergrande in China two years ago.
Spurs fans were among the most surprised by virtue of the fact that Paulinho hardly justified the £25 million which was spent on him by chairman Daniel Levy in 2013.
As a result, many labellled him a “Tottenham reject” upon joining Ernesto Valverde’s this side this past summer – comments which Barcelona fans are now using against the Lilywhites’ fanbase it appears.
Paulinho is clearly a talented player – well, he wouldn’t be anywhere near Barcelona otherwise – but that isn’t to say that claims of him being a reject were harsh.
Truth is, the Brazil international never looked a top-drawer figure for Spurs and he would not get in their current best XI.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
