"He deserves respect", says former defender who played for Corinthians about Memphis Depay

- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial

Former defender Leandro Castán, who played for Corinthians between 2010 and mid-2012, gave an interview to Gazeta Esportiva and highlighted the importance of striker Memphis Depay for the Parque São Jorge club. Timão's number 10 has a contract until July 31, 2026 and has an indefinite future at the club. Alvinegro has a debt of R$40 million related to bonuses and awards for achieved targets set out in the contract and, at the same time, is going through a delicate moment financially, as it has a debt of almost R$3 billion.

"It's a very delicate and difficult subject to talk about too, because I'm not there behind the scenes, I don't know what's happening internally. What we know is that Corinthians is going through a huge financial crisis. And I don't know if that would be the effort, the right word, but Memphis (Depay) has certainly left his mark on the club, he arrived, won titles, so he deserves respect."

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

"I don't know what the club's next steps will be, because it's a very delicate matter. As I said, the club is going through a restructuring process, but I'm going to wait and hope that it stays, because as I said, I hope that the great players in world football are in our country, in our football", he said.

It is worth remembering that, in the final stretch of March, Memphis Depay suffered a grade 2 muscle injury in his right thigh and spent just over two months without taking the field for Corinthians. The Dutchman only returned to action on May 24th, coming from the bench, when Alvinegro beat Atlético-MG, 1 x 0, in the Brasileirão, at the Neo Química Arena. On that occasion, he played for 29 minutes. On the 27th, he was on the field in the first 45 minutes of the match against Platense-ARG, in the Libertadores group stage, in Itaquera.

Before the start of the World Cup, the Netherlands played two friendly matches. Memphis Depay was on the field in just one: in the 1 x 0 defeat against Algeria, on the 3rd, when he came on at halftime replacing midfielder Gravenberch. Last Monday (8), he did not leave the bench in the Dutch victory by the score of 2 x 1, against Uzbekistan. In the current season, he has just one goal and one assist in 14 games for Timão.

On the afternoon of last Sunday (14), Memphis played for 20 minutes in the Netherlands' 2-2 draw against Japan, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in the opening game of the World Cup. On the field, his performance was not impressive, having scored 6.5 on Sofascore, a sports statistics application. He replaced striker Mallen.

Hired by Corinthians in September 2024 after not renewing his contract with Atlético de Madrid, from Spain, Memphis Depay was fundamental in the team's start in the Brasileirão two years ago (from Z4 to Pré-Libertadores), in addition to being decisive in winning the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025) and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively. In addition, there are 20 goals and 15 assists in 79 games for Timão.

In European football, he has spent time at PSV (Netherlands), Manchester United England), Lyon (France), Barcelona (Spain) and Atlético de Madrid (Spain). With the Netherlands shirt, he scored 55 goals in 110 games, making him the greatest scorer in the history of the Netherlands, surpassing names like Robin Van Persie.

Leandro Cástan's numbers for Corinthians

The defender played for Corinthians between February 2010 and July 2012, scoring three goals and one assist in 111 games (106 as a starter), with 56 wins, 32 draws and 23 defeats - 60.06% success rate. In addition, two titles were won: Campeonato Brasileiro (2011) and Conmebol Libertadores (2012).

After ending his career, Castán began, in 2026, his first job as a coach. He is currently in charge of Real Soccer's Under-20 team in São Paulo.

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Source: Timao Central