José Martínez breaks silence on controversial goodbye and says he would return to Corinthians

- By Lucas Barreiros/Central do Timão Editorial

Driving midfielder José Martínez, champion of the Campeonato Paulista and Copa do Brasil with Corinthians, broke his silence and explained for the first time the behind-the-scenes of the controversial injury that ended up taking him out of the club. In addition to revealing details of his physical condition, the Venezuelan also stated that he would return to Timão and that he left the team due to then coach Dorival Júnior.

"When I arrived in Brazil, I showed everything to the committee, the players, I tried to talk to the coach, and he didn't want to talk to me. He didn't want to listen to me. I'm sure I left the team because of the coach, because he had a good relationship with the players. I fell in love with Corinthians. It's one of the best teams I've played for in my life," said Martínez in an interview with ESPN's Fala a Fonte program.

Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians
"If I made a mistake, I apologize. But it was not my intention to return late. I wanted to return as quickly as possible, because I knew the injury I had and wanted to resolve it. If I have to apologize, I apologize to all the fans. If I have to return to Corinthians, I will return, because I love Corinthians. If I return to Brazil to play, I am available to return. I believe that the committee did not value the sacrifice I made when I'm sure I left the team because of the commission", he continued.

Delay in resubmission

Commenting on the delay in resubmission, José Martínez explained again that everything occurred due to problems with the passport.

"My passport was valid, but I no longer had a page to stamp. When I came to Venezuela in October to pick up my son, I came back two days later. My son has an American passport and in Brazil they ask for a visa. I didn't know, it took me a while to get back. The technical staff didn't believe me, I passed everything on to my representative so he could speak to the team, because they thought I was doing something wrong," he said.

"I love Corinthians. It gave me confidence, the fans helped me. I know I wasn't the best on the team, but I gave my best", continued the athlete.

The athlete mentions that he maintained a good relationship with names like André Carrillo, Garro and Matheuzinho, and revealed that he told everyone about the problems encountered when returning to Brazil at the beginning of the year.

"I spoke to him (Carillo) every day. I spoke to him, to Rodrigo Garro, to Matheuzinho. I explained what was happening, they knew the situation I was going through", he added.

Barbs and controversy

In April, after the dismissal of Dorival Júnior, midfielder José Martínez published insults to the former coach on his social networks.

"I left the team because of you, now you're going to pay the bill. God is in charge. Soon you'll know the truth", wrote the player in a post made on Instagram stories.

After reappearing more than a month late, Martínez returned complaining of pain, underwent tests and was diagnosed with an ACL tear in his left knee. Because of this, Corinthians terminated the contract with the Venezuelan.

In the agreement, Timão agreed to pay for the surgery and 30% of the salaries from February to December 2026. Even though he is under contract until the end of 2027, Martínez waived the salaries he would receive next year.

The post José Martínez breaks silence on controversial goodbye and says he would return to Corinthians first appeared on Central do Timão.

The content José Martínez breaks silence on controversial goodbye and says he would return to Corinthians appears first in Central do Timão.

Source: Timao Central