Gabigol had a short and discreet spell at Benfica (2017/18), but he recognizes that, contrary to what he had lived in Italy, he perceived the little use. For the Brazilian striker, Rui Vitória had a wide range of options for the attack.
«I was 18 years old, I needed to play. Then the opportunity to go to Benfica opened up. He said: ‘Anywhere but Inter, I want to go to Benfica.’ I wanted to play, have minutes. I also didn’t have [minutos] at Benfica, but then I could understand that it was something different. I went to a super champion team, there was Jonas, there were many [jogadores] who were idols. But it was where I learned the most, where I met more people», he said, in the podcast Podpah.
Halfway through the season, after just five games and a goal for the Reds, Gabigol returned to Santos with a goal in mind.
«I spent half a season at Benfica. the same thing happened [que no Inter]. I played, but I played little. But I felt very good and that’s when I said I had to go back to Brazil. I used to say to my friends: ‘If I come back, at the very least, I’m the top scorer [melhor marcador] do Brasileirão’», he said.
On his return to Peixe, he scored 18 goals and fulfilled the established goal.
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