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Depay is making headlines again

Man Utd flop Cristiano Ronaldo tipped for greatness has become the ultimate troll in Brazil

Ben Stewart •
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Back in 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo included Memphis Depay in a list of five players that he thought would take the footballing world by storm.

The Portuguese star also included Eden Hazard, Neymar, Paul Pogba and Martin Odegaard on his list.

While all of the players that Ronaldo named have gone on to have successful careers in the game, Depay’s career has unfolded in quite a unique way.

After bursting onto the scene at PSV as a teenager, he was snapped up by Manchester United in 2015 and the hype levels quickly went into overdrive.

He only lasted one full season at Old Trafford before he was shown the door by Jose Mourinho in 2016.

Thankfully, he’s been able to rebuild his career since then, owing much of his success to Lyon, where he enjoyed his peak years, between 2016 and 2021.

Following stints in Spain with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, he’s been playing in Brazil since 2024 for Corinthians and seems to be having the time of his life.

While most players from Europe don’t consider moving to South America until later in their career, Depay is still only 31 and is more than capable of playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

However, apart from his football ability, it’s been his personality that’s made him a hit with the Corinthians’ fans.

During their latest game against Atletico Mineiro, he couldn’t help but wind up Ruan Tressoldi with one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Nothing quite damages the male ego like making someone flinch when pretending to throw a ball at them. No wonder Tressoldi looked so wounded.

Thankfully for Depay, his wind-up antics seemed to work as Corinthians held on for a 1-0 win, which saw them climb to 12th in the table.

It’s not the first time that Depay has wound up the opposition in Brazil this season either.

Indeed, back in March, he made headlines for standing on the ball against Palmeiras, which led to a brawl unfolding.

After performing the skill, the Brazilian Football Federation made a rule change, so that players should be shown a yellow card if they stand on the ball with both feet and the opposing team is awarded an indirect free-kick.

Unsurprisingly, this didn’t go down very well with Depay.

“I really went to Brazil to also experience Jogo Bonito [the beautiful game] first hand but now the CBF announced yesterday that no player can stand on the ball or the player will receive a yellow card,” Depay wrote on X.

“Not that it is such an important factor in football but I don’t see the issue here. There is so much talent over here. The joy and passion in the way of expressing ourselves on the field shouldn’t be limited.

“I really wonder what the board of the CBF looks like. Who’s deciding the future of this beautiful football country?

“Let’s focus on what rules can improve the sport and focus on the business side of football – what benefits the clubs the fans and players instead of these silly announcements.”

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Memphis Depay