Renan Lodi defines future after training at Athletico and agrees with Atlético-MG

With this, the red and black fans increased expectations for the return of their idol, champion of the 2018 South American Championship and the 2019 Copa do Brasil. However, the athlete’s staff’s priority was his return to European football. The agreement with the Minas Gerais club frustrated a large part of the fans.

The last time Renan Lodi played in an official game was on July 4th, in Al-Hilal’s elimination against Fluminense, in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. The Rio club won 2-1 after the Arabs had beaten Manchester City in the round of 16.

Lodi left Al-Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, in early September. With an escape that looked like a movie scene, he traveled to Curitiba after not being registered by the club in the Saudi League. In the athlete’s view, he was being “deprived of exercising his profession” and went to court requesting the unilateral termination of the contract with the Arab club.

“I would only have the chance to play in very few games, for the Asian Champions League. This situation made me reflect on my future. I still have many dreams in football and I wouldn’t have enough minutes this season. During the last few weeks, I tried to reverse this decision with the club, to be available in all of Al-Hilal’s games”, he published about the decision on social media.

Renan Lodi said goodbye to Al-Hilal with 56 official games, four goals and 11 assists. Discarded by coach Simone Inzaghi, the Brazilian would have played a maximum of six matches between August and December if he had remained in the team.

During this period in Curitiba, Lodi also participated in a charity game at Arena da Baixada to help rebuild the city of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu, hit by tornadoes that left seven dead and at least 835 injured.

Furthermore, he also went to São Paulo and was present at the NeoQuímica Arena to watch Corinthians draw against Botafogo, in Série A of the Brasileirão. He was alongside friends such as the Portuguese João Félix and João Cancelo, stars who play in Saudi clubs.