Dudu, one of Palmeiras' biggest idols in the 21st century, has left for a year’s loan to Al-Duhail in Qatar last week.
The Brazilian team will receive 7 million Euros in this deal. The contract has a purchase option after the loan period, which could bring even more money to Palmeiras. They acquired the player in 2015 from Grêmio for only three million euros.
Although he had a successful spell with the green giants from São Paulo, winning two Brasileirão titles and a national cup, Dudu leaves Palmeiras in a somewhat strange way.
At the end of June, Dudu's ex-wife accused the player of assaulting her. He denied, but this was yet another incident in his record . In 2013, when he played for Dinamo Kyiv, the player got arrested with the suspicion of assaulting his wife and mother-in-law. After posting bail, he was released. In this year's case, there were a few pieces of evidence that showed that Dudu and his ex-wife had arguments, but the case never made it to court.
This sudden departure of such a high caliber player is bizarre. In recent years, he has had several good offers, all turned down. He always said that he loved the club and that his intention was long term. Leaving the Verdão this way, it is likely to assume that Dudu is perhaps trying to escape problems unrelated to football.
A Palmeiras’ Idol
Dudu was the presenter of Palmeiras' reconstruction process. He signed despite negotiating with São Paulo and Corinthians, the two biggest rivals of Palmeiras. It came after a year in which Palmeiras fought against relegation to Serie B. He trusted an ambitious project headed by President Paulo Nobre and football director, Alexandre Mattos. In those five years of defending the Palmeiras' colours, he became a real club idol.
Dudu wore the Palmeiras shirt in 305 games, scoring 70 goals. From 2016 to 2019, he was selected for the Brasileirão team of the year. In 2018, he was chosen as the best player of the tournament.
His arrival in 2015 wasn’t smooth. In the state championship finals against Santos, he missed a penalty that would have secured the trophy. Then, in the 2nd leg, he was sent off after pushing the referee. Palmeiras ended up losing the championship on penalties.
But Dudu managed to come around and redeemed himself by the end of the year. Palmeiras went to play the Copa do Brasil final against Santos. After losing the first game 1-0, Dudu scored a brace in the second game, which the Palmeiras team won 2-1. On penalties, the Alviverde secured the title. There, favouring Dudu started to become a consensus among the Palestras, Palmeiras passionates.
Even though he was not a great penalty taker and, many times, having been criticized for preferring not taking them when it matters, Dudu always did very well in the matches against Palmeiras' biggest rivals.
Inmore than 50 games against São Paulo, Corinthians and Santos, he scored ten goals, a few of them are truly memorable ones.
In 2017 he scored a stunning goal from the halfway line against São Paulo. Against Corinthians, who had the giant Cássio in goal, Dudu was able to overcome the goalkeeper with his 1.66 m.
A bitter break-up for the Palestra
Throughout all these years he has been a significant player, that the fans could identify with. He was among the very few who believed in a project that could not work, of a team that had not won any titles for years and looked for a new direction. Since his arrival, Palmeiras has returned to its great status and regained the respect and awe of the national scene.
Now, with his departure, it is unclear what to expect from the team, since reinforcements are unlikely to come in the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic.
Even with everything he did on the pitch for Palmeiras, Dudu's departure is a bitter one. The possibility that he is leaving only to escape assault charges is seen as unfortunate for many of the fans. Besides, it is reinforcing sexism in Brazilian society in a certain way. A man who attacks a woman manages to get away with it by going to the other side of the world, playing football and earning a very high salary.
Dudu was an idol for Palmeiras during the five years he played for the club. An extremely intelligent and creative player who always made incredible moves. He was a player who delighted many fans when playing, his moves were a show and a class of their own.
It is unknown whether he will return after the end of the loan. His future may be in Palmeiras, but it is also possible he may never wear the club shirt again. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: Despite all the positive points Dudu has earned in Palmeiras, his departure amid immense controversy and a pandemic stains his spell with the club. After helping to bring the club back to the top of Brazilian football, it is unclear how this hero will be remembered in the clubs history books.
Photo via Dudu’s official Instagram account.
