Feyenoord recently announced that Eric Botteghin’s expiring contract has been formally terminated. It was noted that the Rotterdammers can still talk to the 33-year-old defender about a longer cooperation. Botteghin announces in conversation with UOL Esporte however, that he will leave the Netherlands after fourteen years and prefers to play in his native country Brazil.
Botteghin played in Brazil for AD Guarulhos, Grêmio Barueri Futebol and Internacional, before PEC Zwolle brought him to the Netherlands in 2007. “I feel my time is over here. It was great to live here, but I’m 33 now and I want to try something new: a different league, new stadiums, a new culture, a new playing style, ”Botteghin said in conversation with the Brazilian medium. Via PEC, NAC Breda and FC Groningen, he ended up at Feyenoord in 2015, where he played 165 matches and won a national title, twice the TOTO KNVB Cup and twice the Johan Cruijff Shield.
Botteghin’s contract had also expired a year ago, but then the defender and Feyenoord came to an agreement on a longer stay late in the summer. Now it seems that Botteghin is about to leave Feyenoord and he is openly flirting with a return to Brazil. “I am a Brazilian, I even played in the second team of Internacional for a while. Of course I would like to know what it is like to play in Brazil, the country where my family and friends are. ”
“But I am open to several things. Let’s wait and see what possibilities arise, then I will study them and choose the best path, ”Botteghin continues. Several Brazilian clubs were already chasing the center-back in the past. “Perhaps those contacts can now help us to return to Brazil, but we know how it works in Brazilian football. I don’t know if the people I spoke to at the time are still in charge of the clubs. ”
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