Football
Michael Church, Asia correspondent 7y

Paulinho's generosity praised by Guangzhou Evergrande official

Paulinho has been hailed for his generosity after leaving Guangzhou Evergrande to join Barcelona earlier this week.

The 29-year-old brought his two-year stint in the Chinese Super League to a close when he left in a €40 million deal on Monday, but not before giving the keys of his Mercedes-Benz to his driver, according to a senior Evergrande official.

"Paulinho never put on any airs," club official Liang Ke said on his Weibo account. "He says hello or thank you to almost everybody and always meets the needs of others.

"He is reluctant to receive any money, instead, he loves giving. For example, he gave his pair of Beats headphones and [Mercedes-Benz] car to his driver.

"His gesture of goodwill is not determined by his high salary. There are tons of people who are richer than Paulinho, but few are as generous and broadminded as him."

The generous move with the Mercedes was, according to Liang, entirely in keeping with the character of a player who regularly helped out those around him.

He secretly wore an armband in support of the Chapecoense club in Brazil that was devastated by a plane crash earlier this year despite being told not to do so by Chinese football authorities.

"Paulinho brought a private podiatrist from Brazil along with him after joining Evergrande," Liang's post continued.

"After noticing the maladjustment suffered by his podiatrist, Paulinho invited the podiatrist's wife and children to come here and covered the entire expense.

"Paulinho paid tuition fees for the podiatrist's children after helping them enrol in an international school. He also paid medical bills before one of the children underwent a surgical procedure.

"Paulinho even provided plane tickets and five-star accommodation if the podiatrist's family fancy travelling to watch his away games. Have you ever met another employer as good as Paulinho?"

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