John Arias faced a hostile reunion with his former club Fluminense on Wednesday night as his new team Palmeiras won 2-1.
The episode adds another chapter to a tumultuous year for Colombians. after a mixed magic on wolves And after a quick return of £21.5 million (€25 million), Arias found himself center stage again – this time for off-pitch drama.
The tension arose from Arias' emotional departure when he left Fluminense for Wolves. In those days, He pledged loyalty to the Rio club.
"I will come back to Fluminense, and I say this with complete calmness. The greatest lesson my grandfather and parents taught me is to be loyal to what you feel. There is nothing in the world, no money, that can buy your essence, your values." He said before boarding his flight to Wolves.
This statement is now overshadowing his transfer to Palmeiras. So even before kick-off, the focus was entirely on Arias. His new club was warmly greeted by the traveling Fluminense fans, and the winger was welcomed with chants of "".Arias, go [redacted] Yourself! Fluminense doesn’t need you!” Another section kept shouting "Judas" repeatedly.
some fans and moved forward. They printed counterfeit dollar bills with Arias' face on them, mocking what they called His "dream" goes away. One supporter was holding a shirt with the words: "traitor. “Dreamed of Europe, woke up with Tiete.” - a reference to the polluted river that flows through São Paulo, where Palmeiras is located.
Split reactions to pitch
He entered the pitch in the 57th minute. He received a yellow card after a foul on his former teammate Guga, almost provided an assist and attempted a direct free-kick from long range. Each touch drew whistles from the traveling support.
At one point, Guga fouled him in response to that earlier challenge. Fluminense fans celebrated the tackle loudly and chanted the defender's name in approval.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras supporters sang his name whenever Arias came on and again sang his name whenever the away goal took aim at him.
The match against Palmeiras ended 2–1, one of the goals being scored by a player named Allan Attracted interest from Liverpool In recent weeks. However, the competition often felt secondary to Arias' presence.
After the final whistle, left-back Joaquín Piquerez came to the rescue of his teammate.
"I think all the players are professionals. We didn't know what Arias was thinking, but he already imagined this situation. He doesn't need to give it importance. John helped Fluminense a lot, gave them many titles, one of the most important in their history. Today he is with us and will defend our colors".Uruguay said.
Meanwhile, Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio also downplayed the controversy.
"This is normal in football. We can't only focus on the individual side of the player, the buying and selling options and the situations behind the scenes. We also focus on the match against Palmeiras, on the quality players, on the entry of Arias. That's what we focus on."He said.
For those who watched his time at Wolves, it feels natural. Fluminense's pranksters may follow him around for a while.
Yet if this is what life after Wolves looks like – decisive touches, centre-stage drama and a winning side built around him – then he may decide the trade-off was worth it.
