On Friday, Brazil’s Corinthians announced the signing of former Manchester United and most recently FC Seoul attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard. The Englishman, now 33, spent a decade at Old Trafford, with brief spells at West Ham and Nottingham Forest, before becoming the marquee international name in South Korea’s K League at FC Seoul, scoring 16 goals in 60 appearances. Now the former England international is taking perhaps the most unusual step of his career, trading Seoul for São Paulo and the intensity of Brazilian football.
Jesse Lingard Becomes the First Englishman in the Brasileirão
Lingard is no longer the player who lit up the Premier League in his prime. That much is clear. But in football, names carry weight and sell tickets, and his name carries plenty. The former England international, who featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, is a recognisable face in living rooms from Manchester to Lagos, and his arrival in São Paulo will turn heads that had never previously glanced toward Brazilian football.
More significantly, it makes him a historic first. No Englishman has ever played in the Brasileirão — CONMEBOL’s biggest, wealthiest, and most passionately supported league. Whatever Lingard contributes on the pitch, that trivia note belongs to him permanently.
His move is also a reflection of a league with growing financial muscle and genuine ambition. Lingard joins a Corinthians squad that includes Memphis Depay, the Dutch international striker set to feature at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Morocco’s Zakaria Labyad — a lineup that would not look out of place in many European top division clubs. Corinthians just lifted Brazil’s super cup against Flamengo.
The International Star Parade in the Brasileirão
The Brasileirão has always been home to jogo bonito, but it is increasingly home to the world’s game in a broader sense. While Brazilian clubs have worked hard to repatriate famous domestic talent, such as Neymar at Santos and Lucas Paquetá returning to Flamengo for a record fee, there is a parallel story of genuine international recruitment taking shape.
DR Congo’s Yannick Bolasie (Chapecoense), Denmark’s Martin Braithwaite (Grêmio), Spain’s Saúl Ñíguez (Flamengo), and Portugal’s Cédric Soares (São Paulo) are among the non-Latin American players now calling Brazil home. Then there is the unique case of Jorginho, Italian international, born in Brazil, lining up for Flamengo.
Each signing adds another data point to a trend that is hard to ignore.
The Home of South American Talent
The international names only tell part of the story. The true strength of the Brasileirão remains its ability to attract the best talent from across South America.
What Lingard will quickly discover is that the Brasileirão is already the dominant force across an entire continent. Players from Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Venezuela are not occasional imports, they are central figures at the biggest clubs in the country, often before heading on to European transfers.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Nicolás de la Cruz drive Flamengo and Uruguay. Colombian players star, Jhon Arias returned to the league at Palmeiras. Johan Carbonero features at Internacional, Mateo Casierra at Atlético Mineiro, Kevin Viveros at Athletico Paranaense, and Marino Hinestroza at Vasco da Gama. Palmeiras boasts three Paraguayans including captain Gustavo Gómez. Atlético Mineiro has three Ecuadorians including Ángelo Preciado. Jefferson Savarino and Yeferson Soteldo represent Venezuela and Fluminense.
A third of all foreign players in the league are Argentine, including Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi and Santos forward Benjamín Rollheiser.
The reason is simple: Brazilian clubs can offer better wages and better conditions than their South American rivals, including the Liga Argentina. The Brasileirão doesn’t compete for continental talent, it wins it outright. That’s part of why CONEMBOL appears to be lobbying for Liga MX to return to its trophy competitions, along with MLS for the first time, to add financial balance and star power.
Brazilian Clubs Want to Challenge the World’s Best
The ambition behind signings like Lingard’s extends beyond the continent. Brazil’s clubs were a strong presence at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and Flamengo came agonizingly close to winning the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final against PSG. The league’s clubs are no longer satisfied with dominating South America, they want to measure themselves against Europe’s best.
That ambition needs visibility. And this is where players like Lingard, even at 33, even past their peak genuinely matter. Every British fan who follows his progress at Corinthians is a new set of eyes on a league that has long deserved far more attention. Every post, every highlight, every reaction to his performance on the pitch pulls the Brasileirão further into the global conversation, especially with english speaking football supporters.
Brazilian football is intense, demanding, and unforgiving. There is no guarantee Lingard will nail down a starting spot, let alone dominate the way he did at times in Korea. Playing for a Copa do Brasil champion comes with enormous expectation. The club will participate in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores and expects to qualify for the knockout rounds, meaning Lingard will play at stadiums beyond Brazil.
Lingard arrives with a similar attitude as many British players finally looking beyond the Premier League’s comfort zone, Harry Kane at Bayern Munich, Marcus Rashford at Barcelona, Eric Dier at Monaco, Jarell Quansah at Bayer Leverkusen, players discovering that despite the high wages and fame of the Premier League, and even the English Championship, there’s opportunity abroad. Jesse Lingard may not be elite anymore. But the league he just joined very much is.
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
