Paulinho:”Inter pursued me but I only had 15 minutes to decide”

The transfer market has generated numerous “what if scenarios” in recent years, inlcluding Inter potentially landing a midfielder of Paulinho’s caliber. The Brazilian international revealed this backstory in a recent post on the Player’s Tribune:”Before a practice session while I was at Corinthians, my agent called me to say that Inter wanted me but I had to give an answer in fifteen minutes. I ran into Tite’s office and told him what happened by telling him I didn’t know what to do and Inter was one of the biggest clubs in the world. Title told me it was my life but that he wanted me to stay. He told me to raise my thumb in the air if I wanted to go or point my thumb to the ground if I wanted to stay. During the training session I created suspense but then I told him I was staying, he told me “My God, I thought you were leaving”