São Paulo – Moroccan Zakaria Labyad arrived in Brazil on Sunday (8) to join Corinthians. The midfielder was scheduled to undergo medical exams on Monday (9) before being officially announced as a reinforcement for the São Paulo state club’s 2026 season. Corinthians coach Dorival Jr. said the signing was not his request, but that Zakaria will be an important player.
“Zakaria wasn’t my request, but I’m here to coach the team. I’ll work with the squad I’m given. I know little about the player, just some information from Memphis (Depay). Let him come and contribute; he’ll be treated very well. It wasn’t my recommendation, but that’s not a problem. He will be an important player,” Dorival told the press.
At 32, Zakaria’s last club was China’s Dalian Yingbo at the end of last year. He has been without a team since then and joins Corinthians on a free transfer. Zakaria Labyad played alongside Memphis Depay, Corinthians’ current forward, at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). It was at the French club, in the 2009–2010 season, that he was promoted to the professional team at just 17 years old.
Before playing for China’s Dalian Yingbo, the Moroccan played for clubs such as Sporting in Portugal, Vitesse and Ajax in the Netherlands, and Fulham in England, among others. Zakaria Labyad is part of Morocco’s men’s national football team. The player visited Neo Química Arena after arriving on Sunday.
At the end of last year, another Arab player, Algerian Bilal Brahimi, joined another Brazilian team, Santos. The forward, however, was loaned this month by the Baixada Santista club to Estrela da Amadora in Portugal, where he is expected to stay until midyear.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
