KUALA LUMPUR: Guilherme De Paula, a Malaysia Cup winner with Selangor in 2015, is back in the country – and this time, he is looking to help Kuala Lumpur recapture their former glories.
The Brazilian was a late signing by Premier League team KL and only joined his first training session with the city side on Thursday.
With the 2017 season kicking off on Friday, there is little time for De Paula to get up to speed with his new teammates, but the 30-year-old forward is eager to get involved straight away.
"I want to play. I am a football player and I want to play every game, whether it is a friendly or a competitive match," said De Paula at KL's training ground in Desa Melawati.
"But it's difficult because I only arrived two days ago and with the jet lag, my body is a little bit tired. If the coach wants me to play, then I will give my best for the team," he said.
De Paula turned out for the Police team last year, joining in the mid-season transfer window, but could not help prevent their relegation from the Super League despite scoring 11 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Malaysia Cup, to emerge as the tournament top-scorer.
"After my contract with Police ended, I went home to Brazil to enjoy a holiday with my family and refresh my mind," added De Paula.
"I discussed with my agent what I want to do this year and I liked what I saw with KL. I want to continue playing my football in Malaysia, so this is a new challenge for me," he said.
KL coach Wanderley Junior will only consider playing De Paula in Friday's opening Premier League fixture against Johor in Selayang once he has assessed the player's fitness.
"I trained on my own back home and I've only arrived one day before the game," added De Paula, whose place in the KL squad came at the expense of Argentine winger Carlos Chamorro.
"I might not be able to play the whole match but maybe I can play one half," he said.
Chamorro was forced to make way as KL already had the maximum four foreign players allowed under M-League regulations before De Paula's signing.
De Paula is confident he will not have trouble fitting into the KL team and does not mind dropping down a division to play for the city side.
"For me it's no problem dropping down to the Premier League because KL are chasing for promotion and that is good for me," he said. "I think KL can do well and go to the Super League."