Lucas Paqueta reveals betting scandal 'strengthened his marriage' as West Ham star explains how collapse of Man City deal mentally affected him

Paqueta found himself at the centre of spot-fixing allegations relating to the supposed deliberate picking up of yellow cards. A long-running saga dragged on for two years, casting an unfortunate shadow over the South American midfielder.

He ultimately faced no financial or sporting sanctions, having only been found guilty of breaching lesser charges regarding cooperation with the investigation, and is free to focus on his football once more.

Paqueta is relieved to have removed a considerable distraction, but has told Globo of finding positivity in an unfortunate situation that could have broken lesser men and their relationships: "Without a doubt, it was a very difficult time, not only for me but for my family. My wife and I went through two long, painful years, but with a happy ending. This also strengthened our marriage, our history as a family: me, her, and the children. I'm happy it ended the way it did; I fought hard against it, and it's very difficult not being able to speak, to hear various narratives and not being able to tell your side of the story.

"It was difficult for me; I had psychological support to deal with all of this, with some of the problems. Now it's about enjoying this moment, being able to play a little lighter again, without this weight, without this fear, and being happy on the field."

Paqueta was heavily linked with Premier League giants City in 2023, but the betting case led to interest being shelved and no deal being agreed. He added on finding himself at the London Stadium rather than the Etihad: "Everyone knows that I really had a transfer to City. I probably would have signed the week I received the letter (from the Football Association). Professionally speaking, I lost that, that transfer, a leap in my career.

"Psychologically, I think that's where I was most affected, by the fear of this indecision, the uncertainty of my future, despite knowing who I am, what I do, what I've done. But, due to the circumstances of the investigations and the way the federation handled everything, it generated fear in us."

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Brazil international Paqueta has continued to attract interest since then, with Flamengo making a couple of bids to take him home. The 28-year-old said of those approaches: "The first moment was when (Marcos) Braz was still at Flamengo, there was that contact. I know of Flamengo's desire, and they know of my desire, my passion for the club, so it's something that always happens. As soon as I was accused, and the whole trial process was about to begin, Braz came to my house, made the offer, and asked what I thought.

"Obviously, I always want to go back to Flamengo, but at that moment I was still a bit undecided about my decision, about what I was going to do, and then I also talked to the West Ham director and said: 'Braz, I want to go back, I know I'll feel good at Flamengo, but I can't be ungrateful to the club that's supporting me so much.' They supported me a lot at all times, helped me in various situations, so I couldn't force an exit from a place where I was being welcomed and respected. They respected me, my wife, my family. So I said: 'I want you to resolve this.' But yes, this exchange with Flamengo did happen."

He added: "Maybe I shouldn't even be saying this, but I had some conversations with Filipe (Luís), who is a friend, in addition to the work he's doing at Flamengo. I really expressed my desire to return and also showed it to my agents.

"It was a difficult decision because I'm 28 years old, it's very young, and I still have a lot of market value outside of here. I've been doing my job well, but it was a very strong desire. And I tried very hard, but unfortunately, once again, I decided to respect my club, not to force anything, because it's a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for. So I let it happen, and it really didn't. I understood that it wasn't the right time, but I know the doors will always be open for me. I know that at some point this return will happen."

Paqueta is a product of Flamengo’s academy system and made close to 100 senior appearances for them before heading to Europe and Italian giants AC Milan in January 2019.

He has spent time in France with Lyon since then, before joining West Ham for a club-record fee in 2022. He has made 132 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 22 goals, and is tied to a contract through to 2027 that includes the option for a further 12-month extension.