'It's pure football' - Memphis Depay aims dig at European culture and claims football is more 'fun' in South America

Depay made the switch from Europe to South America and joined Corinthians in 2024, where he has since come across Neymar in the Brazilian top flight since his return to Santos. During his two seasons in the continent, the former Manchester United man has seen a different style of football, something he has labelled as "pure".

Speaking recently to France Football, Depay said: "The world is bigger than just Europe. In Europe, there is sometimes a tendency to play too much with the head. There are more and more rules, there are teams that sometimes play defensively, teams that think a lot. Sometimes it kills the game. Here, we have fun and experience pure emotions with real football.

"There are a lot of very strong, very fast players. We play in very high temperatures. Tactically, they can improve, that’s the only thing. But otherwise, it’s very physical. For ninety minutes, you have space and it never stops. It’s pure football. It goes from one side to the other. Sometimes it slows down, then it speeds up again, it’s complicated and even difficult to define. It’s completely different from what we see in Europe."

Depay has performed in the biggest European leagues, playing for the likes of United, Lyon and Barcelona. He will be well aware of the evolving tactics thanks to the influence of Pep Guardiola and other high-level managers. The Dutch international will have been enjoying the more relaxed approach to the game in Brazil.

The 31-year-old has 100 international caps for the Netherlands and is contracted at Corinthians until 2026. He will have one eye on the World Cup next summer but will need to really stand out playing in South America.