‘I Got 17 Caps for Brazil

For a large chunk of footballers, moving either to the Saudi Pro League or the MLS in the twilight period of their careers has become commonplace,with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the world’s greatest ever footballers, being the biggest names in those aforementioned divisions, respectively.

There are a select few, however, that complete last-ditch moves to teams of a much lesser standard than what they are typically used to – most famously when one-time Champions League winner Edgar Davids became a player-manager for Barnet in one of the weirdest transfers in football history.

Former Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion midfielder Sandro, however, is among those in the latter category, with him recently putting pen to paper on a contract with Harborough Town – a side in the English seventh-tier.

Riachinho-born Sandro played 17 times for Brazil between 2009 and 2012 during his journeyman career, which ended in 2022 for Portuguese side Os Belenenses. But why has he come out of retirement, and why is Harborough his chosen destination?

Sandro Comes out of Retirement to Play for English Seventh-Tier Side

Club set to play Reading in second-round FA Cup tie soon

After amounting a career which, admittedly, failed to reach the heights expected of the central midfielder, the Brazilian announced his retirement in an Instagram post in September 2023. One year on and he has made the unexpected decision to dust off his boots and make a return.

Harborough manager Mitch Austin recently spoke about securing Sandro’s services: “What an unbelievable signing for the club; I genuinely cannot express how I am feeling,” he said. “I had a chance conversation with Sandro a couple of weeks ago, and we talked about football.”

Based in Leicestershire, Harborough recently beat National League South side Tonbridge Angels 4-1 in the first round of the FA Cup and have the chance to prove their worth, and keep making waves in the famous competition, with them drawn against League One outfit Reading in the second round.

Despite sitting 16th in the Southern League Premier Central, Harborough continue to punch above their weight in the oldest football competition in the world – and it’s something that Sandro, who has had the pleasure of playing alongside the likes of Ronaldinho and Neymar, two of Brazil’s greatest-ever players, just had to get on board with.

Sandro earned his international stripes in September 2009 under Brazil boss Dunga while plying his trade for Internacional. Stints at Tottenham, QPR and West Brom followed before he moved yo-yo’d between clubs in Italy and Turkey between 2017 and 2020.

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Sandro Explains How Move Came to Fruition

Brazilian admits he’ll be playing for ‘fun and friendship’ rather than money

But how, by observing the finer details, did Sandro come to converse with Harborough’s Austin and, ultimately, shock the footballing world with a move to the giant-killing machine who are in step seven of the English football pyramid? Speaking to ESPN Brasil, the 35-year-old explained how the move came about. “I do some work with Tottenham sometimes, going to games and talking to fans, that kind of thing,” he said. “That’s how I met the owner of the club [Harborough].

Doing it out of the love for the game, rather than monetary gain, the Internacional graduate suggested that Harborough, who were founded in 1975 and play at Bowden Park, offered him money to play but he straight up refused. Instead, he insisted that getting back on the turf is merely for ‘fun and friendship’.

“I miss playing so I said, sure I’ll come and play, just tell me where to come,” Sandro said. “They offered me money, said they could pay but I said no. I’m doing it for fun and friendship, I don’t want money for it.”

The former Genoa and Udinese ace is certainly in line to participate in Harborough’s FA Cup encounter against Reading, given the magnitude of the occasion, but how involved he will be for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign remains to be seen. Nonetheless, what a wholesome story.

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 07/11/24