Hulk by name, Hulk by nature! Veteran Brazil striker sends an opposition player FLYING with a brutal no-look shoulder barge during his debut for Atletico Mineiro
- Hulk sent an opposition player flying with a brutal no-look shoulder barge
- The Brazilian winger was making his Atletico Mineiro debut against Uberlandia
- The 34-year-old leant into midfielder Franco de Paula Ferreira with his shoulder
- The Uberlandia midfielder went flying but the referee did not blow for a foul
Hulk returned to Brazilian football in classic fashion by sending an opposition player flying with an emphatic shoulder barge on his Atletico Mineiro debut.
The 34-year-old made his debut for the Brazilian top-flight side on Sunday night in the Alvinegros’ 4-0 victory over Uberlandia in the Mineiro State Championship.
The Brazilian international was involved in an early tussle with midfielder Franco de Paula Ferreira which led to Hulk producing a brutal no-look shoulder barge on his opponent which sent the 28-year-old sprawling over several yards of the pitch.
Brazilian winger Hulk (right) sent an opponent flying with a brutal shoulder barge on Sunday
The winger leant into Uberlandia’s Franco on Atletico Mineiro debut but no foul was given
The referee was lenient to Hulk as the official played on despite claims of excessive force made by the Uberlandia man.
Sunday night’s encounter was Hulk’s first match for a Brazilian club side since his first professional season in football back in 2004 when he played for Vitoria.
Since then, the winger has played for a host of Japanese top-flight sides, FC Porto, Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg and Shanghai Porto.
It was also the veteran winger’s first game back on Brazilian soil since October 2015 when he lined up for the national team’s World Cup qualifier against Venezuela in Fortaleza.
The 34-year-old joined Atletico Mineiro in January after leaving Shanghai Port last year
His overall record for El Selecao, who he represented at the London 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in his home country, stands at 11 goals in 48 caps.
Hulk, whose birth name is Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, was linked to several clubs across the world after leaving Chinese football at the end of the 2020 season – but opted to make an emotional homecoming to Brazilian football.
His debut saw him play the full 90 minutes as Atletico Mineiro made it three wins from three in their state championship season via an emphatic victory.
Midfielder Matias Zaracho gave the Alvinegros a first-half lead before goals from Calebe, substitute Julio Cesar de Souza Silva and Diego Tardelli sealed the comfortable win after the break.