Hulk: Contract Fulfilled, Feels Undervalued

Hulk spoke through his Instagram story about his situation at Atlético, on Tuesday night (6). The 39-year-old striker publicly expressed that he felt devalued in sporting terms, but assured that he did not force his departure from the club.

See what Hulk said in the post:

1 – Did I request termination of the contract? NO!!!

2 – Did I force my departure from Atlético? NO!!!

3 – Did I feel undervalued sportingly? YES!!!

4 – Was there a commercial proposal from the club? Yes. But different from what is coming out in the media.

5 – Was there a clear sporting project, guaranteed and defined by Galo? NO!!!

6 – Did Atlético give approval for clubs to present proposals to me? YES!!!

7 – Was there an expression of the club’s desire for me to retire this year? YES!!!

8 – Did another club present a clear sporting proposal for two straight years? YES!!!

9 – Would this proposal give me sporting value? YES!!!

10 – Am I a mercenary? Never!!!

11 – Were the proposals received financially those of Atlético? No. They were even a little smaller.

12 – So this is about money? No. It’s about sports recognition.

13 – Will I fulfill my contract with Atlético? YES!

14 – Will I continue to honor this shirt while I’m here? Yes, as I always have.

15 – Does my love for Rooster change? No. It never, ever changed. It won’t change!!

16 – Did I ask for ownership? NEVER!!! I respect the coach and do my best to have my space!

I will honor this shirt and do my best for the club and the fans, as I always have!!!”

A Itatiaia found that, through the staff,
Hulk asked Atlético to amicably terminate the contract valid until the end of 2026“>the attacker Hulk asked Atlético to amicably terminate the contract valid until the end of 2026
. Conversations about the 39-year-old player’s future are being conducted between the club and lawyer Marisa Ajila, who represents the black and white idol.

In Fluminense’s sights

Hulk arouses the interest of
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. A
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found that Tricolor das Laranjeiras drew up a two-year contract, extendable for another year and with a gradual salary increase.

Hulk for Atlético

After playing for Shanghai SIPG-CHN, Hulk was signed by Atlético on January 29, 2021 to become one of the club’s biggest idols. There are 289 games with the Galo shirt, 135 goals with the black and white shirt and eight titles won as an Atletico.

They were: Campeonato Brasileiro (2021), Copa do Brasil (2021), Supercopa do Brasil (2022) and Campeonato Mineiro (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025).

In 2025, however, Hulk experienced ups and downs. Despite having scored 21 goals and provided eight assists during the season in 61 official games, the striker ended up being a reserve under Argentine coach Jorge Sampaoli.

Sampaoli arrived at Galo in September 2025 and was retained for 2026, with a contract until the end of 2027. Galo will debut this season on Sunday (11), at 6pm (Brasília time).

On that occasion, Atlético will host Betim at Arena MRV, in BH, for the first round of the Mineiro. The tendency is for Sampaoli to use an alternative team in these first State games.

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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