Zakaria Labyad's Tribute to Memphis Depay at Corinthians

Zakaria Labyad had barely finished silencing Penarol’s crowd in Montevideo when he started fighting another battle – this time with Corinthians’ boardroom.

His equaliser, a precious goal that secured a vital continental draw, came with a pointed message. Fingers in his ears, Memphis Depay-style. The celebration was no coincidence, and neither was what followed.

A tribute with a target

Speaking after the match, the Moroccan midfielder made it clear the gesture was for one man – and aimed squarely at those who control the contracts.

“Yes, of course [the celebration was a tribute to Memphis],” Labyad told ESPN, before turning the spotlight on the club’s hierarchy. The dressing room, he stressed, is united on one issue: keep Memphis Depay at Corinthians.

Labyad didn’t need to dress it up. He simply laid out the case. Since landing in South America, the former Barcelona forward has altered the club’s culture and competitive edge, driving a resurgence that delivered three trophies and dragged Corinthians away from the spectre of relegation. Players feel it every day in training. Supporters see it in big moments. The squad, Labyad said, “would love for him to stay at Corinthians.”

This was not a vague endorsement. It was a public lobbying effort from inside the pitch, immediately after a high-stakes game, from a player who had just delivered on his own stage.

Clock ticking on a marquee deal

The problem is time. Depay’s current contract runs only until the end of July. Every week that passes tightens the squeeze on the club’s executives, who are scrambling to put together a renewal rich enough to match his status without breaking their financial model.

To make it work, Corinthians are in frantic talks with three external commercial partners, trying to stitch together a package that can fully underwrite a lucrative extension. The message from the squad is clear. The numbers on the spreadsheet are not.

All this plays out while Depay himself has barely been seen on the pitch this season.

A fragile return, carefully managed

His campaign has been shredded by injury. Since late March, Depay has been stuck in the treatment room, wrestling with what the club described as a complex physical transition period after his previous workload and lay-offs.

There was a fresh scare this week. On Monday, during training, he felt a minor muscular strain in his left leg. Under normal circumstances, any setback for a star player with a contract running down would trigger alarm. This time, the medical staff moved quickly to calm the noise, describing the issue as a small imbalance, typical for an elite athlete returning from long-term inactivity.

The plan has not changed. Depay will keep working through the final stages of his rehabilitation, step by step, until he is cleared to rejoin full competition. The club knows that a fully fit Depay is not just a luxury. He is a structural piece of their season.

A brutal week on the horizon

The timing could hardly be more brutal. Corinthians are staring at a punishing three-game stretch in the space of a week that will test both legs and depth.

It starts on Sunday, May 24, with a demanding Brasileirao home clash against Atletico-MG, a fixture that rarely allows for half-measures. From there, there is no breathing space. A decisive Copa Libertadores group stage match against Platense follows, a night that could shape the club’s continental ambitions. Then comes the trip to face Gremio on May 30, another physically draining assignment.

While the directors juggle spreadsheets, sponsorship calls and contract drafts, the football side of the club has to live in the present. Points, progression, momentum. That is the currency in the dressing room.

Depay’s focus, for now, stays on the gym, the training pitch and the medical reports. Clear each milestone. Build the strength. Be ready when the call finally comes.

Because when he does step back onto the grass, one question will hang over every touch, every run, every goal: are Corinthians watching the future of their project… or the final weeks of it?