Miranda rejoins former club Sao Paulo

RIO DE JANEIRO - Veteran Brazilian center back Joao Miranda has returned to his former club Sao Paulo on a two-year contract.

The 36-year-old became a free agent after Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu FC, the club he joined in 2019 from Inter Milan, ceased operations last month.

"I am going back home, a place where I grew up and achieved many things," Miranda said in a statement on Sao Paulo's official website on Wednesday.

"I thank Sao Paulo for this opportunity because they are the ones who projected me onto the world stage. I'm hungry for a title and want to make Sao Paulo successful again."

Miranda, who has been capped 58 times for Brazil, was a part of the Sao Paulo team that won three straight Brazilian Serie A titles under manager Muricy Ramalho from 2006 to 2008.

The six-time top flight champions have since fallen on harder times and have not won a trophy since 2012. Last month, the club appointed former Argentina international striker Hernan Crespo as the new head coach, replacing Fernando Diniz.