Paulinho pledges to prove worth at Barcelona

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Barcelona, Aug 26: Brazilian midfielder Paulinho has promised that he will show his doubters wrong only in the field after joining Barcelona in an unexpected move earlier this transfer window.

Paulinho has set his sights on turning into a key player at Barcelona after he made a huge jump to arrive at Camp Nou from Chinese League and reportedly took a pay cut to join the Catalan club this month.

Barca paid Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande €40 million to sign the Brazilian midfielder to make him their fifth signing this year after Gerard Deulofeu, Semedo, Marlon and Dembele.

The transfer fee was a record price for any player from Chinese football and eventually, the move drew negative feedbacks from large segments of Barcelona fans who made a huge protest against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu and showed their anger for signing the 29-year-old.

However, the former Tottenham man in a recent interview with Sport suggested that he is unmoved by such outcome and he can only silence the negative noise with his play.

"Everything I can do I can do it by playing, so I will change the opinion of the people," Paulinho told Sport.

"The best way to respond is on the field, helping my teammates, striving for victories.

"I am very mature and I do not think about [criticism], only about helping Barcelona win titles."

Paulinho also claimed that he's excited to develop an understanding with attacking lynchpin Messi and wants to restore Lionel Messi's reputation as the world's best player again.

"I am looking at the way he has to play, how I should play in order to adapt to him," he said.

"Because the goal is to do everything possible so that he becomes the best in the world again and that he helps us to win titles."

Paulinho was not available for Barca's La Liga opener against Real Betis a weekend ago because of bureaucratic issues, however, he could now make his debut for Barcelona in their La Liga match with Alaves on Saturday night to show with worth to the whole world.