A fan of Flamengo, the player was released by the Russian club | Flamingo

Wendell contributed to the Russian Super Cup and the Russian Championship, which Zenit won in 2022/23. In 33 matches this season, the defensive midfielder has scored nine goals and provided five assists.

Despite performing well, he is considering leaving Russian football due to the sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. With that, the Russians allowed the player to search for another team if he wanted to. Its current market capitalization is around €24 million (R$125 million).

Wendel’s rise to professionals in 2017 was revealed by Fluminense and Tricolor quickly emerged by selling the player to Sporting, from Portugal, in December of the same year, for €7.5 million (about R$39 million at bid prices at the time).

After just over three seasons in Portuguese football, Wendel was traded to Zenit, from Russia, for €20.3 million (approx. R$133 million), in October 2020. Fluminense, which kept 10% of the added value, collected 10 Millions of Brazilian Reals with negotiation.