Former Barcelona midfielder Paulinho flew back to Guangzhou on a chartered plane on Tuesday, the capital city in south China's Guangdong Province, and will join the Chinese Super League (CSL) champions Guangzhou Evergrande after a mandatory 14-day quarantine. 

It took more than a month for the 31-year-old Brazilian player to complete visa procedures amid the ongoing pandemic. 

It was reported that Guangzhou Evergrande had arranged a chartered plane to take back Paulinho and his Brazilian teammate Anderson Talisca, but the latter could not make the trip due to local travel limitations back in Brazil. 

Paulinho, who previously played for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and La Liga powerhouses Barcelona, scored 19 goals last season proved to be the key man in Evergrande's title win. He was voted Player of the Season last December. 

The other two Brazilian-born players of the Guangzhou club Fernando Henrique da Conceicao and Ricardo Goulart, who are naturalized Chinese, have returned to China before Paulinho. 

Meanwhile, coach of Dalian Professional Rafael Benitez as well as the team's three foreign players, are reportedly have arrived in China from Sweden.  

The CLS 2020 campaign, which was slated to start on February 22, has been delayed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and there is no accurate resumption plan yet.  

(With input from Xinhua)