that he leased in the city of Nijmegen, which was also a destination venue for his family during vacations and, on more than one occasion, Barreto manifested his wish to return to the club. NEC's fans had placed a banner at the entry of the club's stadium asking Barreto to return as NEC's general manager, Wilco van Schaik, lifted the fan's hopes of Barreto returning to the club. Van Schaik had told Dutch magazine Voetbal International that Barreto was an important player in NEC and still held a lot of weight in the city, with the club expressing interest in the player since the month of May. On 15 July 2020, on his 36th birthday and after 13 years in Italian football, Barreto returned to his first European club NEC in the Dutch second tier. Barreto signed a season-long contract with the option of extending for another season. In August 2020, Barreto played his first match of the season in a 2–0 defeat to Cambuur. On 15 May 2022, he announced his retirement from football, while stating his desire to start a managerial career. International career Barreto debuted for the Paraguay national football team in a 1–0 win over Costa Rica on 8 June at the 2004 Copa América. He played all four games as his team reached the quarter-finals. Weeks later, he was part of their squad that took home a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Greece. On 4 August, before the Summer Olympics began, he played in a preparation game against the Portugal of Cristiano Ronaldo in the city of Algarve, resulting in a 5–0 defeat. On 17 August 2005, Barreto scored his first international goal to open a 3–0 friendly win over El Salvador in Ciudad del Este. Coach Anibal Ruiz called him up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. At the 2007 Copa América in Venezuela, Barreto again played all four matches of a quarter-final finish. He scored to open a 3–1 win over the United States in the group stage. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, he came on in the 75th minute against Japan in the last 16 and scored the first attempt in the penalty shootout, as Paraguay advanced to the next round for the first time. Barreto was also in Gerardo Martino's squad that came runners-up to the hosts at the 2011 Copa América in