São Paulo coach Muricy Ralmalho has praised winter signing Carlos Alberto after the forward scored the winner against Santos on Sunday.

Alberto scored the decisive goal for the Tricolor Paulista in a 3-2 victory over their great rivals in the São Paulo state championship on Sunday.

He came to the club with a reputation for being a bad-boy after forcing through his exit from Corinthians and then falling out with the management at Werder Bremen just months after they had spent a club record € 7.8 million on him.

Despite this, Muricy has experienced no such troubles since Alberto joined on loan in January.

"We showed him the discipline that Carlos Alberto has to have to be happy in São Paulo and he is responding to it," Muricy told Placar.

"He is strengthening, with a good head and is showing good behavior socially. I do not have any reason to complain about him."

The only slight issue Muricy has is the physical condition that Alberto arrived in, but he stated that the forward is working hard to rectify this.

"To play football well these days you have to be well prepared. He is suffering a little with this, but so far he has worked hard."

São Paulo currently lie third in the Paulista championship, just three points off current leaders Ponte Preta Campinas.