At the end of the season, Torino were invited to play four friendly matches in Brazil by the Brazilian Football Confederation; Mazzola before leaving, on 29 June, announced in a radio interview his farewell to Torino, amid the dismay of the fans. A few days before the start of the new season, scheduled for 19 September 1948, six Torino players, including Mazzola, did not return due to a contract dispute. Mazzola, included in the transfer list, would miss the first round of the season against Pro Patria. However, an agreement with the club was reached on 23 September, with Mazzola returning in a 3–2 loss to Atalanta, in which he scored. Mazzola would go on to score the winning goal in the derby, and offered a very positive performance seven days later in a 3–1 win at Padova, scoring a goal and leading the team alone to victory. In early 1949, he had to live with several muscular injuries which caused him to considerably reduce training and gain weight. Despite not being able to fully recover, he scored four consecutive goals between January and February. On 24 April, in the 33rd round, against Bari (1–1), he scored the final goal of his career. On 30 April, Torino drew 0–0 at the San Siro against Inter; Mazzola, due to a strong sore throat with high fever and a form of angina, did not take part in the match.