The thing about football in Brazil is that it isn't just a sport. To most people, it is a part of their identity. Fans form a deep emotional bond with the clubs, and they express through their support. The support is loud, vocal and very interactive.
Their loyalty is unwavering. Most of them support their local club irrespective of the results. The atmosphere at the games is insane. Be it chants, singing, posters, banners, drums, they do everything.
Some groups of fans also organise themselves into groups like the European ultras. These fans are the soul of football clubs here. The culture is deeply ingrained from a young age. Football is a cultural phenomenon in Brazil. Fans gather in troves if the national team is playing. National games are treated as festive events, with street parties being organised which serve as watch parties.
So, it is not surprising to me that even an u15 game at a club like Sao Paulo FC attracts 100s of supporters. Today will be my first official game. And it will not be a simple affair.
I will be playing in front of a crowd for the first time, if I were to play. Coach Joao said that I would probably come on as a substitute. So, I am confident that I will play.
I can't lie, but I feel the nerves. I cannot afford to mess this up. This is it. This is my chance. This is my time.
I went through my motions for the day kind of robotically. I stretched, exercised, cleaned myself up and went down for breakfast. I didn't even realise how I got there to the table.
My parents, bless them, they didn't try to downplay it, or lecture me or try to cheer me up. They knew what this day meant to me and they were watching. They gave me my space. They do not treat me like a kid who needs to be told everything. They give me room to make mistakes. To learn. To evolve on my own. And through it all, they're just there. My constants.
Those few minutes of silence and peace allowed me to calm myself down. I realised that, even though this is an important game, it is not the end of the world. I should be confident in my abilities and enjoy the moment instead of worrying about the result and everything that is not in my control.
With that, some of the weight on my shoulders lifted. In order to lighten the moment, I asked
"So, I see you guys have dressed up. Going on a date?"
My mom and dad looked at me surprised for a second before noticing the smirk on my face. My brother fell for it though and said "It is for your match, you dumbass!"
That broke the silence and all three of us broke down laughing. My father explained it to Digão, and he still called me stupid.
We discussed for a couple of minutes about the video camera we rented, it was an old camera that records to tape. Things didn't go fully digital yet.
With that done, we left for CT da Barra Funda.
We were playing Mirassol FC U15. They're a pretty strong team, based in Sao Paulo state itself.
Once we reached the training ground, my mother just hugged me and said that no matter what, they were proud of me and that if I were to play, I should try to enjoy it and not rush it. My dad said nothing much. He said that he was proud of me and that he had a feeling that I would score. Digão said that I should go for it if I find space outside the box.
We separated from there, we still had a couple of hours left to go for the match. I was going to join the team for a pre-game briefing and final practice. My parents would go hang around the ground with other parents.
I took a deep breath before entering the locker room. Half the team was already there. I went ahead and changed into my kit. Putting on the "22" shirt felt special. This is the beginning.
In 1997, analysis for u15 teams was not deep. In modern terms, we play with vibes. Things are not going to be a tactical battle. We have a system and we play accordingly. We were going to play a 4-4-2. Which was "the system" of the 90s.
We had a pretty good striker in Luis, who was tall and quick. His finishing is not the greatest, but he makes good runs.
The other striker we have is Diego. He is very technical and his ball control is excellent. He is also very good at hold up play. Our midfielders are not the sharpest. They're Brazilian, in the sense that at this point in time they focus more on technical aspects and showing off their skills. In the last practice I saw a guy trying to make a rabona pass, just for the sake of it.
I am not like them. Many people would confuse me for a European player, with how direct I play and how my playmaking goes. I am fast. I dribble. I find exceptional passes. I am very pragmatic and if I find someone in space who could score, I would rather pass to them, instead of showing off my skills and going for it. I would rather pass and make a run into space.
On one hand, I would not be very attractive to the local coaches. On the other hand, I could be something different. Someone special. We shall see how it goes. I never had any issues with coach Joao. He never criticised my passing. His issues have been with the weight on my passes, my defensive work, and sometimes not being selfish enough. We will slowly work on these.
The tactical briefing was simple. We would go quickly at the start, try to catch them off guard, and if we score, we put the pressure on. If not, we are going to slowly build it up from the midfield and see how they go about it. We don't have any information about their players or how they play.
The coach announced the starting XI and I was on the bench as expected. No one had any issues. We went for final drills before the game. Some quick sprints, passing rondos , some of us practiced finishing. After that, we went to the dugout, and the team took the field. Unlike professional games, there wasn't much of a ceremony. Refs met the captains in the middle, choosing sides, exchanging teams and the game started immediately.
The game started at a fast pace, it was end to end football as expected of U15s. Neither side scored in the initial few minutes and slowly a rhythm was starting to develop. Our team would build from the back, midfield threads many passes between them, but the opposition would press, and we wouldn't make any progress and it starts again.
As the game progressed and I kept on watching, I remembered a video I watched in my past life. It was a video of Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Ole was asked about what makes him a great sub. Roy answered for him, and said that the biggest issue he has with the younger generation subs is that they don't watch the game. He said that at United, when they had Cole, Yorke, Ole and Sheringham, whenever Cole and Yorke started, Ole would not throw a fit, but would watch the game intensely and analyse it on the go. So, when he was called on, he would already know what to do. That stuck with me.
So, instead of wasting my time, I looked into finding patterns. I observed that my midfielders took too many touches after receiving the ball. They didn't move the ball quickly. Our forwards were making decent runs but no one was finding them. The opponents were pressing very actively and I thought to myself, "This wouldn't last long". Soon, their legs would give up.
I saw that the rest of my teammates weren't as involved in the game as I was. They were either sulking or were just bored. I frowned a bit seeing this. But, I quickly sobered up realising that these are just U15s. I shouldn't be expecting an elite level mentality from u15 prospects.
The game continued like this for the rest of the half. With neither side making a breakthrough, the score remained 0-0. The quality of the game was not great. But, I guess I couldn't be expecting too much and this is just my first match.
The half time talk wasn't too serious. Coach Joao rallied up the troops. He spoke about wanting some pace and wanting the balls to be put into space. He rightly pointed out that our forwards were coming down to pick up the ball instead of midfielders finding them while they were making a run. He didn't make any changes immediately.
The game started again calmly for the first few minutes. But, disaster struck in the 50th minute. They caught us lacking and with a quick counter, they scored.
Coach Joao then informed me that I should come on in a few minutes. I would have around 20minutes to make a difference. He gave the same instructions as before, he wanted pace and he wanted me to release the forwards. I went for a quick run to stretch my muscles and warm-up a bit. My family was watching this from the distance and my father immediately started recording.
So, with our team not looking too good, in the 58th minute, three changes were made. Coach Joao took out our centre back, replaced him with a taller, stronger one. He changed our centre midfielder. He was not able to keep up with the opposition in the second half. Fresh legs were needed. And the final change. Number 22. Me.
It's showtime!
As soon as I entered the pitch, something switched inside me. I don't know if it was the system. Or if that was what Kaka felt whenever he entered the pitch. It was as if everything was happening just a bit slower. I became extremely vigilant. I could feel the air, the ground beneath my boots, how the grass moved when I ran, everything else was white noise.
I dropped deep immediately. I collected the ball and I didn't even need to think about what I needed to do. I watched the game very closely. I knew that the moment I had the ball, two of their midfielders would be on me. So, I drew them both closer, and I passed the ball immediately to my left and without wasting any time, I went into the space left by those two and loudly asked for the return pass. My teammate obliged, and I picked the ball up. This time, instead of passing, I kept the ball close and drove forward. With my fresh legs, combined with my pace, I was making up quick yards. I looked up then and saw that Luis was making a run, so without thinking too much, I let the ball fly from 60 yards out. It was a cross field diagonal pass. I didn't aim it at him. I aimed it in front of him to the right.
Luckily, even with the little training we had, he knew that I would make these kinds of passes. Or it could just be his instincts, but he made the right run, he left his marker in the dust and took a sharp right at the right moment to reach for my pass. He controlled it smoothly and there was no one between him and the goalkeeper. His eyes lit up, he took two touches and shot at the far post.
I could feel that everyone held their breath, but the ball missed the post by inches and rattled the goal post and before it could come to us, one of their defenders cleared it.
Even though the chance was wasted, I was not disappointed. He just needs to connect one. I would take that. He gave me a thumbs up. It was a great play. A cross field diagonal pass, two touches and rattling the post. It was quick. It was direct. It was what was needed. I could see the other team's eyes on me. They knew that I was here to shake things up.
I didn't go inside the box for the corner. Instead I took position at the edge of the box. With my height, I knew that I would be effective inside, but the opposition were a pretty physical side. I am not that dominant yet, and I am not that confident about my heading abilities.
Something told me that I would get an opportunity. The delivery was smooth and it sailed into the box, none of the players reached it, but the keeper punched it instead of collecting it. And luckily, I was standing at the edge of the box, just for an opportunity like this. The ball fell right at my feet, I took one touch to control the ball and I feinted right and broke free of the opposition player marking me. I took another touch and I could see a small gap, in between the players and the goalkeeper and the net. Everything stopped at that moment for me. I went into that hyper vigilant state that I experienced when I entered the field. I could feel everything around me. How people moved, where the gap was, where I should strike and I could imagine the path of the ball.
I made a sweet contact with my boot, and put as much power I could into the shot. Knowing that I made the best connection, I waited with baited breath. All I needed was accuracy. And the gods have answered. The ball flew between three defenders and before the goal keeper could even react, it sailed past him into the far corner.
Everybody was stunned. The sound that came when the ball left my boot was something I would remember forever. This is it. This is my first goal.
Without thinking, I ran straight to where I knew my parents were and hugged them. Digão kept screaming that he told me. After a few seconds, I let go, told them that I loved them and I ran back to my team to celebrate with them.
Minute 69'(Nice!), goal by number 22, Kaká. I saw that my father has been recording since I took the field. This moment will be remembered in the history books.
I received a couple of pats on my back. I saw a faint smile on my coach's face and he gave me a thumbs-up. I got the team into a huddle and I told both the strikers to look out for me. And at my signal, I wanted them to run and that I would find them. Without hesitation they said yes and we restarted.
In the next few minutes, things got very physical. Their players closed in on me and tackled me. But, I didn't lose hope. Instead, their physical side only spurred me on. Bring it on. In the 74th minute, another chance came. Our DM made a great tackle to win the ball at the edge of their box and the ball fell to me. And I took off immediately. I didn't want to stop for anyone or anything. I felt a tug on my shirt but I shrugged it off. My pace was too much for them. Seeing me take off, Luis and Diego remembered what I said and they also took off.
Within a few seconds we covered 40 odd yards. And Luis kept making the run. I threaded a beautiful pass in between two defenders and into the open space where Luis was running to. He met the ball in stride and with no one immediately on his tail, he kept going. This time, he didn't shoot prematurely. He took his time, feinted once and rounded the keeper. And with a beautiful finish, he put the ball into the net. Our dugout exploded.
It was a lightning quick counter, with a great tackle winning possession, my pace and that through pass, great run by Luis and that composure to round off the keeper and finish it coolly. It was a great goal. 2-1. Now, we needed to put the match to rest. We met in a huddle and I simply said "We don't relax. We go again!"
Everybody was energised after the goal and a new energy was injected into the tired legs. As soon as the game restarted, we pressed relentlessly and we won possession again.
Our DM realised that quick passing was the way to bypass their press and he passed immediately to the left, to me. I took a touch and saw Diego dropping deep to receive the ball. I found him with a quick pass, and immediately went into space. Diego was brilliant technically, so he kept his composure, beat a couple of players and immediately passed it back to me. And he made the run immediately after passing to me.
This 1-2 between us caused a disruption to their back line up since they wanted to rush the players. Without taking a touch, I immediately let go of the ball, and found Diego in the box. With his back to the goal, he controlled the ball, turned and shot from just inside the edge of the box. The goalkeeper put in a full stretch dive, but the ball kissed the edge of his gloves and still rolled sweetly into the back of the net. GOAL! 3-1.
Everybody ran and jumped on Diego to celebrate. I just smiled and I patted him on the back once everybody let go of him. That was a splendid finish. To control the ball with his back to the goal, to turn and hit it immediately, that is some talent. Coach Joao was all smiles. Ever since his changes, both the DM and I ran the midfield. He won the ball, and I made the passes and runs. We saw through their late attacks in the 79th minute and soon, it was over. 3-1. Victory!
I let out a loud roar.
This was special. 22 minutes played. 1 goal. 2 assists. 4 big chances created. 3-1 victory.
When people look back on where the first steps began for the GOAT, this would be the match they would look for. As for myself? I am already on cloud 9. The storm has made landfall.
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Author's Notes:
The previous chapter and this chapter are from MC's POV. Interactions have been kept minimal and I wanted to reflect MC's thoughts more. I chose to go for a diary like recount of events and interactions. Even though I want to tell the whole journey in first person, with interactions in between, there are some chapters I feel like should be just the MC's thoughts. There will be chapters along the way from the POVs of others. Like his family, team mates, supporters, coaches etc.
For now, the style I chose is that of an MC walking us through his journey to become the GOAT and living in the shoes of Kaká.
Please let me know if that is bothersome or if I should change it. There will be many interactive chapters going forward, but the style may switch for some chapters. Please leave a comment so that I can know if it works or not.
Thanks!
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