Highlight of Feyenoord in winning the Dutch Championship, striker Igor Paixão participated this Tuesday (5th) in the first training led by coach Ramon Menezes in Morocco.
He is the first Amapaense to defend the Brazilian Pre-Olympic Team. Brazil will play two friendlies against Morocco. The first will be on Thursday (7). The last one will happen on Monday (11). Both games will be in Fez, a historic city in Morocco.
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“It’s an incredible feeling. Only those who wore this hopscotch know how heavy it is. I’m very happy with my first call-up and I hope to represent my country many more times,” said Igor, shortly before the start of the team’s first training session at in Fez.
The player was born in Macapá and has indigenous origins, a group formed by descendants of slaves who rebelled during the period of slavery. His grandparents were part of the Curiaú community, in the state capital.
“It’s also surreal to represent my state and my quilombola nation”, he added.
Revealed by Coritiba, the player had no problem adapting to Dutch football in the first season. He scored nine goals last season, netting one of them in the title-clinching game for the Rotterdam side. Last month, the striker won the award for the most beautiful goal in the last edition of the championship. The goal was scored in the derby against Ajax.
The friendlies in Fez mark the beginning of the preparation of the Selection for the dispute of the Pre-Olympic tournament, in January. Only two countries in South America qualify for the Paris Games. Brazil is the current Olympic champion.
Morocco is already guaranteed at the Olympics. In July, they won the under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
