The São Paulo Junior Football Cup is the biggest and most popular youth tournament in Brazil. The young players competing in it have been dreaming about it since they were little. One of these players will have the chance to make this dream come true this Thursday. It’s Léo Maná, the full-back and captain of Corinthians in the competition.
At the age of seven, Léo Maná got the opportunity to try out for futsal at Corinthians, where he was approved and began to stand out in the sport. He only stayed in futsal until he was 13, when he transitioned to the field and never looked back. Now, 12 years later, Maná is looking forward to his first final in the competition. A title that hasn’t come to Parque São Jorge since 2017 when they defeated Batatais 2-1.
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“It’s a great joy to be at Corinthians, a club with a huge history and passionate fans. My life is at the club, I’ve been here for a long time, and I know it’s not easy to get where I am. I want to crown my time in the youth team with this title, which is the most important in this category, and continue helping Corinthians wherever they need me,” says Léo Maná.
The team led by coach Danilo will face Cruzeiro as their final opponent in the São Paulo Cup. The black and white team reaches the final undefeated and will compete for the title at home in Neo Química Arena at 3:30 pm.
“We are undefeated, at our best moment in the tournament. Coming from two consistent victories, so we know there’s pressure. But we are Corinthians, in front of our fans, in our home, we are strong and we count on that to win this title. The key is to stay focused, because we know the support won’t be lacking for the full 90 minutes. But we’ll stay grounded and humble, as there’s still one game to go,” Léo Maná concluded.
