Called up for the Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela, Mauricio is under the guidance of coach Ramon Menezes at Granja Comary, in Teresópolis (RJ), preparing for the competition. The 22-year-old athlete discussed his desire to participate in the Olympics and his aspiration to win the title at the Pre-Olympic in Venezuela.
“We know the meaning of the Pre-Olympic for us, which is a qualifier for the Olympics. So we have this dream of playing in the Olympics. Any call-up, the player always wants to be in it. It’s a moment of great happiness and we hope to qualify and be champion”, he highlighted.
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Mauricio plays for Internacional’s professional team and ended 2023 with 200 official games. Despite his experience, the midfielder does not see himself in a different position in terms of responsibility compared to the other members of the team.
“I don’t see myself as that guy. Of course we talk about game positioning. Many times, whether we like it or not, we end up having little preparation time, because there are different players who weren’t called up or hadn’t been called up. We have to train and achieve good rapport very quickly. Last year I managed to have a lot of games, but the entire squad is very experienced and qualified”, said Maurício, who also highlighted the challenge that the Brazilian National Team will face in the Pre-Olympic.
“We know that we wear a very heavy shirt, for our country, for our team. So we know what a responsibility it is, and we know that we need to qualify in the Pre-Olympic, to compete in the Olympic Games,” added the midfielder.
