Ruan Santos, the 20-year-old defender from Cruzeiro, is showing how much he can achieve in football. Winner of the U20 Copa do Brasil, the player spoke exclusively to Sambafoot and explained his early success, the participation of his father Narciso, former player for Santos and Flamengo, and his next projects.
Now at Cruzeiro, the club bough by Brazilian National Team idol Ronaldo, Santos expects to keep on going. He already trained with the professional squad last Monday (16).
“Moving up to the professional ranks is every athlete’s dream and I’m very happy to have this opportunity. But it is clear that the moment is to have a good head and continue working hard to win titles in the top team. I want to contribute in the best way possible and I am available to the teacher. It’s a new phase and I’m very happy, but I’m always very focused and wanting to evolve.”
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You have received recent inquiries from Brazilian and international clubs. How do you see this? How can you be careful not to interfere with your performance on the field?
In football things change very quickly, so I try not to think about it too much. My focus is always on work, on everyday life, on the happiness of being able to fulfill my dream of playing football. I leave these things about surveys and proposals to my business people. I’m happy at Cruzeiro, I come from achievements and at the moment that’s what matters.
Your father was also a great athlete, he played for big clubs like Santos and Flamengo. Is he an inspiration to you? What are the advice?
My father is my biggest reference as an athlete. His experience is something that adds a lot to my career. I get a lot of advice from him. We get together and analyze the games I played… there is always something I can improve on. This is very important to me. It’s the basis of everything.
What has been the most memorable moment so far? Do you do any specific therapy work or something like that?
The life of a football athlete is very unstable, so all the little moments I cherish. Being champion of the Copa do Brasil U20 and State with Cruzeiro was very special for me. I also bring up the Brasileirão U20 and Copinha titles as something very notable. Many say that at the youth categories, it is more important to be shown to the world than to be a champion, but I don’t agree. Of course, the focus is on football at the top, always. But when we take the field to represent our teams, we will look for the title. Thank God I managed to do that at Palmeiras and now at Cruzeiro. These are memorable moments.
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