When 2023 started, I did not have my goals settled. I wanted to do nice interviews, watch some good games, but things went better than I imagined.
Last weekend, I had my mind straight into my main objective: watching Fluminense winning the Copa Libertadores. They were facing Boca Juniors in a very though match, and Rio de Janeiro was flooded with fans from Argentina.
My relationship with Fluminense started a few months back, when a friend of mine got me tickets to watch them play against Olimpia, in the Libertadores quarter-finals at Maracanã.
Since then, however, everything improved. I was able to interview Germán Cano, this edition’s top-scorer and Rei da América (King of América). It was a very long chat about life, football, all he hoped to achieve and how he prepared.
It was probably my best interview of the year.
READ MORE:
++ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Cano is Haaland’s main rival for the status of world football top scorer
++ How does it feel to experience a Libertadores night at Maracanã for the first time
++ Why do Fluminense fans see similarities between Fernando Diniz and Apple TV’s Ted Lasso?
Cano went to score four goals in the Libertadores (three against Internacional in the semifinal and one against Boca Juniors in the final) since then, which makes me think that somehow I gave him luck.
I interviewed André in the week of the final. We are both from the Northeast of Brazil, which is a very poor region, and I could see how much that man had to fight to be there, in the center stage of football, at just 22-years-old.
He has a very bright future.
In Rio, the first thing I did after I got down the plane was go the Laranjeiras, Fluminense’s first training center, to talk to my friends and meet the club’s structure.
The day of the final was full of anxiety, but I knew Fluminense would win. The fans cheered the whole game. People hugged me, cried on my shoulders, told me how much they loved the team and how the 2008 scar, when they lost to LDU also in Maracanã, was finally closed.
There’s not much to say when talking about football. It is a feeling that only a few can say they experienced. On November 4th, at the Maracanã Stadium, I did.
You can watch my video journey here.
Samba Gold 2023: Open voting!
Voting for the Samba Gold Award 2023 is now open. Choose your favorite in the men’s, women’s and under-20 categories!
