Léo Maceió, 36, never gave up on football. His passion started as a child, when he saw his father and older brother play, and then materialized into a professional career in which he even guarded Neymar in two Brazilian Cup matches in 2013.
Now professionally retired, Léo still keeps the same rhythm he had as an athlete: he trains almost everyday and plays three or four times a week. The grass gave space to turf and football 7, which of course features a smaller field and less players, is the player’s sport.
The top of the pyramid is hard for every player in any sport. For Léo, it came this year, when he was first called up to the Brazilian National Team in the modality. He made the cuts and is now at Puebla, México, to participate in the World Cup. Brazil is the current champion of the tournament.
“It’s a dream come true for every athlete to make it to the Brazilian national team. It’s the pinnacle of a player’s career. When I started playing big games in national competitions, I started to dream, and God gave me this gift. I hope to have a great competition, be able to maintain a high level in all games and of course become a World Champion,” he says.
In football 7, Léo already lifted a few trophies with CRB, where he is the main player and captain, and remembers fondly of the Brazilian Championship in 2021. Léo was the best player and top scorer of the tournament.
“Every time when I came to Maceió on vacation, I played with friends so as not to stay still and even to play. But when I stopped playing during the pandemic, I received an invitation from a friend and decided to just have some fun with the sport. But soon after came the most important competitions. Then I started participating and getting to know the modality. That’s when I decided to dedicate myself a little more, study the game and improve myself because it was something different. I’ve lived my whole life playing 11, so I had to adapt,” he analyzes.
Maceió is a city in the Northeast of Brazil, with approximately 1.5 million inhabitants, in the state of Alagoas. The most known son of the city is Al Ahli’s Roberto Firmino, but also Atlético Mineiro’s Otávio and Pedrinho and Al Salmiya’s Alex Lima, also interviewed by Sambafoot.
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Get to know more about Léo Maceió
Léo started his career at Náutico, then went on to CRB, Fresnoy-le-Grand (France), CSA, Coruripe, Icasa, Piaui’s Flamengo, Rio Branco, Arsenal de Tivat (Montenegro), Veranópolis.
How was your period in France? It was an incredible period. I grew a lot as a person and an athlete. The intensity in Europe is something totally different from what we were used to. I had just left the CRB, I had gained access to the Second Division of the Brasileirão, but everything was new to me: type of training, cold weather, language. But it was certainly something that marked a lot and that to this day I have great memories.
You also needed surgery in that period, right? Regarding my surgery, when I came on vacation at the end of the year, I had a problem because I had a blockage in my kidneys and I needed an operation. Unfortunately, I had a complication and had to have another surgery that left me out of action for almost three months and I couldn’t return to France.
But life had plans for you. And it involved Neymar. It was striking. After not playing for that time, I received a call from coach Celso Teixeira who invited me to play those two matches against Santos, plus the state finals. I accepted and had the opportunity to play against the best player of our generation twice: once in Teresina (a fantastic night where we tied 2-2) and another in Santos where we lost 2-0.
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What is the best moment of your career? At Armory Tivat. Already a more experienced player, I did a pre-season in Bosnia that marked my life by playing against several important teams and I was in a very good moment together with the confidence of the coach and playing at a high level.
Why did you stop playing professionally? When the pandemic came, the clubs stopped, and I had the idea of setting up a training center. Thank God, it worked out very well, and with each passing year, things have only been growing.
Was there any dream left to come true? Yes, playing a Brazilian Serie A. Several of my friends who played with me are still playing, and unfortunately I made some bad decisions in terms of going to clubs or dealing with managers.
How was the CT opening? It started little by little with a student and then it took on a proportion that even I still don’t believe. Today I can show a little of everything I experienced and I am very happy to see the evolution of the students.What are the next plans? God willing, it will be the expansion of CT Léo Maceió and give our students a greater structure and try to organize myself so that I can be well and play at a high level for a long time.
