3TIME CHAMPION BRAZIL ARRIVE IN DELHI
TEN DAYS AHEAD OF WORLD UNDER17 SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
MUMBAI : At 17, Vinicius Junior has been described as an extraordinary talent by his coaches at Flamengo. His performance at the 2017 South American Under-17 Championship convinced Real Madrid to spend €46 million to acquire his services. His giant leap is also inspiring his teammates to follow in his footsteps.
Brazil arrived here for their preparatory camp on Tuesday morning, before they head to Kochi for their group encounters of the U-17 Fifa World Cup, without their star attraction.
According to team officials, Vinicius will play the second leg of the Brazil Cup final against Cruzeiro on Wednesday before arriving in Mumbai on Saturday.
The team got down to business straightaway and trained for more than two hours at the Andheri Sports Complex.
While the players were focused on the championship, which Brazil haven’t won since 2003, they also feel that a good outing here will help them realise their dream of playing for top clubs in Europe.
ROLE MODEL
“He (Vinicius) is a great player and has huge quality. He is an example for us and we have to look at him and one day, who knows, we can be at the same club,” said centre-back Matheus Stockl, who plays for Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.
“At the same time, facing players like Vinicius during training helps us improve our football,” he added.
First-choice goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao, who plays for Cruzeiro, also dreams of playing abroad.
MILESTONE
“My focus is on the national team and World Cup at the moment. Whatever comes after the World Cup will negotiate and think about it,” he said.
Both agree that the World Cup will play a crucial role as they take steps to secure their professional future.
While Vinicius has taken the big leap, there are others in the squad, who are tipped to take the big step sooner than later.
Alan, who plays for Palmeiras, and Paulinho, of Vasco da Gama, are among the big names in the junior squad and played an important role in Brazil winning the 2017 South American championship. Paulinho, a centre-forward, has been courted by many European clubs while midfielder Alan was on the radar of Inter Milan earlier in the season, which prompted his Sao Paulo-based club to add a €50 million buy-out clause in his contract.
He has also evoked interest from Real Madrid. Meanwhile, the evening training session was as intense as it could get with coach Carlos Amadeu directing his players to focus on positional play and keep the ball moving.
There were no signs of dribbling, a trait associated with South American teams, with most of them sticking to instructions given by the coach.
TRAVELLING WITH CHEF
To make sure that the players don’t miss home-cooked food during their almost month-long stay in India, the team has brought its chef, who will take care of their dietary needs.
“We are travelling with a chef. We get all the stuff (ingredients) in India so we have not got any from Brazil,” a team official told Hindustan Times. Including the chef and media officer, Brazil have a 17-member support staff to ensure the team is looked after as it chases the world title.
BRAZIL WILL SPEND A WEEK IN MUMBAI BEFORE LANDING IN KOCHI WHERE THEY OPEN THEIR CAMPAIGN AGAINST SPAIN ON OCTOBER 7.