I was depressed for a month & wanted to quit
EDERSON’S TOUGH ROUTE TO TOP AFTER REJECTION
EDERSON has revealed he came close to quitting football after rejection by Sao Paulo left him “depressed for a month”.
The Brazilian’s commanding displays for Manchester City have been a key element in their domination of the Premier League, and he is now rated one of the finest goalkeepers in world football. But his path to superstardom has been littered with setbacks – particularly in the early years. Not only did he fail to make the grade at Sao Paulo, he was offloaded by his first European club, Benfica.
He ended up at Ribeirao but they did not rate him either – and he again had to move on a free transfer. Recalling the Sao Paulo rejection, Ederson said: “It was a difficult situation. I was only 15 years old and went through a tough moment, spent one month depressed, and was thinking of quitting.
“Luckily, my parents supported me and encouraged me to play on.” Ederson, 25, grew up in a tough suburb in Sao Paulo, called Osasco. It was, he says, a happy childhood with strong family support and good friends. As a child, he was a rarity because while his friends idolised Adriano, Kaka, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo, from the age of 13 his hero was Rogerio Ceni.
The Sao Paulo keeper was a legend, not only playing for 25 years, but scoring 131 goals, mainly from free-kicks and penalties.
“The passion I had for being a goalkeeper made me follow the career of Rogerio Ceni and, even now, I still watch videos of him on YouTube and he still gives me inspiration today,” said Ederson.
The keeper’s fortunes were transformed when Benfica bought him back for £450,000. He slowly edged out Julio Cesar as first choice for the Portuguese club.
From there, Ederson went to City with a then record transfer fee for a keeper of £35million. And it is easy to see why manager Pep Guardiola was attracted to the Brazilian given his comfort with the ball at his feet.
Champions City are battling for silverware on four fronts this season and Ederson already has a tattoo of the Portuguese title trophy on one leg.
So, what about the prospect of a Champions League or Premier League title trophy on the other?
“It would be a difficult question to answer,” added Ederson, who has a friendly rivalry with Liverpool’s Brazil keeper Alisson.
“But obviously, the Champions League would be great, because the club has never won it. It would be the first time and we’d go down in history.”