Geovanni’s half- time headache
One of the best players in the Tigers’ history, the playmaker didn’t enjoy his 2008 return to former club Manchester City
What are you most proud of in your career?
God took me to several places where I’d never dreamed of going – I played in Spain, Portugal, England and the USA. I’d always wanted to be a footballer in Brazil and represented Cruzeiro, America- MG, Bragantino and Vitoria, which is special for a guy from the countryside like me. I played professionally for 18 years and have to thank God for the opportunities he gave me.
At which clubs do you think you played your best football?
Cruzeiro, Benfica and Hull, without a shadow of a doubt, as I hit the peak of my career then.
When you left Cruzeiro to join Barcelona in 2001, were there more teams keen on you?
Benfica were already interested, plus PSV and Juventus, but it was a dream to play for Barça. They’re a very special club and if they call, you just say yes! [ Laughs]
You signed a four- year contract at Barça but left after two. It was reported that you fell out with coach Carlos Rexach – is that true?
Not at all. Carlos was the coach who asked the club to sign me. I have so much affection and respect for him and he’s a great boss – one of the best in Barcelona history. He was a father figure for me. We spoke a lot, and he gave me the chance to play exactly in the position I felt comfortable in. Unfortunately I didn’t play too well, but I won’t make excuses for it. Football is like that – sometimes it all goes to plan and sometimes it doesn’t.
Would you have done anything differently to stay at Barça longer?
No, I’d do it all exactly the same, but I wish I’d been a bit more experienced and mature when I arrived there. It was the first time I was away from home, and suddenly you feel lonely and have to deal with that. I found the adaptation tough at the start.
Louis van Gaal returned to replace Rexach at Barça, and several of your compatriots who played for Van Gaal have said he didn’t like Brazilians in his teams. Do you believe that? I had the pleasure of working under Louis and didn’t have any problems with him at all. Is he demanding? Yes, very, but he also helped me during my time at Barcelona. I have nothing to moan about. I can’t talk on behalf of the other Brazilians who played for him, but I have to be truthful about my experience.
After a good spell at Benfica, you signed for Manchester City in 2007. What was it like to score the winner in a Manchester derby, at a time when City were underdogs?
That goal against Manchester United was very special, because City hadn’t won the derby for quite a while. I wasn’t supposed to play in that match, but someone got ill and the manager, Sven- Goran Eriksson, asked if I could play. The club didn’t have as much potential back then as they do today, but I think that was the start of something and they’re at another level now.
Why didn’t you play much during your one season with City?
I don’t know – I scored a couple of goals early on, but didn’t get too many games after that. There are some things that happen in your life that you don’t understand, but you take them as a learning process. It was up to the coach, and although I could disagree with him, I had to respect him. I’d like to have stayed longer.
You fared better at Hull, though...
That was a really special time in my life, given the affection I received from all the supporters. My family and I made great friends in the city, and Hull will always be in my heart. I was the top scorer in my first season and my equaliser at Arsenal was named goal of the season, so I have good memories of my time there. Even today, I still receive messages from people in
Hull and I keep in touch with Barry the kit man. He used to welcome me every day with a hug, and we chatted a lot. I talk to Ian Ashbee and Craig Fagan regularly, too. We had a fantastic group, including Nick Barmby, George Boateng, Marlon King and Kamil Zayatte. Everyone gave 100 per cent in every match, and that allowed me to stand out with my ability.
How was Phil Brown to work with?
Without doubt, he’s one of the best managers I ever had. It doesn’t mean that we agreed on absolutely everything, but that’s natural in any job. Sometimes I felt I deserved to play the full 90 minutes, but he decided to substitute me. We respected each other, though, and I thank him a lot for what he did for me. He took me to Hull and helped me show my best form there. With him, I enjoyed one of the best moments of my entire career.
What did you think of his infamous half- time team talk on the pitch, back at your old club Manchester City?
That was a difficult episode, and he shouldn’t have done it. He exposed all of the players and I couldn’t have disagreed more with that. I’m against anything that exposes the group, but people make mistakes. He made a big mistake with that decision, just as I was wrong to react the way I did when I was taken off in a match months later. We have to be humble enough to admit if we make a mistake, but he’s clever and I think he learned something. It’s a good example of why we shouldn’t make decisions in the heat of the moment. It’s better to calm down, think and make a wise choice.
How did the squad react that day?
No one liked what he did. We should have just talked in the dressing room, the regular thing at every club. There isn’t one player that would agree with it. Internal things must be handled internally, and the dressing room is the most appropriate place to do that.
Why did you leave Hull in 2010?
The club went through a very tough financial situation and the owner stopped investing, so I was called to a meeting to end my contract. That came from the club, not me, and I would have stayed even to play in the Championship. I wouldn’t have cared. However, they said they couldn’t commit to paying me, and eventually I moved to America.
You played only once for Brazil, in 2001. Do you believe you should have won more caps?
I was very close to being called up for the 2002 World Cup, which Brazil won, but I didn’t play in the last two games before the tournament. At the end of the day, Luiz Felipe Scolari didn’t choose me. It was a dream of mine, because I’d played for all the youth teams, the Olympic team and the senior team. The World Cup was the only thing missing.
“I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO PLAY IN THE MANCHESTER DERBY BUT SOMEONE WAS UNWELL, THEN I SCORED”