He Girona He has had a great start to the season. With seven wins and one draw in nine games, the white and red team It is only behind Real Madrid in the LaLiga standings. And one of the main people responsible for the success of the Catalan club is Savinho (São Mateus, 2004), winger provided by him ESTAC Troyesalso belonging to City Football Group.
With two goals and four assists, The Brazilian is the new sensation of Spanish football. In this interview with MARCA, the 19-year-old forward speaks about Girona’s season, his personal performance and the club’s objectives after the impressive start in LaLiga. “When I arrived here in Girona, what was talked about a lot was about finishing in the top eight. But it turned out that we started very well. Our goal is to win something this season, be it the Europa League, the Champions League… We can’t choose. “We want to do our best to achieve something this year. We have to keep working, keep our feet on the ground and with a lot of humility,” he says.
International with the Brazilian youth categories, he arrived in Europe a year ago after being sold by the Atlético Mineiro to the City Group. Last season he played on loan in the PSV Eindhoven and since July he has defended the colors of Girona.
Ask. You can talk about this exceptional season for Girona. What has worked at that start in LaLiga?
Answer. I’m very happy to be playing like this, to have started the season like this. Not just me, but the entire team, the entire coaching staff. We are all very happy. Last year I didn’t play here, but the team was good too. It is also thanks to the players who were here last year and those who are here today helping. We are very happy to be playing like this, with a lot of ball possession, defending well, attacking well.
Q. They are fighting with Real Madrid and Barcelona for the top positions. Have you talked about the objectives that can be achieved?
R. When I arrived here in Girona, what was talked about a lot was about finishing among the best eight. But it turned out that we started very well. Our goal is to win something this season, be it the Europa League, the Champions League… We can’t choose. We want to do our best to achieve something this year. We have to continue working, continue with our feet on the ground and with a lot of humility.
Q. Two goals and four assists so far in LaLiga. Did you expect such fast performance? And what facilitated your adaptation process?
R. What made it easier for me was having a coach and players who have helped me a lot since I arrived. I already expected to be playing like this, because I work a lot, I have the capacity for it. I already saw that, and my teammates, along with the coach, also motivated me. That’s why I’m like this today, for my job and for my colleagues.
Q. Does Yan Couto’s call to the Brazilian national team motivate you even more?
R. Clear. I’m very happy for Yan. It was as if they had called me. When the news broke, we were together and it seemed like it was me. I was very happy for him. He came back, and I talked a lot with him about the national team, what the experience was like, what the other players are like… I think that if I continue doing my job, I continue doing what I have done until now, God willing I will have a chance. But I’m calm, I want to continue doing my best at the club. It’s a consequence of work, so I want to continue doing things well here.
Q. You, like other young Brazilians, were sold very young. Is there any type of preparation for this current scenario, in which players come to European football very young?
R. When you are in the quarries, the coaches already start talking about it. I had a coach in the Atlético Mineiro youth team, João Paulo Alves, he was one of the best I have had so far. He told us: ‘There’s always someone watching, so play. Think about where you want to go as professionals.’ And all this is a preparation. When I join the professional team, I already think: ‘If I play well here, I’m going to be sold to some European club.’ The players themselves also comment, motivate, and that helps.
Q. Promoting to the professional team, being sold to Europe… there are several radical changes very close together. What about the psychological aspect?
R. All players dream of playing in Europe. But it is not easy to leave Brazil and go to Europe, because of the adaptation, the cold, the language. But you can overcome everything by working, always with your feet on the ground.
Q. What is it like to be under the ‘umbrella’ of the City Group? Does being loaned from club to club bother you a bit? Can you see yourself reaching the peak, which is Manchester City?
R. The City Group is a very good project. I was at PSV, now in Girona. At PSV I didn’t play as much, but I learned a lot. I have to thank PSV for opening the doors to me, because the things I learned there have helped me be well at Girona today. The City Group’s project is first class, and I think that if I do it well, Manchester City will love me.
Q. Are you enjoying life in Spain? Would you like to stay longer?
R. Yes, I had even commented that I would like Girona to buy me. I’m very well. I want to stay here another three years. Things are going well, I am very happy. At the club they see how happy I am.
Q. What was your childhood like in São Mateus? Have you always dreamed of playing soccer?
R. I didn’t think about being a player from the beginning, because I really liked the farm. I think if I wasn’t a footballer, I would be working with my grandparents on the farm. It was something I liked, I didn’t do it to have something. I like it to this day. When I go on vacation, I always go there. So, I’m glad to have that, to have somewhere to go, to be able to go see my grandparents. About my childhood, I lived in the countryside, and people told me that I had talent, that I could be a soccer player. And my mother believed and followed. We moved to the city of Vitória. There, I played on a team that faced Atlético Minero, and they liked me and asked me to stay.
Q. Who is your great idol in football? Who are you inspired by?
R. I’m a big fan of Rodrygo, he has a lot of quality. He is a player who does not need the media so much, the press, he stays in his own. I like it a lot. I’m like him, I don’t care much about appearing in the media.
Q. And someone you saw as a child?
R. I also really like Neymar. From the time of Santos, Barcelona, then PSG. Here in Spain everyone is afraid of him.
Q. Do you talk a lot with Vinicius and Rodrygo?
R. I talk more with Rodrygo. I only spoke with Vinicius on the day of the Girona-Real Madrid match. We are not very close, but I hope one day we will be.
Q. Have you followed everything that happened with Vinicius, with the cases of racism? Did you talk to him about that?
R. I saw it, of course. I didn’t talk to him because we’re not very close. But I was pretty sad for him. I am Brazilian, I am here in Spain, so I am afraid that it will happen to me too. He was in the Netherlands, I know he can spend any time with me. As happened with Vini, I use it as a learning experience. I have to stay calm, play football and not let this get in the way. It’s horrible, no one wants to go through that. Nobody leaves their country, leaves their family, leaves their team and accepts a proposal thinking about going through that. It must be left in the hands of God and the police to put an end to this.
Q. What do you think of Spanish football? Do you like playing in LaLiga?
R. Spanish football is very good. It is one of the best leagues in the world. The Premier League and LaLiga are the best in the world today. There are many quality players, not only from Girona, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid. All teams have quality players, like Villarreal, Real Sociedad, they are great teams. I am very happy to be playing in LaLiga, I am learning a lot.
Father Vitor Roque and Endrick will arrive in the coming months. What advice would you give them, since you have paved the way?
R. I wouldn’t give them any advice, because they are two greats. They are going to be my rivals. They are two great players. I even talk to the Girona players, when they ask me if they are both good: ‘You’ll see when they get here.’ They are two great players who are going to learn a lot, one for Barça, the other for Real Madrid, and they are going to score many goals, for sure.
2023-10-21 06:46:56
#conquer #year
