I want to be a football superstar

[zeze]

http://www.socialismo.org.br/portal/images/stories/ilustra/favela.jpg

Hello,

My name is Zeze. I'm 15 years old and i come from Brazil. I live in the Favelas of Rio. I got a trainee contract with the legendary football club Vasco da Gama that is currently playing in the Serie B. They say i have a lot of potential so they signed me. I'm very happy to be in this club and the chances are good that i become a professional player here.

On wednesday i played my first game. The result was 1-1. I had to play in the center midlefield and was so nervous that i got a yellow card in the first few minutes. It didn't go well in the first half. I barely touched the ball and was rather a spectator then a football player. I thought the trainer would substitute me right after the half time but he gave me a chance. I managed to make some passes in the second half but they weren't significant to the course of the game so i had to go in the 77th minute. The newspapers wrote: "Zeze was disappointing in his first game for Vasco da Gama." I hope i can show them that i'm better then this. Besides my family needs the money i earn now and for myself, one day i want to play in europe and be a football superstar.

[Paranhos]

"Gigante da Colina" for the win!! :D

(It's one of Vasco da Gama's nicknames)

[zeze]

http://www.sportoase-bocholt.de/img/fitnessstudio_thumb.jpg
It is winter and for the brazilian footballers it means an off-season till May. My mates take a rest from the beautiful game but taking rest isn't an option for me. I'm the one with the trainee contract not them so I must prove the boss that I'm worth the money. During the following months I spend the time getting in shape. I'm full of potential but I'm definitely lacking in physical qualities. I'm the skinniest among the players. My mom says its normal since i'm only 16 but for me that's no excuse. The club doesnt care much about my training so I had to buy a treadmill to improve my pace. I get 95$ a week so it took me around 2,5 months to have around 1000$ and buy the gadget.

I train as much as possible and the rest of my free time i spend with my family and friends because they make me believe in myself. Saving money for the training equipment is really hard and slow so I decided to go to a casino and try my luck. I lost everything i had. Now getting the equipment will take even longer.

Pace training got too monotonous so I played some indoor football, trained my passing and dribbling. Since I'm playing in the center midlefield I need this skills. Recently some of my friends asked me to help them moving. I couldn't say no. A wardrobe fell on my feet and now it's swallen. I hope i can cure my injury before the new season starts.

[zeze]

http://images.eurohandball.com/news/1_ehf_main/1_preview_120px/Red-card_200.jpg

The season began. I was very unsure of how I will perform in my first match and the injury made my confidence really drop. To boost it I took a sip out of my pocket flask. Nobody noticed anything. That's how my grandfather managed his nervousness. Now he has an alcohol addiction and some liver problems. I hope i don't end up like him.

On the field the alcohol helped. I was more active, demanded the ball more often and played few good direct passes. Even though my performance was above average I was substituted. Later I realized that it wasn't the performance but my relationship with my teammates that made it so hard to remain on the field for the whole 90 minutes.

I began to spend more time with the team and the results were obvious. In the game against Juventude I made my first assist and although we lost 5-1 I was very happy in secret. I got a rating of 9 for the first time. I decided to continue this trend. All I did was being more present on the field, I was snappy and fought for every ball around me. In the next game I was suspended in the 19th minute for a double yellow. I guess I have to lower my fighting spirit a little bit.

Surprisingly despite the negative headlines because of the red card I got a contract offer from CRB in the amount of 2000$ per week. They play in Serie B too. I rejected. I wanted to stay at Vasco and not to run from club to club chasing the money. Things just started getting better for me. My teammates respect me and the professional contract offer from my boss will hopefully come soon. I plan to stay in Brazil until I reach some decent level and can really compete against the players from Europe. Till then I try to stay loyal to my current club. I already found a mentor here. His name is Cantinho and he is playing in the middlefield with me. He is an experienced player and with his help I will develop my skills correctly according to my position on the field.

[zeze]

http://mauertaktik.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/buli-ball.jpg

Vasco offered me a contract. 4800$ a week, I agreed immediately. Finally after 10 games they saw my true potential. I played some decent games, I'm not the outstanding player on the field yet but my performance is constant and good.

In the game against Portuguesa i got my first 10 rating and was the man of the match. The game ended 0-0 and the newspapers wrote that the game was dull. Being man of the match of a dull game doesn't sound too good but it is something.

Because of a small injury I missed the next game but then another debut followed. I scored my first goal. At beginning it was an awfull game but then the trainer changed the tactics and I had to play on the left wing. With a powerfull shot from 35 yeards I hammered the ball into the net. That was an amazing feeling. All my mates ran to me to gratulate. The game ended 1-1 and I got only a rating of 6 but I was still satisfied. I begin to see a bright future in front of me.