Source: TheGuardian
The making of Roberto Firmino, by his earliest mentors in Brazil
A teammate, a coach and a teacher reflect on how Firmino left ‘a dangerous reality to conquer the world through sport’By Josué Seixas for Yellow & Green FootballOn a mundane Monday in 2001, Adriana Leite was sitting in her classroom in Maceió, a city on Brazil’s northeast coast. As usual, there was a timid but pleasant boy called Roberto at the desk nearest to hers. She asked him how his weekend had been. When he said that the electricity in his home had been off all weekend, she was worried and asked the 10-year-old what had happened to his family’s food.Smiling, as if it was normal, he said there was nothing in the fridge, so nothing could go off. “When he told me that he had nothing in his fridge at home, it made me very sad,” Leite recalls. “He was so young, always so shy and his answer surprised me. What did he mean there was nothing in the fridge? I always remembered Roberto because of that – that skinny little lad who sat next to my desk and talked about football.” Related: Black football managers join forces in Maracanã to condemn racism in Brazil Continue reading......read full article
