Murillo interview: ‘I believe I can score a wonder goal from the halfway line'

New York Times

2 days ago

Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos only turned 23 last month, but at Nottingham Forest, he believes he has become a man.
When he talks, the Brazilian still retains a boyish charm. The grin rarely strays far from his face as he happily reflects on three years that have been life-changing for him and his family.
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In October 2022, Murillo was still catching the bus to training in Sao Paulo. He did not own a car. At that point, as a young midfielder who had only recently been converted to playing in the centre of defence, he was yet to make his professional debut for Corinthians.
To say it has been a whirlwind for Murillo since making his debut the following April would not do his story justice. After only 13 appearances in Serie A in Brazil, Forest paid £11million ($14.8m) to bring him to Nottingham as the transfer deadline approached in August 2023.
Since then, Murillo has evolved into one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League. If suitors want to buy him, they might genuinely have to make him the most expensive defender in history. Most of the biggest clubs in Europe have been keeping an eye on his progress, but Forest do not intend to sell.
Standing at 5ft 11in (180cm), Murillo can look as wide as he is tall, but he also possesses quick feet and a delicate touch that belie his physique. He is a bull with a ballerina's grace.
He has made 75 appearances for Forest in all competitions, establishing himself as a trusted figure under both Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo, all while adapting a swashbuckling style of play that makes him exciting to watch. Along the way, Murillo earned his first cap for Brazil, in a World Cup qualifier against Argentina. Away from football, Murillo's life has also changed hugely.
'I've had some of the best moments of my life in Nottingham,' says Murillo during a break in training in the sun-baked Portuguese hills near Faro. 'I proposed to my wife and got married. I found out I was going to be a father. I was baptised and committed my life to Jesus. My daughter was born. All of this in the space of three years.
'I've lived my best three years in Nottingham and I'm eternally grateful. I'm really connected and attached to Nottingham Forest. I have tremendous affection for the fans and hope they feel the same. I arrived here as a boy lacking awareness and I've really matured. I think football demands this of you, to mature very quickly.
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'I'm delighted to be here and really happy to have gone from the boy that arrived here to the man I am today.'
The depth of that connection Murillo has with Forest is underlined by the fact that he and his wife, Mabili Coladello, wanted to host their gender reveal party on the City Ground pitch in December 2024. A huge white platform, decorated with balloons, was erected, before an explosion of pink confetti and smoke went off above the couple.
'I'd already told my wife that I wanted to do this and we both had the same thought,' he explains. 'We were delighted to have the opportunity. I'm now a father of a wonderful little girl (Serena), who I'm missing desperately at the moment (while in Portugal).
'I feel that we have this deep connection with the place. One of the main events in my life was the arrival of my daughter, a part of us that comes into the world and God allows us to see our next generation arrive. I managed to do this at Forest, the club I represent and love passionately, which made it even more special.
'The relationship between Murillo and Forest… is a really, really good relationship which I hope goes on for a long time.'
Family is hugely important to Murillo. He credits his father, Fabio — a passionate Corinthians fan — as being the catalyst for his football career. Aged six, it was Fabio who encouraged his son to play futsal, which helped Murillo evolve into the player he is today.
He began at M10 Futsal in Sao Paulo, kicking a ball for the first time in a sports hall with a varnished wooden pitch and a small stand down one side.
'It was my father who took me to the first football academy. I'm still in contact with the academy today and am tremendously grateful to Marcelino (his first coach), who helped me become who I am. He gave me the first opportunity to showcase my football,' he says. 'My father passed away when I was 10. I don't think I understood it properly at the time, as I was a child. Today, I understand it as God's purpose for my life. Today I'm someone with tremendous faith. I strongly believe in Christ and his purpose for my life.
'Being here today is like a mission accomplished and my father helped me become the man I am today. All of this is for my father, too. It was his childhood dream to become a professional footballer and I've been able to achieve this for him. I believe he's watching me from above, seeing me do what I love and realising his dream for him. He must be very happy observing me from up above.'
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Murillo had to make a difficult choice when he was a teenager.
'When we're 16, in Brazil, we must make the decision whether we want to continue with futsal or association football. It was very difficult for me to give up futsal,' says Murillo. 'But I chose to pursue a career in the 11-a-side game. Thank God it all worked out, which is why we are here now talking about it.
'But futsal taught me a lot, mainly discipline. It is a much faster game, where you are involved in every passage of play and have to move a lot. I think this really contributes to my style. Today, I bring a lot of my futsal characteristics onto the pitch, the way I step on the ball, moving it from one side to another. I did a lot of this in futsal and it would be difficult for me to give this up as it's automatic and in my blood.'
Murillo's futsal roots have never been more obvious than at Crystal Palace on October 7, 2023. During his second appearance for the club, the Brazilian almost scored a goal that would have been a contender for goal of the decade.
After collecting the ball in the centre circle, he side-stepped Will Hughes, accelerated sharply beyond Jairo Riedewald, and then left England defender Marc Guehi on his backside with a neat shimmy, finding himself one-on-one with Sam Johnstone. Murillo's shot was well struck but too close to the goalkeeper, who stretched out a hand to keep it out, before then pouncing on a second effort from the defender.
Murillo's run against Crystal Palace—what a moment! It's hard to believe it's been over a year now.🤔#NFFC @NFFC 🌳 🔴 pic.twitter.com/QICveeFL3j
— Nuno Espírito Santo (@NUNOESPIRITO_) October 20, 2024
'It is a characteristic of mine since I was little — picking up the ball and dribbling up the pitch. I did it in futsal and brought it onto the 11-a-side pitch,' he says. 'When I saw the opportunity to show what I could do technically with the ball, it was so close to being a wonderful goal. I reckon if it were today, I would score because my right foot has improved, so I would have placed the ball out of the goalkeeper's reach.
'It's a learning experience and if the opportunity comes about again, I'll go for it. Today I feel more prepared to make better decisions, so if I have it in my mind that I can do it, why not?'
Murillo's first Forest goal was a close-range header against Newcastle United in November 2024, but there have been numerous other occasions where he has come close to the spectacular, with powerful long-range efforts, sometimes even from inside his own half.
Murillo was 🤏 this close 🤏 to scoring the longest Premier League goal ever recorded by an outfield player…
His incredible attempt for @NFFC against Spurs was from 72.6 yards out! pic.twitter.com/py91v1PNi6
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 10, 2024
'I hope the opportunity to score a beautiful goal comes, God willing,' he adds. 'Scoring a great goal would really help me, I'd be so happy after all those chances I almost scored. I need to keep working hard, aware that my main role on the pitch is defending — to help the team avoid conceding. But I believe an opportunity will come and I can score a wonder goal from the halfway line or a spectacular goal. Hopefully, it is on its way.'
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The Brazilian regularly produces such moments on the training ground.
'I actually scored such a goal recently,' he says. 'I collected the ball, dribbled past four players and dinked it into the net. I know my responsibilities; it's not something normal for a centre-back to do. That's why I practise it in training, to gain a better understanding of when the right moment to do it would be.'
On the subject of players capable of producing sublime moments, Murillo was delighted when, following a meeting with owner Evangelos Marinakis in Portugal, Forest's talismanic midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White — who had been the subject of a transfer bid from Tottenham Hotspur — was persuaded to sign a new contract.
'We (the players) were really happy,' says Murillo. 'As well as already being an amazing player, we know that he is capable of being one of the best English players — he already is. We see this every day, people see it in games, I see it in training. He's a great father, a great friend, a great son I would imagine, everyone loves him at the club. He's an excellent person — they're expecting their second child and we wish them all the best.
'He's an outstanding player who we'd really miss if he were to leave. The great thing is he resolved the issue, he sat down and discussed it. He found a solution and is staying here, so we're delighted he's here with us and I believe we've got a great season ahead of us together.'
Gibbs-White and Murillo had many shared experiences last season, but one of the key ones was that both of them played for their countries. The Brazilian hopes they both get to play at the World Cup next summer.
'I would be so happy to see, not just Morgan, but other players from our team representing their countries. It shows that our club is doing excellent work attracting the attention of national teams.'
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When Murillo joined Forest, he came into a squad that already included fellow Brazilians Danilo and Felipe, who helped him settle in Nottingham. Now he finds himself — along with fellow defender Morato — playing the same role for Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha following their arrival from Botafogo.
'Me and Morato already have a strong relationship, a great friendship, and we've established a brotherly bond,' he says. 'We know it's always difficult for a Brazilian to come here, so we do everything to make sure they can settle. The same will apply to Jair and Igor — we've had a good laugh every day. It's the Brazilian way to be chatting and having fun all the time.'
Pre-season has not just been fun, however. It is hot work watching the players being put through their paces in the Algarve sun. But the players will need to be in peak condition to cope with the demands of European football.
'We know the history of the club — a two-time Champions League winner,' he says. 'We players always want to make our history, and putting on the Forest shirt makes us understand the need to do that. If we're in the Conference League, we're entering with the mentality of winning it. If we're in the Europa League, we want to win it.
'We have the foundations of a very good team, and maybe more players will arrive. I believe we will be competing for a lot of things. Our main objective is to qualify for the Champions League, to bring back that joy to fans again. I'm just really enjoying every moment. I'm really happy. I'm really comfortable here, wearing the Forest shirt, with a huge club I'm so proud to represent. I'm really enjoying my life in the best way, together with my family.'
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