Latest news with #Botafogo
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Inside the troubled upbringing of Chelsea's new £60m star: Joao Pedro's father went to prison and his mother sacrificed meals to help the striker achieve his dream
Football is in Joao Pedro's blood. Cliched? Yes, undoubtedly - but no less true. His father, Jose Joao de Jesus, more commonly known as Chicao, was a star in his own right at Brazilian side Botafogo, a scrappy, tenacious defensive midfielder. Loved by fans, Chicao - much like his son two decades later would be - was tipped for big things after helping Botafogo to a Sao Paulo state championship final against Corinthians in 2021, but for him that journey was about to end all too abruptly. The following year, though, Chicao's life and the lives of his family, would change forever, as the Botafogo star was handed a 16-year prison sentence for being accessory to murder. Though it is thought that Joao Pedro's mother, Flavia Junqueira, and Chicao had already separated, and he would serve only eight years, you can imagine the impact that would have on a young boy growing up. Chicao showed contrition on his release, but is not believed to have ever found another professional club after leaving prison at 31. 'I've seen death face-to-face several times,' Chicao said. After his release from prison, he would appear on a TV programme with a young Joao Pedro playing in a playground. 'I made a mistake. I regret it. I thought about committing suicide. I'm a good person. I know that no one has the right to take someone else's life. 'I never thought I'd see the day when I could kick a ball around with my son. I always dreamed about that day.' He wasn't the only one, either. 'I have always wanted to be on the pitch with my dad. I'm going to achieve that,' said Joao Pedro, who would've been about eight at the time. 'My sister always wanted to play with him, and so did I. But we couldn't, because he was in prison.' What started with a dream to share a pitch with his own father, who he is not thought to be in contact with anymore, started a journey that has now taken him to a Club World Cup champion and Chelsea's latest star striker. But the trials and tribulations did not stop with his father's incarceration. After starring in a youth tournament he was spotted by scouts from Rio de Janeiro-based club Fluminense, who reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup - but more on that later. With plenty of other giants interested in the 10-year-old, Fluzao moved fast to snap him up. 'I first encountered Joao Pedro when he was very young,' Eduardo Oliviera, his future coach at Fluminense, told The Athletic back in 2020. 'I was the technical coordinator of the Botafogo youth system, and he used to play against our teams. I thought he was an extremely technical player, with a really good personality. He was someone who really shone in the lower age groups, up to under-13 level. He stood out.' However, there was a problem. Joao Pedro and his family lived in the city of Ribeirao Preto, in the state of Sao Paulo, about 400 miles away from Rio de Janeiro, and his dream of becoming a professional footballer at Fluminense. In Ribeirao Preto, the family were somewhat more comfortable; the future Chelsea star went to a private school, and they could rent out their home while they tried to establish their new life, however things changed when they moved to Xerem, Rio de Janeiro. 'We had a life without luxuries, but we never lacked anything when I lived in Ribeirao Preto,' Joao Pedro, 23, told Mail Sport. 'But we left everything behind in pursuit of the dream of becoming a player when Fluminense approved my move to the club's academy. 'In Xerem we shared the house with another boy and his mother. We went through some difficult financial times, moments when even food was scarce, where my mother would give up a meal so that I could eat better.' As things reached the point of desperation, there was nothing left but for his mother Flavia to make an emotional plea to Fluminense for help. 'In three hours, I told my life story. I got emotional because we didn't have money for everything we needed,' Flavia said. His mother spoke for three-hours to the Brazilian giants about the family's plight in Xerem 'The help created a friendship. It was fundamental for everything that came after. I tell people that Fluminense embrace people, because they helped to change our lives.' If struggling for meals wasn't bad enough, a growth spurt saw him struggle to produce his previous fluency as he got used to the changes in his body. It was at this time that he gradually began to move from a deeper-lying midfielder like his father, Chicao, to an attacking midfielder, and at last a striker. And once his rival for the No 9 shirt was promoted to the U20s, Joao Pedro took the opportunity to really show Fluminense what he could do. 'At that moment, I saw a really focused kid,' says Oliveira of the player who would score 38 goals in one season. 'I could imagine what was going through his head: 'Man, this is my big chance. I've been on the bench for two or three years, but now I have the chance to show what I can do'. 'He dedicated himself completely. Every single shot he took was on target. That really caught my eye, because it's not easy to be so efficient in front of goal. He would shoot in a way that took the goalkeeper out of the equation. 'And when it came to collective activities, his competitiveness shone through. He had a real will to win, and he was able to transfer that to the other players. Those two aspects of his game — the finishing ability and the positive influence his attitude had on the group — were what impressed me. He was determined to improve.' As well as finally getting his opportunity to lead the line, it was the chance to watch Tottenham star Richarlison up close, day in, day out, that inspired Joao Pedro to continue the hard work in pursuit of his dream, particularly in developing his weaker foot. 'Fluminense helped us immensely during those times, with financial and emotional support. Besides trusting me, believing in my development as a person, and my potential as a player,' Joao Pedro added to Mail Sport. 'I managed to reach the professional level, and from then on, everything happened in a very positive way in my life. That's why I am eternally grateful to Fluminense.' That gratitude was immediately evident after both of his goals against his former side for Chelsea, who were drawn in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup earlier this month. Joao Pedro had only joined the Blues six days earlier, but immediately became the latest Brazilian star to follow the 'Lei do Ex' (law of the ex) – a maxim that players always seem to score against their former clubs. After both goals, though, his arms went straight up into the air to apologise to the club that gave him everything. Joao Pedro hadn't forgotten how his life changed, and nor, you'd imagine, will he any time soon. After being scouted by European giants, Joao Pedro finally left Fluminense for Watford, shedding tears at his emotional farewell from the club who had given him everything. Even the harshest sceptic can see what the club means to him. From Fluminense to Watford, Brighton and now Chelsea, just watching Joao Pedro play you're struck by the feeling that there is a barely-controlled energy in the young man. In many ways, it is what makes him so enjoyable to watch; when Joao Pedro controls that furious energy, he is capable of genius, which goes a long way to explaining why Chelsea splashed out £60million for his services. After both his goals against Fluminense Joao Pedro was quick to hold his hands up in apology You can almost see it bubbling away beneath the surface, powering him towards magical moments, but when you learn a little of the journey he has been on, it begins to make sense just where that came from. Born the son of a former player in a country where dreaming of becoming a footballer is akin to death and taxes in life's sole certainties, Joao Pedro's path to the top was littered with sacrifices, setbacks and struggles. His father going to prison, moving 400 miles from his childhood home, his mother giving up her meals to support him - the odds seemed to be stacked against Joao Pedro from realising that dream, were it not for more than a fair share of generosity and goodwill along the way. But rather than waste the opportunity bestowed upon him, this is a young man all too aware of what others have given up for him to achieve his dream, and he is clearly hell bent on paying them back.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mafia deals & fake granny deaths: Conman's 13-year pro career
Let's get this straight: He really did it. Carlos "Kaiser" Henrique Raposo bluffed his way through professional football for 13 years without playing a single game. He never had the desire to kick the ball, but he had an (almost) endless repertoire of lies and excuses. Carlos Kaiser was forced into the world of football - or at least that's what he claims. True or false, the Brazilian doesn't let anyone see his cards. His version goes like this: At the age of ten, an official from Botafogo discovered him during a street kick. But from then on, the "jogo bonito", the beautiful game, was over. "There used to be a transfer law in Brazil. My mother sold the transfer to a businessman who demanded a very high transfer fee, and I was forced to move from club to club, even though I didn't want to," Raposo described his reluctant career start to 'SAPO Desporto'. Because the deals brought in a lot of money, his mother forcibly made him continue playing. The little Carlos therefore had to bury his dream of studying to become a sports teacher and resigned himself to his fate. True or not, it gives an idea of why he later became such an extraordinary impostor. The fact is: After a short interlude at Flamengo, the reluctant one moved to Puebla in Mexico in 1979. There he was still considered a promising talent, got his nickname "Kaiser" because he played as gracefully as the German legend. Or at least that's one version. His friend Luiz Maerovitch later claimed that the nickname was due to the Brazilian beer brand "Kaiser". That would at least fit the lifestyle of the party animal. But more on that later. The trained striker never played a game in two years far from home. But he did get his golden ticket. The professional license, with which he returned to Brazil in 1981. It is also the starting signal for his incredible intrigues to never stand on the field. 📸 Michael Kunkel - Bongarts For this, the Kaiser relied on his greatest strength, his charm. "He could talk so well - if you let him open his mouth once, it was over," even the friendly Brazilian legend Bebeto admitted. Contacts like these open many doors for Raposo - especially to nightclubs. "Every night I was out in nightclubs until the early hours of the morning - from Monday to Monday. Honestly, I was never in a condition to train or play in the morning," the night owl confessed after his "career". If he was sober in the morning, the big drawer of excuses was opened. So the cunning guy persuaded young players to knock him down. He repeatedly claimed before match days that his grandmother had died and therefore he couldn't play. He bribed sports journalists for positive headlines about him to sign up with a new club. A dentist regularly issued him certificates, which found reasons for his invented injuries. Naturally, his employers never put up with this for long. "All the teams I played for cheered twice - when I arrived and when I left," Raposo joked aptly about his career in the British 'Sun' in 2018. Part of his clever plan was also to sign short-term contracts. Only to immediately pretend to have muscular problems and then convince the club management to give him a contract until the end of the season, so he had time to get fit and show himself. In 1988, however, his clean record seemed to be getting dirty. Carlos Kaiser was employed by Bangu at the time. During a game, he was sent to warm up because he was supposed to be substituted. Instead of playing a little later, he started a wild brawl in the stands. What looked like the result of a spontaneous action was planned long in advance. Because the Kaiser knew: To have his peace in the west of Rio de Janeiro, he needed the club patron on his side. At that time, this was Castor de Andrade, a notorious mafia boss. So after the game, the shirker sought contact and claimed that the opposing fans had slandered Andrade as a crook. He successfully sold the tumults in the stands as a defense of Andrade's honor. Instead of being thrown out, the troublemaker was rewarded with double salary and a contract extension of six months. Until 1992, Raposo then bluffed his way through three more clubs. Then his facade began to crumble. Influential companions retired from football, technical progress exposed his fake injuries. At the age of 29, the Kaiser's journey through football ended. He will be unforgettable - and that without a single appearance. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. 📸 Simone Arveda - 2024 Getty Images
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo joins Botafogo
Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo has joined Brazilian club Botafogo on a four-year deal. The Brazilian signed for Forest from Palmeiras in January 2023 for a fee of about £16m. He made 62 appearances in all competitions with the majority of those coming in his first full season with the club. The 24-year-old featured just 13 times in 2024-25 after suffering a broken ankle during the opening-day draw against Bournemouth. Forest said: "Everyone at Nottingham Forest thanks Danilo for his contribution while at the club, wishing him the very best for the next stage of his career." Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast Get football news sent straight to your phone
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Danilo leaves for Botafogo
Danilo has returned to Brazil on a permanent deal, joining Botafogo for an undisclosed 24-year-old midfielder joined Forest for £16m in January of 2023 and played for the club 62 you're trying to keep abreast of Nottingham Forest's business this summer, it looks like Reds have signed Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha from Botafogo, and also brought in Cherif Yaya from Rio include Danilo, Antony Elanga to Newcastle, Jack Perkins to Northampton, Ramon Sosa to Palmeiras, Harry Toffolo was released, Andrew Omobamidele joined Strasbourg permanently, Ben Perry moved to Colchester, while Tyler Bindon switched to Sheffield United on loan.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo joins Botafogo
Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo has joined Brazilian club Botafogo on a four-year Brazilian signed for Forest from Palmeiras in January 2023 for a fee of about £ made 62 appearances in all competitions with the majority of those coming in his first full season with the 24-year-old featured just 13 times in 2024-25 after suffering a broken ankle during the opening-day draw against said: "Everyone at Nottingham Forest thanks Danilo for his contribution while at the club, wishing him the very best for the next stage of his career."
