Steering wheel
The official presentation of midfielder Alex Santana this Friday was emotional. As soon as he was confirmed at Corinthians, the player revealed that he has always been a fan of the team. And the club decided to pay tribute to the reinforcement, who made a good debut against Criciúma, in the 2-1 victory, by inviting his father to give him the number 80 shirt. The reinforcement could not hold back the tears.
José Amorim Santana, a fanatical Corinthians fan, has always dreamed of seeing his heir defending the club’s colors. And the strong and affectionate embrace between father and son showed the extent of the satisfaction. Both could not hold back their tears. The player also welcomed his children Sofia and Luca and his wife Liliane before his first press conference as a Corinthians player.
Alex Santana kissed the Corinthians shield before declaring himself to the club. With his father sitting next to him, he took a deep breath, drank some water and got emotional. “Today, being here with this Corinthians shirt means a lot, as a child I supported Corinthians a lot, I know what it means to wear this shirt,” he said, his voice still choked, stressing that he was “born” a Corinthians fan.
“The first time I walked through the gate I got goosebumps. As a child I would cheer and cheer in front of the television to watch Corinthians, I’m realizing a dream and for me it was spectacular. I lost my mother when I was 14 and her dream was for me to play for Corinthians. And realizing this dream was spectacular. In the first match with the fans, I had to play for them, for me, for my father and for my family and I managed to play a good match and come out victorious”, he exulted.
Accustomed to having dynamic midfielders, who defend and attack, Corinthians once again has a player in the style of Elias and Paulinho, who always showed up in attack scoring important and decisive goals. “I can play in all the midfield roles, first, second and third midfielder, I have the ability to strike and return to the area”, he explains, avoiding comparisons. “Speaking of Paulinho…, I followed him a lot in 2012 when the team was world champion, a great player, but without comparison, I will find my place to do well at Corinthians, have a good season and everything else will be fine.”
Alex Santana’s father, a Corinthians fan, is thrilled with his son’s presence in his favourite team:
– The Corinthians are everything.pic.twitter.com/dwPAgEUAjO
— Goleada Info (@goleada_info) July 19, 2024
The midfielder revealed that in discussions with sports director Fabinho Soldado and president Augusto Melo, he always used the Corinthians team to do everything possible to reach an agreement with Atletico-PR and thanked the directors for the happy ending. Before his debut, the steering wheel even suffered from insomnia.
“I couldn’t sleep before the game and when the national anthem was played I was already emotional, I was crying. When I saw the whole crowd pushing the team for the whole 90 minutes, when Criciúma scored the goal, they were screaming even more and that motivated me even more. There’s nothing to say about the fans,” he stressed. “And I have to thank Fabinho and the president for bringing me. I would like to say a big thank you.”
The player will be back in the starting lineup this Sunday against Bahia in Salvador, and could return to the starting lineup due to Ranielle’s suspension. He assures that he is prepared and is still enthusiastic about the success. “It was a dream, I feel like I’m still living a dream and it’s not just a formal statement. Everyone knows how much I am a Corinthians fan and wearing this shirt is the best day of my life.”
Reverse pilgrimage
Alex Santana’s father laughed at a press conference when he revealed that his son almost forced the family to walk back from the city of Aparecida when he was still a child. “Listen, I’m not a big talker, but Alex was a Corinthians fan since he was little and I told him to support another team so we wouldn’t suffer together. When he lost, we suffered. And he only spoke about Corinthians,” José said, before telling of the possible reverse pilgrimage.
“I’ll tell you a story about him here. When he was little, we went to Aparecida, he was his son’s age, and we got to the church, Alex saw a bag of balls, he saw the Corinthians one inside and put his foot on the ball. The bag burst open and the boy got angry, I said we were going to fix it and he was just shouting Corinthians, dad, Corinthians, dad, we almost stood there and had to walk because we didn’t. I don’t have enough money to pay for the balls,” he had previously revealed. Positive message to his son.
“The happiness is so much, I’m excited to come to the stadium, I’ve never been there before. We cried together and I ask God to give him a lot of strength and that our Corinthians leave this place where they are and to be happy with Alex Santana here”, he added.
Alex Santana’s first impression on the pitch was good, after fans were frustrated by another Corinthians childhood player who didn’t work out at the club: striker Luan. The midfielder was voted one of the best against Criciúma and walked off the pitch to applause after the 2-1 win.
Source: Terra
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