The Verdeamarela coach talks about every single player in the team, his strengths and weaknesses
Brazil has been just amazing this last season. The combination of their amazing technique, their natural talent and physical strength, combined with a huge tactical work has turned the Verdeamarela into an almost perfect beach soccer machine. Gilberto Costa, the man ahead of this terrific group of players defines for us each of its members:
Mão
He has come back to his best physical and technical condition, he is again the Mão of 2009, no matter he is now 38. When he is focused, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Fernando DDI:
He is a player that transmits tranquillity and calmness to the younger ones. And he has a great understanding of the game and great passing capacity, as well. His role in building the harmony and team spirit within the team is absolutely key.
Nelito:
He has had a great season with his clubs in Italy and Russia. He is getting more and more confident in every game with the National Team. He is quick, he dribbles very well, and he is improving his positioning. He has a huge potential.
Catarino:
A very fast and intense defender, with a great capacity to go upfront and score goals. He needs to work on his mental capacity, but he has a long career ahead in the Brazilian National
Daniel:
A very experienced defender, 35 years old four-times World Cup winner, who came back to the National Team to give solidness to the defensive system. He has the best positioning in the whole team, and he is very calmed, at whatever moment of the game. His role in transmitting his experience to the younger players is just invaluable.
Lucão:
Young attacker with excellent scoring capacities and great physical strength. He owns a deadly shoot, very dangerous in set pieces. He has improved a lot in the collective game.
Bokinha:
He has made a huge step forward this season, at all levels, both technically, mentally and tactically. He is now one of the engines of the team. He is quick, strong and technically gifted, and he is a good scorer, too. He has shown great maturity as a player.
Bruno Xavier:
He is the captain of the team, our lighthouse, our main reference. The importance he has in the team goes way beyond playing well or not. He is supposed to steer and inspire the team, and he is doing that very well. Tactically, he has been growing a lot during the last years, and he is today a very complete player. He has almost everything a beach soccer player can have.
Rodrigo:
He is a sensational forward, with all the capacities a great attacker is supposed to have. Besides, he is very young, and has a great future ahead. He has grown within the collective play, and acquired the knowledge to play in different positions, as well.
Datinha:
Another of the engines of our team, giving our collective game a lot of speed. The experience he has gained in the last years, specially at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, has given his individual game a lot more calmness, and his capacity to take right decisions has improved a lot, too.
Mauricinho:
He is another player who has learnt to play in different positions. He is very calmed when in front of the goalkeeper, what grants him good scoring skills. He is very fast and combines his pace with a long stride. He is a very good dribbler and it is very difficult to anticipate the decisions he will make during the game.
Rafael:
He is a very young goalkeeper, with a great potential and a good capacity to play with his feet. He might not be tall, but he compensates it with speed. I think he has a bright future in the Brazilian National Team.
Leandro Fanta:
Experience goalkeeper, with very powerful moves. He evolved a lot mentally this season, and he will fight for a place in the team.
Filipe:
He is a 23-year-old player, with a huge potential. He can play anywhere in the pitch with the same capacity to deliver, both technically and tactically. He can perfectly defend and then fly upfront to score with a magnificent bicycle kick. Unfortunately he had an important knee injury in the season, so he could not play during the last part of season.
Gilberto:
I am just a coach who tries to give his best every day, trying to contribute to my player’s growth, not only as athletes but as human beings. I put a lot of thinking on my task and always try to bring something new. My most important task right now is to make the team understand that what we accomplished in 2016 does not matter any more, as those will not help us achieve new things in 2017. We have a lot to improve; we have to keep developing ourselves.
