Dudu swears his love for Palmeiras and uses Abel’s mantra for the Libertadores final

Palmeiras became interested in hiring certain attackers in the first half of this year. Some of them were expensive, millionaires. Two examples were Hulk and Diego Costa, who signed with Atlético-MG.

But in the board’s internal discussions about these possible reinforcements, there was one concern: it was necessary to remember that Dudu was about to return.

The cast member most identified with the club spent a year in Qatar, on loan to Al Duhail. Negotiation that only happened because of the attacker’s family problems, who confesses: he couldn’t wait to return. On TV, he saw Palmeiras, the team he was supposed to be part of, conquer last season’s Libertadores, against Santos.

“I was happy. I felt that I was part of that, even far away. Everyone knows I left just because of personal issues”, says he, who was going through marital crisis at the time.

Even with the satisfaction, the desire to repeat the dose was born, this time with him on the field. The opportunity is on the 27th, when Palmeiras returns to decide the continental title. The final against Flamengo will be in Montevideo, at the Centenário stadium.

In conversation with the sheet, Dudu constantly reinforces the importance that the club, which he joined in 2015, has in his life. Account of the official at the Football Academy who said he had confidence in him, as he was a player identified with the shirt. Love and attachment to the institution are difficult subjects in today’s multimillionaire football.

But the striker from Palmeira swears to be true, in his case.

“Of course, everyone needs their salary. But I’m not at Palmeiras for the money, I can guarantee it. I feel the defeat as the fans do. It’s also for the pleasure, for the desire. I’m very happy with the identification I created with the fans. team. That, when I stop playing, is something that will be priceless,” he says.

Discounting the time he spent in Arab football, it is not common nowadays for a player to spend so much time in a major Brazilian football club. It was one of the signings that made football manager Alexandre Mattos famous with the Palmeirense fan because, in theory, he managed to “give a hat” to Corinthians by hiring Dudu.

“I didn’t imagine [em 2015] that would be a long time. I didn’t think it would be like that. There is always a very strong dispute for positions in a big club and the main players want to play for Palmeiras”, he adds.

At Palestra Itália, he won the 2015 Brazil Cup, the 2016 and 2018 Brazilians and the 2020 Paulista. But when it came to Libertadores, he was far away.

When the team won the spot for this year’s decision, by eliminating Atlético-MG in Mineirão with his goal, Dudu cried.

“It was because of the emotion of being in the final, having the chance to play in a Libertadores final. It’s seeing that our strategy of decisive games, of not letting a goal at home, worked. We entered the field at Mineirão knowing that we were playing for a goal and with the certainty that he would score a goal,” he says.

He dismisses that the statement is a response to criticism received by the team and by Abel Ferreira for the football style and tactics used in the two semifinals. Palmeiras played in defense at home and drew 0-0. They were also lucky because Atlético-MG lost a penalty. In Belo Horizonte, Dudu’s touch to the net represented the equality in 1 to 1 that classified the São Paulo team by the away goal.

“We have a style of play and it won’t change by what people say. We’ll do what our coach determines. Of course, everyone wants to see beautiful and happy football. Our team does that too,” he guarantees. “You get to the Libertadores final not just playing forward. It’s strategy.”

Although he believes that Palmeiras and Flamengo have high-level players and will make a quality match, Dudu makes it clear that he doesn’t consider the possibility of an open decision being great, with chances to score all the time. It’s a single game ending where one mistake can decide the title.

That’s how the alviverde team won the 2020 edition, in the last minute of the second-half additions, against Santos, when Pará failed to score by Breno Lopes.

“I’ve never experienced this as a single game. We know it’s complicated. You can’t make a mistake, you must be well focused. You know that if you make a mistake, if you make a mistake, there’s no chance of recovery. Our moment will be that. “, analyzes.

That’s why he says he trusts Abel Ferreira’s plans. Coach who, according to Dudu, has done a lot for the team, but also receives a lot of help from the club. For the striker, the teams in Europe that the Portuguese coach went through (Braga, in Portugal, and PAOK, in Greece) “do not represent 10%” of the greatness of Palmeiras.

“It’s the final that can have extra time, so it’s 120 minutes in which we can’t go wrong. It’s going to be a big game. To play in a match like this, you have to be very smart. It’s to have a warm heart, but a cool mind.” , says Dudu, with the phrase that became a kind of mantra for Abel Ferreira.