Michael overcame drugs and depression to be featured in Flamengo

In 2015, Manoel Messias de Oliveira was at his home in the city of Poxoréu, in the interior of Mato Grosso, when he received a call from his oldest son. Michael was in tears on the other end of the line.

That day, the boy, then 19 years old, was afraid of dying after he learned of the murder of the drug dealer Mãozinha, with whom he shared a house, in Goiânia.

The crime was a drug-trafficking reckoning, and Michael knew his fate could be the same. So, he decided to flee and, once again, he received shelter from his cousin Jefferson Delgado and his aunt Ellen Cristina.

When Michael was 15 years old and also had to leave Poxoréu in a hurry, they were the ones who received him in Goiás. In his hometown, the boy was wanted for robberies and for association with drug trafficking, crimes that his father was slow to discover.

“I always heard that the family was the last to know [quando um filho faz coisas erradas]. That’s how I saw that this was true”, says Manoel, to sheet.

The Mato Grosso is looking forward to seeing his son play in the final of Libertadores by Flamengo, against Palmeiras, this Saturday (27), at 17h, in Uruguay. For him, each victory in football represents an overcoming for Michael, who almost had his dream destroyed because of drugs.

“When a friend of his, whom he called ‘father 2’, was machine-gunned, things started to change. He joined the church and now wants to try to help other children with his improvement. He helps a lot of people in the city where he was born”, says Manoel.

Poxoréu is a city of about 16 thousand inhabitants and is located approximately 200 km from Cuiabá. It was there that Michael spent his childhood, when he used to run away from school to play ball. Teachers reported to the boy’s parents that he left for recess and did not return to the classroom.

Flamengo’s current striker even failed the third grade of elementary school. Even so, his teacher wanted Manuel to sign an authorization for his son to represent the school in a football tournament.

“It’s funny. In Geography, mathematics and Portuguese fail. And then they want him in the championship. I remember I said ‘no'”, recalls Manoel, who only changed his mind after being convinced by his brother.

The problem with the studies was not the only reason for the family’s concern. “One day, a policeman came to talk to me and was surprised when I said that Michael was my son. He said that he had already chased him and almost shot him. That made me sad.”

The player himself admits to having already used drugs and suffered assassination attempts, in addition to thinking about committing suicide, situations that led to depression.

Arriving in Goiás to live with his cousin and aunt was the turning point in Michael’s life. After passing through Monte Cristo and Goiânia, he was hired by Goianésia in 2017.

That same year, an unexpected help, coming from the singer Amado Batista, would be responsible for giving the athlete the first big chance of his career.

Before a match against Goiás, the singer called Harlei Menezes, former football director and current vice president of the Esmeraldino team. “I was leaving home to go to the game and Amado Batista called me saying: ‘Harlei, there is a small but very skittish player, a sprinter, a dribbler, he plays there on my farm with my employees and my friends. a look at him, maybe he doesn’t interest you'”, says Harlei, who became an emerald idol acting as a goalkeeper.

Goiás won the match 4-2, but Harlei says that Michael was the highlight. “The next day, I got in touch with the person who represented him and we hired him for five seasons. Afterwards, he confirmed everything that Amado Batista had said,” says the manager.

The striker’s qualities also caught the attention of Jorge Jesus, former coach of Flamengo, who was responsible for authorizing his hiring. The club disbursed R$ 34 million to get him out of Goiás.

In Gávea’s team, Michael has already become a kind of darling for the crowd, even without being a starter. Since the arrival of Renato Gaúcho, his football has evolved. Of the 18 goals that the striker has in the season, 12 were scored under his command – Renato arrived at the club in July.

For the father Manoel, his son did not adapt to the style of the technicians who replaced Jesus. With Rogério Ceni, there was even a disappointment. “There was a game that he [Rogério] he called my son into the match and told him, ‘Go there and prove me wrong about you.’ It made him sad, he was such a fan of that guy.”

The idolatry of Ceni came from childhood, as Michael was from São Paulo.

“I remember that he only cried twice, once when São Paulo lost a title and the second when Brazil lost 7-1 [na Copa do Mundo de 2014]. Today he is Flamengo, with taste,” says Manoel, who is from Corinthians and, for that reason, has two great reasons for rooting for the Cariocas in the Libertadores decision.

“If God allows me, I would like to see my son score a goal at Palmeiras in the final.”