When the match between Andirá-AC and Atlético-MG ended, goalkeeper Eduardo, 18, was still red-faced with emotion, with a face that one day earned him the nickname Tomate.
For much of the second half, he watched the game from the bench in tears. He was substituted in the 17th minute, when there was the penalty that would define the defeat of the Acre team by 1 to 0 – the moment he left the field and cried went viral on social networks on Wednesday (5).
The result decreed the elimination of the Acre team still in the first phase of the São Paulo Junior Cup, but it would not be the end of the line for Tomate’s dream and perhaps not even for Andirá himself.
The team from the city of Rio Branco traveled to São Paulo with the aim of using Copinha to give visibility to the boys, in the hope that one of them could catch the attention of a big club. In addition to continuing the player’s career, this would bring a financial return to the modest team.
The young goalkeeper’s tears were a reflection not only of the substitution but also of that hope.
“I felt a little pain for having left, yes, but the emotion was because of the beautiful performance I had, the match I played. I was being criticized a lot by some people and, thank God, I did well”, said the goalkeeper at leaf.
While the young man gained fame overnight, gaining more than 500,000 followers on social media in 24 hours, coach Kinho Brito was heavily criticized for the replacement. The coach, however, recorded a video next to the goalkeepers and said that Carlos’ entry was agreed to give the two athletes a chance.
Tomato, who was registered in Copinha as the third goalkeeper, confirmed the story and defended the commander. He narrowly, however, was almost left out of the tournament, as Brito did not intend to relate him. He only changed his mind after being convinced by the club’s president, Afonso Alves, advised to take the athlete by football director Civaldo Nery, the player’s cousin.
“I didn’t help because he’s my cousin, I helped because he’s a boy who really needed it, he has a lot of willpower. The coach even cut him twice, but we managed to help”, says Nery.
It wasn’t just the lobbying done by the director that made Alves buy the fight with the coach. As Andirá does not have many financial resources, the representative is the only employee hired and also accumulates the role of physical trainer for the cast. Therefore, it monitors the efforts of each player on a daily basis.
“Taking him away [Afonso], we are all volunteers. The Kinho [Brito] doesn’t receive anything either, I’m also a volunteer. The president is the only employee, and the official headquarters of the club is in his house”, says the director.
With no resources to board to São Paulo, the team had a partnership with the city of Rio Branco to be able to rent a bus. “We made a trip of two days and two nights, just stopping to eat”, explains the leader.
After the draw made by the São Paulo Football Federation, Andirá had the city of Lins defined as its headquarters. Sensitized by the condition of the team, the city hall offered meals to the athletes. Others, says Nery, were paid for by top hats: “We had to buy food for some players with our own money.”
The situation is recurrent in the daily lives of the boys of the Acrean team. Tomato himself has already had to rely on the help of his cousin in charge to make his meals. “Many times, he didn’t have money to go to training, and I would pick him up at his house, which is more than 10 km from the place where we train. Afterwards, I would take him to my house to eat”, remember the director.
The goalkeeper comes from a humble family. The mother is retired, and the father works selling yogurt. Football is for the athlete a means by which he believes he can give his family a better life. “I hope that from now on I can give the best for them and also represent my state well.”
His desire is to follow in the footsteps of a famous fellow countryman, goalkeeper Weverton, from Palmeiras. “I like him a lot, I haven’t had the chance to meet him yet, but I’m inspired by him”, says the young man, before pointing out the idol’s characteristics. “He’s very confident on the pitch, he knows how to play with his feet, and I try to be that way too.”
The chance to start a successful career is on the horizon. Tomate should have a test period in March at Atlético-MG, who liked his performance and showed interest.
“The hope we have is to sell a player, make a cashier for the club and improve Andirá’s condition. Today, the club lives on the support of some people. that went bankrupt, we rent it with the help of some partners”, says Nery.
According to the top hat, however, despite the invitation for the test, the team from Minas has not yet made a proposal to Andirá.
Before the training period, Tomate will still play his last match in this edition of Copinha, on Saturday (8), against Desportivo Aliança, from Alagoas. With no chance of classification, the Acre team will only fulfill the table, but the archer will be able to show service to whoever has an eye.
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