″In Portugal, football is more intense than in Brazil″
Gabriel Pereira, 22 years old, has completed his second season in Portugal and is focused on the Ribatejo club’s fight for promotion. In the first experience outside Brazil, the central record made it difficult to adapt to European football. He has the dream of reaching the big clubs in the world and also the Brazilian national team.
At Vilafranquense for two seasons, from Volta Redonda, Brazil, Gabriel Pereira flourished and consolidated the support facet in the center of the defense of Rui Borges’ team. After 48 games, in total over the two seasons, playing for the Ribatejo side, the 22-year-old centre-back spoke to O JOGO about his first experience in European football and outlined the differences between the two continents.
“In Portugal, football is more intense than in Brazil. At the beginning, adapting was a little difficult, because it came with the habit of a more stationary and positional game; here there are more movements inside the field, with more coverage in the position. It was a little difficult, but I believe I adapted quickly”, he explained, referring that he always had “the dream of reaching the big clubs in the world”.
In the retina is the image of a player with a strong competitive spirit, effective in coverage, largely due to his speed, and versatile. Characteristics soon worked on in the formation and that accompanied him a lot in his first season at the service of the “piranhas do Tejo”, where he played on several occasions in position six. The reason? According to himself, the answer may lie in the speed that makes him “a little faster than the other centre-backs”, assuming, however, a certain discomfort in the role of “six”.
“It’s not a position I feel very comfortable in, as I often have to play with my back to the ball. I’m not used to that. The centre-back is always playing up front”, he says.
With a career still short, Gabriel remains focused on the goal of “fighting to the top”, but not hiding that he dreams of representing Brazil, like thousands of football compatriots. “I dream of playing for the national team. I always want to show a little more of my football and, who knows, maybe one day make it to the Brazilian national team”, he concludes.