FIRST PART. Felipe Melo de Carvalho (1983, Rio de Janeiro) was hardly there a season in Almería, more than enough time to enter the history of the sport of Almería as one of the best footballers that have spent at the rojiblanco club, springboard in your career. Signed por five seasons, but his splendid first year in the UDA of Emery, Negredo or Alves earned him a contract with Fiorentina and a position in the Brazilian team, with which won the Confederations 2009 and played the World Cup 2010. He also wore the jacket of the Juventus two coursesfour the Galatasaray and one and a half that of Inter. In 2017 returned to Brazil, where he performs his fourth year at Palmeiras. The captain of the green box is alternating this season on central post with the midfielder, a position that changed his life. Since his house in San Pablo, where he exercises before returning to training next week, serves AS. Three quarters of an hour without topics, saying what you think and with the kindness of others with the best poster.
– In what way did Almería influence your career? He went from being in the doldrums to being one of the leading midfielders in the world.
The truth is that it is not a drop coat because I did a good job when I was at Racing Santander. But, of course, he played in another position. Even forward. So it is difficult for someone who had played central all his life. Still, I had a good season and scored almost the same goals as Munitis, who was the attacker. When I arrived in Almería I spoke with Unai Emery before and he said 'no, no, I'm going to make you a midfielder, as you want'. That was the first year I played as a midfielder and it was phenomenal.
– He was not a starter until the fifth day on that 07-08, where he scored the winning goal in Murcia.
I have always been very, very professional, but he was talking too much. The coach still said to me 'you have to keep your mouth shut' and I spoke. I always wanted to fight, things like that. I remember that we played a friendly game in preseason and I was sent off. Then he left me out the first games. It wasn't a punishment, but to get her to do things well again. I started little by little.
– What is the change from being a top player to a top player?
I believe that no player is born already famous, being the best in the world. You start from nothing, you start from scratch. I remember being at Racing and people spoke highly of Messi, but we didn't know that he was going to be the best in the world because you start little by little. I have had the opportunity to play midfielder and I have shown what they talked about when I was in Brazil in the small teams, in the sub-17 and sub-20, people said 'this guy is going to be one of the best midfielders in the world '. Well, the first opportunity I had to do a good job in my position I took advantage of. And then Unai Emery was very important, for me he is among the four best coaches in history.
– From history?
The one I have had. But I am going to tell you one thing, the story is difficult because you may not have won a Champions League, but you won a lot of things at Sevilla, then also with PSG. Of course, winning the Champions League puts you on another level, it's something else. Or win an important competition with the national team. It lacks that. But he has everything to go and be one of the best coaches in the world, without a doubt, fixed, safe.
– Talk about Unai Emery and change of position. Are too many diamonds lost in lower categories for not having the chance?
Many players who have incredible potential to even reach the national team lose themselves by their heads, due to their lack of professionalism, the desire to train … The soccer player thinks of winning a lot of money. In Brazil it generally comes from the favelas. So that goes through your head, with friends who are not friends. I thank God, because I always speak of God, I did not look back, I did not want to return to Brazil. I wanted to make a story in the Spanish championship, important to me. There are also many people who, with a lack of opportunities, leave everything. I do not. The lack of opportunities or the 'feeling' with the coach, who knows that one is a midfielder, striker, or right-back is the difference in my career. I trained with Unai Emery, the first coach who has had the 'feeling' of putting me to play where I wanted to play. When I was at Racing there was Miguel Ángel Portugal. That one said, 'You can't play midfielder, man.' And he said “but I want to get to the national team”. And he laughed at me, answering 'what are you saying, what are you saying'. And what do you say, that I played a World Cup and won a Confederations with Brazil, playing in the biggest clubs in the world. The difference is the 'feeling' with the coaches. The coach who knows and looks says 'that's a striker, he has to make goals …' is the best in the world. That is why Unai Emery is one of the best in the world.
– Almost three decades ago at a press conference in Santander, he insisted that he wanted to play as a pivot after speaking with Dunga, repeating the term over and over again. The fans laughed at the lack of ability to defend and the coach ignored him. At Racing he also had Manolo Preciado.
Manolo Preciado is like a father to me. Now you will be resting with God. He was a father to me because he helped me a lot. I played a pivot with him a few times, others later. One who can act in many positions still has to help. But Miguel Ángel Portugal, no. With that no. After a long time I have had the opportunity to speak with him and he said 'I apologize, I was wrong'. And nothing happens, I see that he is a good coach, he is not someone who knows nothing, at the time he was wrong. At Racing many people laughed at me when they said 'I am a pivot, I want to get to the national team'. They told me that Del Bosque noticed me. I had the opportunity to play with the Spanish team because I have the Spanish passport, but my dream was to play with the Brazilian team. Forever.
Felipe Melo, in training with Almería in May 2008.
Carlos Barba (AS Newspaper)
– Do you regret not having chosen red, being able to win that World Cup that you played?
No. Maybe if I was in Spain, I wasn't going to win. If God believes that you don't have to win, it doesn't matter, you don't have to win. I fulfilled my dream: to play for the Brazilian team, to play a World Cup, to win a Confederations, to play several games, even to be the only footballer in the history of Brazil who had never played a World Cup before and never passed the bench. That is amazing. It's one of crazy things. I always thank God because it is a tremendous story.
– You have talked about Emery, Preciado and Portugal. Who is the best coach you have had?
(Think) I have several. Unai Emery is too good for me. I had Cesare Prandeli at Fiorentina and Galatasaray. I leave Almería and go to Florencia. There I learn a lot to play tactically because Cesare Prandeli is an expert in tactics. I have had Vanderlei Luxembourg before leaving Brazil. Now I have found it again in Palmeiras. It's a coach pass. I worked with Luiz Felipe Scolari. What can I say about Scolari? He won a World Cup with Brazil … Thank God I have had many coaches who understand a lot. Mancini, at Inter, is another, he is now in the Italian team and knows a lot about football. So I can't choose because each one has his things, some are better in dealing with the player, another is tactically the best there is, another knows the technique … They are very, very good.
– Returning to that Almería of Emery, Negredo, Diego Alves and you were spectacular. He was the number one candidate for relegation and ended up getting into Intertoto (without playing it for not being registered).
It was surely the best team in the history of Almería, I think. Also, we beat great teams. We beat Real Madrid, Valencia away at home …
– With his goal.
Zero to one, I dialed. We tied Barcelona, which had a great team. We put four or five to Seville in Seville. It was a great team, a great team …
– Who surprised you the most?
I really liked Mané. I liked the left side very much. It had incredible, incredible quality. I loved it.
– How was your relationship with Alfonso García, a peculiar guy?
The truth is that I have not had a lot of relationship with him. When we have tried he helped me a lot, nice. After leaving there I have not spoken to him again, but he was always happy with me.
– In Almeria, in addition, he was uncovered as a scorer, with seven goals, the best record of his career until then.
We played with a trivot, other times with two. We had one who was playing as a defensive pivot and I was the second man in midfield. Unai gave me the freedom to go much further into the attack. And I have a goal. I never went a season without scoring. For example, the first season in Spain, in Mallorca, I was scoreless and in the last game of the season, we beat Real Madrid one by two from 'Los Galacticos', scoring my first goal in Spain, in Europe (it was actually with Racing, last game of 2005). They had a great team, with Ronaldo, Beckham, Robinho, Roberto Carlos, Zidane … And we put one to two in there at the Bernabéu. I always made goals. When I got to Fiorentina Prandelli made me a defensive pivot and I didn't have much of an option to attack. He scored goals, but with a dead ball, with throw-ins or corners. When I go to Galatasaray we played with two in the midfield and when one stayed the other went, in my first year I scored eight or nine goals (nine), I don't know how many assists … I've always had a goal. At Palmeiras I am also getting into.
– Did you ever plan to stay at Almería?
I didn't think about staying, neither did the club. The president says 'we have bought you for two or three million' and a team arrives a year later and pays eight … A small team cannot retain like this. I wanted to grow, although I will always be grateful to Almería because it is a team that opened doors for me. After Almería I went up the stairs. I will always have it in my heart, I follow it on social networks and I am one more fan.
– Is it true that you demanded that they pay every last penny of the termination clause?
Yes. And then Fiorentina sells me for 25 million euros! After a year! I mean, it was an incredible business. Fiorentina pays the clause and then Juventus pays the clause to Fiorentina of 25 million plus a player. Today is different, today anyone pays for 30-40-50. I think that for Felipe Melo at 25 years old today a team would pay 80 million euros. One who has arrival, strength, defensively is not bad … Returning to the beginning, it was very good for me and for Almería.
– What is it like to go from being in a club like Almería to one like Fiorentina, from a city like Almería to one like Florencia?
I loved Almería. I'm from Rio de Janeiro. Santander is beautiful, I have a house there, so you can see, I have a flat and friends there. But I leave Santander, where it rains a lot and it is freezing cold. And I go to Almería, which was 25 degrees … There I think 'I am in Brazil'. And with the children and my wife. We are delighted, really, delighted. And I love the city of Seville. Whenever I could I would take the car and be in Seville, I have many friends there. Leaving Almería and reaching Fiorentina as a club is a tremendous change, first because I leave a team that is fighting not to descend (although we did it to reach Uefa) to one that is playing the Champions League. It is an incredible change. A year after leaving Almería I was in the Brazilian team, Dunga called me for a match against Italy. And I didn't get out of there anymore (to the quarters of the World Cup in South Africa). As a city, Florence has a whole history, it is something else, but I loved it, I love Almería. Look, I have four children. My little princess was born in Florence and I love it, but also Almería, where my son Davi began to study. It was the first school I have ever had. It is unforgettable.
– What is your best memory of Almería and Almería?
The first memory is being with the children, because I already had Linyker and David, and with my wife and going for a winter walk to the beach, you know? For us it was a luxury after being in a place where it was extremely cold. Aguadulce I loved it. As a player, the first goal I made, which was my first game as a starter. It was derby, against Murcia. I remember my father was in the stands. Before starting the game I talk to him and say 'look, stay there, I'm going to score a goal, and I'm coming'. I scored a great goal and went to the stands and shouted 'cry, cry!'. That's where people started to meet Felipe Melo, that's why he was unforgettable.