*** the original audio in PORTUGUESE of this interview is also available in the videos section  CLICK HERE TO WATCH ***  

Washington has a calm, polite and nice way to talk, which might be the result of a battle that only some would be strong enough to win. In 2003 a heart problem forced him to end up earlier his european career playing for Fenerbahce. Back to Brazil, Atletico Paranaense believed in his capacity to recover and, "The Brave Heart" gave back the best way he could: 34 goals in the 2004 Brazilian Championship - an all-time record -  which helped his team to finish as runners-up. Now Washignton is an idol in Japan playing for Urawa Reds but he may soon be back to Brazil to bring joy to new fans.

Washington, did you already sign a contract with Fluminense?  Hahaha… Not yet. We are... They offered me a very good contract and we're talking. Of course I need to wait till the end of the Club World Cup to really sit and talk to them so we can, maybe, sign.

So that means you're totally foccused in winning this next game to give Urawa this 3rd place which can actually be considered almost a title of the 3rd best team on the planet? For sure. This sunday's game is a very important one to decide the 3rd place. We all gotta be very foccused. It would be an excellent way to finish the year. Of course we knew Milan were the favorites and they deserved the result but I believe we played well and left the pitch with our heads up which will boost our confidence to get fight for the 3rd position.

Both Milan and Boca had a very hard time beating teams that could be considered smaller in terms of world football. Why do you think that happened? Are the big teams lowering their level or the smaller ones are showing more efficiency?   Certainly football is not like in the past when a big team would sweep the smaller one all the time. It's not like that anymore. There are good teams outside Europe, Brazil... right? There are good teams with a strong roster and things are leveling up and we showed it out there. There also a team from Africa, our team from Asia and both represented their continents very well. I'm sure it will a great 3rd and 4th place decision on Sunday. 

Washington, now tell a little bit about you. I myself always saw you as a role model. You went through a very serious problem, and if I'm not wrong it was Atletico Paranaense the team who believed in you and helped you overcome that hard moment. Now you're, you're successful an idol in Japan, ALMOST going back to Brazil. How do you see your career, all this adventure that has been your profesional life? See, all of this that is happening to me now I always see as a present from God. After, as you said, the struggle I had to face to go back to the pitch I only had good things happening to me. So I think this a living proof that we should never give up on our life no matter how big the problem seems to be. One should fight and when he overcomes the plroblem he will be even stronger to achieve the siccess. So thank God after the problems all I had was joy, and happiness and wonderful moments and I'm sure it will be like this till the end of my career. 

I remember a time when we would pick on that kid who was not a very good player by saying that he played like Japanese. Well that certainly is a thing of the past.

They still make mistakes that are almost impossible to understand like when … missed a certain goal from inside the box, face to face with the goalie but in general when they make a mistake is by trying an step-over, a curvy pass or a fancy move. They have learned.

In 1993 when the J-League was launched the idea of having a Japanese team playing in a World Level championship seemed like a far, far, far, away dream but some very important people believed in it. Zico was one of them. The maestro of the great Flamengo from the 80’s and the main component of the best team who didn’t win a World Cup – Brazil of 1982 – arrived in Japan to be what Pele was for the NY Cosmos in the the late 70’s. The only difference is that the conservative, traditionalist, paternalist Japanese culture were open for this revolution.    

The most popular sports in Japan were, at the time, baseball and sumo. Football existed but in a very amateur way. But the idea of popularizing football was very well accepted and the presence of foreign players like Zico, who attracted a bunch of other Brazilians with him was exactly what the Japanese Football Federation needed to transform the sport here.

Today Japanese players learned a lot from this “in-house exchange program” and even though almost every team has at least one Brazilian on their squad, one can see the arising of some good domestic talents.

And the fans… Oh, the fans…

 

Japanese football fans LOVE their teams. They wear the colors, they support the players, they chant ALL THE TIME! I’m honestly extremely pleased with what I saw here on a Monday night. I just can’t wait to see what show the Reds fans are going to put up against Milan.

So if Japan doesn’t have the easy to beat football how should we label that kid who is so bad that he ends up as the goalkeeper. Let me think… hmmm… what about English?

“Hey kid, you’re so bad that it seems you’re from England…”

I’m Mano Gil, writing from the Toyota Stadium, exclusively for Ole Ole.

Sayonara!!!