Next step is Brazil national team

About the contract renewal:

“I’m really happy! It was another career goal. I’ve got just the biggest ambitions. Earning a place here, benefitting Shakhtar - I'm really happy here! We want to delight the fans and win titles and trophies.”

About the top clubs:

“All footballers think about big teams, but I play for the giants now. Shakhtar has shaped my current self. The time I spent on loan in Portugal enabled me to grow up, to become a mature player. If one day I move somewhere else, it will be better both for me and the club then. It’s important to work all the time. My dream is to leave a mark at Shakhtar. The main goal is the club’s victories, the rest is secondary.”

About the Brazil national team:

“I tried to work hard ever since my humble beginnings, starting from the academy. I've been called up to the Olympic team since age 17, so my next step is joining the senior national team.”

About his longing for Brazil:

“I feel calm about this because I do not have a home as such, I am an international person. Of course, my mother and family stay in Brazil, but I can’t say that I suffer a lot and worry about being far from my homeland. In the beginning, of course, I had some worries - it happens when you change everything radically. But there are many Brazilians here, they are also my family, so I feel at home."

About the teammates:

“The Brazilians and Solomon are my friends, although we do not speak the same language. We develop our communication, we talk to each other. In general, I communicate with everyone. I spend all my time with Taison, Marlos, Alan Patrick, Moraes and Ismaily. I feel really close to Marlos and Taison - they can correct my actions, suggest something, while I try to turn all that into knowledge. I try to learn some new things every day and listen to some advice if it benefits me and the club.”

About pace:

“In the away game vs Manchester City I had to face Sterling, a very dangerous footballer. I succeeded in beating him at a fast pace. Of course, technically he is much stronger than me, but I was able to surpass him pace wise which was very nice. Well, technically, in a static challenge it might be difficult for me, but I’m the best at a fast pace.”

About his objectives:

“I want to become a great footballer, to win the Champions League and the World Cup. And in my everyday life, I just want to stay healthy and happy, to be with my family because I have a little daughter. The main thing is just to be happy.”

 About the jokers on the team:

“Who is the biggest joker? It depends on the day. However, Taison, for example, cracks jokes all the time, making everyone lough. Marlos jokes too, but just a little bit. We laugh all the time! We’ve always dreamed of being in this kind of atmosphere, so we spend every day with pleasure. Of course, you need to get serious at the right moments, but most of the time we joke.”

About his tattoos:

“I’ve got a lot of them, but not all of them mean something. There is my city name, literally my street name, my first number of 98, the names of my daughter and wife. Everything else is just for beauty, some abstract drawings that I like. It's hard to count them. My both arms are covered with them - all tattoos are as one whole now.”

About fans:

“It's terrible to play in front of empty stands. The atmosphere is much nicer with the fans present. All competitions are primarily held for spectators. We are really, really looking forward to the fans’ return to the stadiums!”

About the level of the leagues in Ukraine and Portugal:

“The Ukrainian league is really tough: the players are strong physically, football is quite tough. In Portugal, the league is different. It’s more open, with attacking football. All teams are more or less equal, apart from a couple of giants. Nobody parks the bus like, for example, Rukh did in a match against us – it’s difficult to play against that kind of ‘bus’. In Portugal, the opponents are not afraid of exposing themselves, and the game gets more interesting.”

About Luis Castro:

“He is a coach and friend with a big ‘F’. He strongly believes in his formation and passes this confidence to us. He helps us with advice both in football and in personal life because he is experienced. He always says this: “When you train or play, no matter against whom, you need full focus and proper attitude, and everything that remains behind the field must be forgotten. Castro makes a big progress himself and gets stronger. I enjoy working with him. Even when I was not playing, he gave the right advice and helped me. We have a single goal of winning! Together we can achieve this.”

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