A Brazilian Pearl - Robson de Souza "Robinho"

Ozren Podnar reports...

The old Santos spun around Pele, the new one looks to Robinho, voted top Brazilian player in 2004 and set to join Real Madrid in July.

Santos shines again like four decades ago, when Pele ran the show alongside many other extraordinary Brazilians, some of them World Cup winners. The usual team read Gilmar, Lima, Zito, Dalmo, Calvet, Mauro, Dorval, Mengalvio, Coutinho, Pele, Pepe.

Gilmar was Brazil's goalkeeper in Sweden 1958 and Chile 1962. Pepe played in Sweden, Zito and Coutinho in Chile. Pele, of course, was present on both occasions.

Pele's Santos from the port town of the same name near Sao Paulo was the best team in the world, winning two Libertadores Cups (South American Champions' League of sorts) and two Intercontinental Cups, but never got to win a Brazilian championship.

The reason for this was incredibly banal - an all-Brazilian championship did not exist in the sixties. The modern Santos that won the 2002 and 2004 Brazilian league titles have Pele no more, but they boast Robinho, a genius in his own right.

Feather-light (60 kg and over 172 cm), sinewy, fast and agile, he sometimes looks as though he is walking on water.

The old Santos spun around Pele, the new one looks to Robinho, who made the first team just before his 18th birthday and was put in charge of a squad that was soon to win their first Brazilian title.

What the Saints' youth coaches knew all along quickly became clear to everybody in the land: the kid has an unnatural acceleration, with the ball clinging to his foot; he passes through the narrowest of defensive crevices and generally upsets all the opponents' schemes of stopping him.

In his debut season Robinho formed an invincible tandem alongside refined, composed midfielder Diego Ribas Da Cunha, now of Porto.

In one of the decisive games for the 2002 title he broke Corinthians' defender Rogerio with eight consecutive step-overs, winning the penalty which opened Santos' door to the title.

He was a new pearl of Brazilian soccer, a lively guy with an amazing dribble and a tremendous courage even when faced by defenders 20 kg or so heavier. Those who play againsthim admit being impressed by his fighting spirit inhabiting a fragile body and a boyish face.

Pele's clone?

Every five to ten years a player appears in Brazil whom people call "the new Pele". We recall Zico, "the white Pele" from the late seventies and early eighties, Romario from late eigthies, Ronaldo in mid-nineties, and now the honorary title is Robinho's.

Sure enough, Adriano is also great, but he is a different type of player and a very different one by physical constitution, 19 cm taller and 15 kg heavier than "The King".

Robinho, however, is a Pele's lookalike, having almost equal proportions as the biggest soccer icon in the country. He also plays the same position as a withdrawn attacker coming at the defences from deep. Finally, he hails from Santos, just like the "Big One".

"He is a first class player, a genius, a rare precious stone, who reminds us of The King", wrote Cesar Seabra, Lance sports daily columnist. Pele said of him that if he continued to develop at the pace shown in the first two seasons he would surely become another O Rei.

At 21, Pele had a World Cup to his name, while Robinho has two league championships and a long time to go in Copa Libertadores. If he doesn't win it in 2005, he probably never will because Europe, more specifically Real Madrid, is awaiting him.

Robson de Souza had his first contact with the ball in a strange place. "The best of all was to play in the graveyard, even better than on the street. I spent all days out with my pals, I never even returned for lunch," said Robinho, who played indoor soccer in Nova Germania before joining Santos' youth team.

Benfica, Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven have been linked with his signature, but Real Madrid sounds like a more realistic option.

The Spanish press is reporting Robinho's arrival in Madrid next July as a done deal and it sounds quite realistic since his former coach Wanderlei Luxemburgo has already joined Real from Santos.

Robinho himself was out of action for six weeks towards the end of the 2004 season during the time his mother was in the hands of kidnappers.

Senhora Marina Silva de Souza was snatched by gangsters while at a house party in Praia Grande. A widespread search ensued but Robinho asked the police to stay out of the way so that he could negotiate with the kidnappers.

"I believe the safest way to get my mother back alive and well is to arrange the liberation directly with these people," said the youngster. Robinho's way worked and his mother was freed on December 16th, 40 days after the crisis began.

No word was given as to whether and how much was paid to the criminals but everything pointed at the ransom having been paid.

A relieved Robinho settled down and found strength to return to the field at the right moment, just before the last matchday of the championship. Santos needed a win against Vasco da Gama, the team that had enabled them to jump to the top by beating Atletico Paranaense.

Heroes on the last day were the scorers Ricardinho and Elano, but the title was also Robinho's; in 37 games he scored a wonderful 21 goals, easily the highest score among the Saints. His performances during last year were also rewarded on the individual level: the day after Christmas he received the trophy for the 2004 Brazilian player of the year ahead of Atletico Paranaense's Washington, and early in January he was voted equal third in South America.

Roberto Carlos is looking forward to welcoming him in Madrid. After playing alongside Robinho at a humanitarian game in Uberlandia, Brazil, he enthused: "He is sensational, he perfoms stuff that only a couple of guys in the world can do. He scored three goals, but he was involved in the play throughout the game, not stopping for a minute. Whenever he had the ball, something extraordinary would happen."

And Roberto Carlos must be one of the players least likely to be impressed by anything that is not truly exceptional.

Robinho

Full name: Robson da Souza
Nickname: Robinho
Birthdate: 25 January 1984
Birthplace: Sao Vicente
Height and weight: 172 cm, 60 kg
Position: Forward

Club Career (appearances and goals)
2001 Santos (juniors)
2002 Santos 24 - 7
2003 Santos 32 - 9
2004 Santos 37 - 21
National team:
2003- Brazil 6 - 0
Honours:
League championship: 2002 and 2004
Best player in Brazil: 2004
3rd best player in South America 2004

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