Arsenal,ManchesterUnited– andwelost.
The standardsatChelseaarehuge,giventhe
investmenttheclubmake,sowhenthings
don’t goasexpected,thepressureis huge.What wasit likeplayingagainstBarcelona
in the 2009 ChampionsLeaguesemi-finals?
The firstlegwasoneofthebiggestmoments
of my life.I cameonduringthesecondhalf,
to a standingovationfrom95,000peopleat
the CampNou.I couldn’tbelievethereaction.How oftendidyouseeRomanAbramovich?
He’d approachusaftergamestohavea chat.
There wereregulareventssetupbytheclub
wheretheplayerswouldmingle,andhe’dbe
there withus– atSilverstone,theO2Arena,
WembleyandStamfordBridge.Towardsthe
end ofmycontract,I requesteda meetingto
ask if theyweregoingtorenewit,andI was
surprisedtoseehimshowup.I appreciated
that gestureofrespectandunderstoodthe
changestheclubweregoingtomake,which
resultedinmenotgettinga renewal.You becamea cultherowithChelseafans.
What didyoumakeofthat?
That wasa nicesurprise.I thinkit wasdown
to goalsI scoredagainstSpurs,othersfrom
long distance,andalsomydeterminationon
the pitch.Justbeforethepandemic,a friend
went toa Chelseagamewearinga shirtwith
my nameandnumberontheback.Hesaid
severalfansapproachedhim,pointedatthe
shirt, applaudedandevenchantedmyname!
Receivingthefans’affectionis sorewarding.TEAMS
Cruzeiro
Sao Paulo
Atletico Mineiro (loan)
Villarreal
Barcelona
Chelsea
Fluminense
Ceara
Brazilthat Riquelme had already seen the match
we were going to play, as he did everything
so easily! Although he’s quite an introverted
guy, I had a very good relationship with him
and our families used to hang out together.
How did your move to Barcelona happen?
I turned up at training, and Sonny Anderson
started to whistle a song. All the players were
looking at me. I said, “Which song is this?” It
was Barcelona’s anthem – Sonny had played
for them and knew it. He said, “Haven’t you
seen the news? The papers are saying you’re
going to Barça.” But I didn’t know anything.
A few days later, their vice-president Sandro
Rosell contacted me to say he was coming to
Villarreal to negotiate my transfer.
What’s your best Clasico memory?
My first one – we faced the Galacticos at the
Camp Nou and beat them 3-0. That was an
unforgettable evening. I was 28 and needed
a little while to reach that level, so I took in
everything. That game was so special for me.
You played in the controversial Champions
League defeat to Chelsea in 2005...
The thing that stuck out in my mind was their
competitiveness. I heard that Jose Mourinho
asked Stamford Bridge’s groundsman not to
prepare the pitch in the greatest condition, as
passing was one of our main strengths. That
loss formed part of our learning process, in
order to make Barça a winning team again.
Were you frustrated to be on the bench for
the 2006 Champions League Final?
In the second season, Frank Rijkaard decided
to play an improvised centre-back [Oleguer]
in my position, because I was an offensive
player. I wasn’t gutted to be on the bench –
I understood Rijkaard’s plan against Arsenal.
They were quite strong on their left side with
Ashley Cole and Freddie Ljungberg. I had 10
seconds of frustration when the line-up was
announced, but quickly realised that I had to
be mentally ready as I could still be required.
What are your memories of that match?
I was able to disconnect from the stadium
noise and focus only on what was happening
on the pitch. Jens Lehmann got sent off but
they scored, then at half-time Andres Iniesta
replaced Edmilson. Next, Rijkaard told Henrik
Larsson to get ready and put him on – until
60 minutes, I wasn’t part of the game plan.
Only then did I get warmed up. Oleguer tired,
so Rijkaard called me over and said I should
attack on the wing, because we weren’t able
to penetrate Arsenal’s defence in the centre.
Samuel Eto’o equalised, then came my goal...
How did it feel to score the winning goal in
a Champions League final?
I had butterflies in my stomach as I stepped
onto the pitch, but I was really confident and
determined. My goal showed that. I was able
to control a strong pass with my left foot on
a wet surface, before shooting. I didn’t go on
aiming to score – my intention was to help
the team create chances, so I hadn’t planned
how to celebrate a goal. My body just felt that
chemical, emotional reaction. I remembered
that my parents and son were sat up in the
stands. Imagine your father watching his son
score such a significant goal – I can’t put into
words what I felt in that moment.It must have been so special to celebrate
victory with your family?
My dad rarely travelled from Brazil to see me
play. He was in Lisbon when we beat Benfica
in the quarter-finals, but hadn’t planned to
watch the final in Paris. “I’m too old now and
it’s too far away,” he’d said. Then I bumped
into Barça president Joan Laporta a few days
before the final. He asked if my parents were
coming and I said that my dad wasn’t, so he
insisted that I invite him. “I’m coming, then!”
was my dad’s reaction. [Laughs]How did your move to Chelsea come about?
Mourinho phoned me. I could have stayed at
Barça because I’d renewed my contract, but
the Premier League attracted me a lot – and
also London. Jose’s sessions were so smartly
planned. I’ve been taking coaching courses
in Brazil, and he’s among my inspirations to
follow that managerial path.Why did Scolari struggle at Chelsea?
He had a very good start, but then came the
matches against our main rivals – Liverpool,FourFourTwo November 2020 95