UPFROnT
VAGnER LOVE
24 June 2022 FourFourTwo
INTERVIEW
It’s 18 years since you first landed
in Europe with CSKA Moscow – are
you aware that you’ve become a bit
of a cult hero, racking up almost 50
goals in UEFA competitions?
Not really! But to be able to play and
still be involved in those competitions
makes me feel glad. When I received
the offer to join Midtjylland midway
through this season, I was playing in
Kazakhstan, having already featured
in the Conference League group stage
for Kairat Almaty. We were out, and
I thought I’d have to watch the next
round from the stands, but that wasn’t
the case. I was part of the Midtjylland
squad for both games against PAOK.
It’s mind-blowing for me to think that
it’s almost 20 years since I won the
UEFA Cup with CSKA Moscow in 2005.
How special was that match for you,
beating Sporting in Lisbon (below)?
Very special, but you know something?
I could have missed it. When I moved
to Moscow in 2004, it was still summer,
so all good. But as winter approached,
it was getting colder and colder, and
I started to wonder ‘What the hell am
I doing over here?’ I had to play in - 15
degrees – all I wanted was to go back
to Brazil and I asked the club president.
He didn’t agree, so I told him, “I’ll win
you the UEFA Cup.” I had no idea what
I was doing, so that was quite a bold
thing to say. Then, after we’d won the
final, I grabbed the trophy and took it
to him. He started treating me like his
son from that day on.
Is it true that you could have signed
for Arsenal not long afterwards?
A year after winning the UEFA Cup, we
played Arsenal and they sounded me
in Almaty, it’s such a beautiful city –
they speak Russian, which made my
adaptation easier. When I got there,
Kairat hadn’t won the league title in
16 years, so it was brilliant to finally
put an end to that in 2020 and have
the chance to score in the Champions
League qualifying rounds [against
Maccabi Haifa].In Brazil, you’re known for forming
a superb attacking duo with Adriano
at Flamengo...
You could say I’m a very lucky man for
that! Adriano is an unbelievable person
on and off the pitch. We didn’t win any
trophies together at Flamengo, but we
did win the [2004] Copa America with
Brazil. Our partnership was known as
‘Imperio do Amor’ (The Love Empire) by
Flamengo fans. Whenever people spot
me in Rio de Janeiro, they speak about
the goals we scored together.You’re less than three years younger
than him – what did you make of his
decision to retire so early?
It was his choice to make. We all know
that Adriano could still be playing if he
wanted to. With his physical structure,
strength and quality, he could easily beout about a possible transfer, but there
was no concrete offer. Portsmouth and
Everton both made official bids, but the
president was a tough negotiator and
wouldn’t let me leave. The years went
by and ultimately I didn’t get a chance
to play in the Premier League. I’d have
loved to because I’ve always watched
it and can still remember Thierry Henry
and Wayne Rooney starring for Arsenal
and Manchester United.Since leaving CSKA Moscow in 2013,
you’ve played for Shandong Luneng,
Monaco, Alanyaspor, Besiktas and
Kairat Almaty, as well as going back
to Brazil with Corinthians. Any good
tales on your travels?
I only spent six months in Monaco, but
I remember the day the club president
called me to one side and asked which
of the academy graduates I felt would
thrive in the first team. I replied, “That
boy over there, he’s just unstoppable.”
It was Kylian Mbappe. I wasn’t playing
much for them, though, so I moved to
Turkey and absolutely loved it there –
the country, the atmosphere, the fans.I arrived there at about midnight, to be
unveiled by Alanyaspor the next day,
and there were hundreds of supporters
waiting for me outside the hotel. They
carried me inside on their shoulders –
it was insane. Then when I signed for
Besiktas, they asked me if I liked the
song What Is Love by Haddaway, and
played it whenever I scored! [Laughs]What did you make of Kazakhstan?
I didn’t know much about Kazakhstan,
so when I first heard about the Kairat
offer I wasn’t convinced, but now I’m
happy I agreed to it. I had a great timeA stalwart of European
competition since 2004,
the Brazilian is still going
strong in Denmark at 37
with no plans to quit yet