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Interview André Cruz: «We want to win the championship» - 09/02/00
Infordesporto Online
andréBorn 31 years ago in Piracicaba, Campinas (São Paulo), André Cruz was one of the "gifts" of Christmas for the Sporting coach. After ten years out of Brazil, six of the which lived in Italy, the expert international Brazilian spoke with Infordesporto Online.
Infordesporto Online - Ten years out of Brazil. When do you return? André Cruz - I don't still have any idea about the return. I am letting things happen and when it arrives the moment I will return. I.O. - You are in Portugal for a little time, how was your adaptation? A.C. - It was good, very good. I could even say excellent. I arrived to a great club and a great city and, besides, to come for Portugal is a little as if I had gone back to Brazil. There is a big approach among the two countries and I arrived home. I.O. - What could you say about these ten years out of Brazil? A.C. - It has been a very good experience and a very good acquired culture. Out of field, it were four years in Belgium, five and a half in Italy (three in Naples, two in Milan and six months in Turin). At professional level the things could have run better, but in the way that some things happened the swinging is very positive. «The Italian championship is the most difficult of the World» I.O. - Before coming to Sporting, did you have any idea about Portuguese championship? And which were the differences in terms of competitiveness and organization that you've found relatively to the Belgian and Italian championships? A.C. - Soccer in Belgium is, in general, of weak technical quality. But they have many good players. I think when compared with the Portuguese championship - they have a little lower technical level. However, it is a very disputed championship, mainly in physical, very fast and very difficult. Abou the Italian championship, that in my opinion is the most difficult championship of the World because there are the best players, it is a very strong championship: technical, tactics and physically. The Portuguese is technically very good, great players, but it doesn't have the physical level as in Italy. Even so it is a very disputed championship. I.O. - How do you see Brazilian National team now? A.C. - THE Brazilian team has great players for all the positions, what makes it more difficult the coach because having so many good players it is difficult to call only some of them. But it is a "very good difficulty" that al the coaches would like to have. But at this time, the Brazilian team is on the second plane in my career, because the first is Sporting. We want to be champion. It won't be easy. In life everything is difficult, but nothing is impossible. We have a good team and we have to believe that is possible and to work a lot to conquer the objectifies. After that, we will see what happens with Brazilan team. I.O. - Did you hope to find so much rivalry between the supporters of Sporting and the one of Benfica? andréA.C. - Yes, because every place where I passed always existed two clubs of the same city where the rivalry was always very big. I.O. - André has two schools of soccer players in Brazil. Is a bet in creating better life conditions for the Brazilian youths for these could develop their capacities? A.C. - The problem of Brazil is that in economic terms a very big poverty exists. This makes also a growth of the crime rate. Today the children don't play more in the street. So, they seek the sport centers a lot - where it exists the school and the soccer - and where can play. Besides, they are places where the families find the safety that doesn't exist in the streets and as such they can leave their children without some concern. This way, we tried first to create places for those children they could play and who knows, suddenly one of them can become to be a soccer player. There are few professions where the fun can become a work and makes money. I.O. - According to the statistics, you are a player that is characterized by the fact of recovering a lot of balls and of scoring many free-kicks. Do you agree with this characterization? A.C. - I believe that are some points of my characteristics. I have other, mainly at the tactical level in field, at the positioning level, at the level of experience. I.O. - Which was coach that have influenced you more? A.C. - In a certain way, all of them have influenced me. Some more than other, some good, other less good. I liked a lot to work for example with Arie Hann, that went player of Holland in the time of Cruyff. Each person has a different way to think and a different way to work.