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Rising Stars of the Brasileirão: Corinthians’ Eduardo 'Ratinho' [Wed Sep 21st, 2005]
Eduardo 'Ratinho' celebrated his 18th birthday in style, scoring the winning goal in the Brasileirão match against Figueirense with a perfect free kick.
The youngster, nicknamed ‘Ratinho’ (little rat) by his peers due to his ability to scuttle back and forth along the right wing as well as an unkind jibe at his looks, shows the sort of promise that doesn’t go unnoticed in Europe.
The present acclaim is a long way from July 2005, when Eduardo (“I don’t like the Ratinho thingâ€) was playing for Corinthians ‘B’ in the crumbling Parque São Jorge stadium – only used for ‘B’ team games – and training with other teenage promises alongside the smelly banks of the polluted Tietê river than oozes through the city of São Paulo.
He cherished the present of Carlitos Tevez’s number 10 shirt with all the joy of any passionate young fan. “Any true Corinthiano would love to have their idol’s jersey,†Eduardo explained to reporters with a shy grin. Eduardo still relies on a ride from his dad to get to training, still waiting from his provisional driving license to arrive.
Observers have been pleasantly surprised by the youngster’s gritty combination of skill, guts and humility. “I’m still cutting my teeth here, and it all seems like a dream. I wake up every day and thank God for what’s happening to meâ€. He still manages to walk around town without being ogled at or pestered for autographs: something he relishes while it lasts.
“Right now, nothing’s changed – I’m just another guy walking around. Sometimes people do a double-take as my picture has appeared in the papers and, or course, during the televised games, but they still don’t really recognise me.†This is slated to be a short-lived phenomenon as the right-back is increasingly sought-after and will soon start to feel the heat of the limelight.
A Corinthians player from the infant and junior categories, Eduardo is ‘prata da casa’ (literally ‘home silver’, or a family jewel), one of the few who make it through to the first team in this new age of the ‘Galactic’ Timão. The imports brought in with the MSI millions have flooded the Parque São Jorge with media-friendly players formed in other clubs, limiting local youngsters’ ascent to ‘A’ team.
He claims to have picked up his refined free-kick technique from ex-Corinthians (currently Brasiliense) idol Marcelinho Carioca: the so-called ‘pe do anjo’ (angel foot) on account of his dead-ball skills. Eduardo also hurriedly cites the other current right-back Coelho, also gifted with an eye for free kicks and penalties, as a big influence.
Last Sunday’s goal was his first professional goal, Eduardo’s joy tripled by it being the winning strike and also landing on his 18th birthday. After Roger was brought down near the edge of the Figueirense box, the ex-Benfica number 7 and fellow ‘Galactic’ Gustavo Nery (ex-Werder Bremen) stood by to take the kick.
“I’d already taken a free kick in the first half, but slipped [the pitch was waterlogged]. Gustavo was going to take this one, but I asked to give it a try. Marcelo Mattos backed me up and that gave me the confidence to relax and do what I’d trained for. Luckily the ball went in,†explained the new owner of shirt number 42.
When the ball hit the net he didn’t know what to do. “I couldn’t decide where to run. I looked over to one side and saw my team-mates and the fans celebrating, and ran straight to Márcio; the coach who has backed me up all the way.
Eduardo ‘Ratinho’ is under contract with Corinthians until 2008, but given his sudden rise to prominence MSI Brazil director Paulo Angioni has already made the first in-roads into giving the rising star a rise and iron-cladding an updated contract to ward off any premature interest from Europe.
The player himself is showing mature patience, not getting swept away by the waves of compliments directed at his game and demanding a guaranteed first-team place as some more arrogant revelations are prone to do before threatening to march off. “Both Coelho and Edson [currently suspended after giving booing Fiel fans a stroppy double finger when he was substituted] are great players.†They may be, but Eduardo is headed for success. Remember the name.
Aaron Marcus
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