Genoa – «Joy and happiness». It's the emotions that Junior Messias he wants to try when he takes the field. At Ferraris just as it happened in his time at Casale among the amateurs. Sensations that the Brazilian “is now rediscovering at Genoa” after two years at Milan where he won a championship but also a pressure that can play nasty tricks and take away “the possibility of going onto the pitch with a free head”.
Messias, after a start in which she didn't play due to two injuries, has seen in the last few matches why Genoa has focused on her. Has her season started now?
«At the beginning I struggled a bit. This summer's injury with Milan seemed like a simpler thing but the discomfort didn't go away and every time the return seemed close I was forced to stop again. With Roma I thought my season had finally begun: debut and goal after a few minutes. Then came another stop. I was good mentally at holding on and not giving up.”
The number on Rodriguez – a soft touch going over him while the Granata defender launches into a slide – shows that the best form is close. Has the real Messias returned?
«When I came here I spoke to the club and said that I wanted to play again with joy. The commitment and attitude on my part have always been there but sometimes you need a little more on a mental level to make things come naturally.”
Are there also these aspects behind your decision to choose Genoa last summer?
«The enthusiasm I found here was important: we have almost 28 thousand subscribers, it's the all-time record. The main thing, however, was the desire to return to playing with joy. At Milan it's not that you don't have joy in playing, you're at the top of the top, but there I realized I had to take the field to avoid making mistakes. I was criticized in that period and if you mentally focus on that in the end then you make a mistake. I wanted to go back to being the Crotone player and I thought that Genoa could allow me to go back to being that player.”
He arrived in Italy in 2011 but, unlike other South American footballers, he started as an amateur. If he looks back, does he have any regrets?
«Sometimes I think about what my career could have been like if I had been in the youth sector. I learned to play on the street and did some amateur tournaments. There was a wall near my house and as a child I used to kick it there: if the ball ended up in a lady's courtyard she would take it and I had to go and buy another one. I am, however, a person who believes a lot in God and I am convinced that things happen when they are supposed to happen. If it happened this way it means it was right like this. I already had a family and a head on my neck.”
Was the first period in Italy hard?
«I arrived with my brother and we thought we could immediately obtain a residence permit. However, I arrived with the conviction that I had to gain experience first and so it was. The documents arrived and I got to work. After returning to Brazil to get married, at the beginning of 2015 I returned to Italy and had the chance to start playing. I was at Casale, in Eccellenza, the contracts lasted 10 months, the salaries were not that high and so to support the family I started working: I delivered household appliances for a shop”.
Experiences that helped her learn about real life.
«I am very happy to have had these experiences. I still can't see myself as a player who can become someone's idol. There are those who see you as a star but I don't perceive myself that way. Some things, then, I'm understanding later. Only now, when I watch the videos of Milan and the Scudetto that we won, I get emotional and realize that I have done something important.”
Among other things, during his period at Casale, he played a match against Genoa then coached by Gasperini who was impressed by his performance. Do you remember that match?
«I remember it well and I have kept a shirt from that Genoa team that took to the field».
Earlier you spoke about faith: how important is it for you?
“Very. Today maybe I even struggle a little to talk about God because to talk about him you always have to do things in the right way. But I always believe.”
But is it true that you thought about stopping playing?
“Yes. I called my pastor and told him I didn't want to hear any more about it. From that moment, however, all doors opened. Ezio Rossi called me and two days after the audition I was already registered: that year I scored 21 goals.”
Speaking of this championship, Gilardino is making you play forward almost everywhere: what is your role?
«What I did against Torino: a bit of a midfielder, a bit of a striker. Then it's clear, when you sign a contract you are willing to play anywhere, especially for the fans. When I arrived here I was thrilled to see the stadium full with fans who love you. When I moved from Crotone to Milan the world fell on me: many fans protested my move to the Rossoneri, some threats even came from the web. Now, however, when I meet AC Milan supporters they thank me: there is recognition of the work I did there.”
How does this Serie A championship seem to you?
«In particular, the lower part of the ranking is certainly more competitive. Then there are teams like Fiorentina and Bologna who are attached to the Champions train: usually you are used to always seeing the same three plus Roma, Lazio and Napoli. It's sad for the Neapolitans but it's nice that there are also different teams fighting.”
How much more can Genoa improve?
«The coach said something important after the match against Toro: we finished on a high note. In the other games this didn't happen and we lost a few points. I think this is all that's missing, the team defends well and almost always finds the goal.”
#Genoa #hymn #joy #Messias
