Even though André does not like talking about his future, there is a feeling in Brazil that the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday night could be the crowning moment of his time with Fluminense. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder is attracting attention from Liverpool and Arsenal, so knows the match against Boca Juniors at the Maracanã could be his first and last chance of winning the most prestigious competition in South America.
“I follow the Premier League a lot,” he says when asked about his dream for the future. “It’s a very competitive league that demands a lot from players. But today my dream is to live day by day here in Fluminense. I don’t know what will happen in the future; I have a long contract at Fluminense and I really like being here. It’s been 10 years already so it’s where I feel at home. I’m still young, only 22 years old, so there’s no need for me to think too far ahead. I just need to keep doing my best, try to win this trophy and then see what happens at the end of the season.”
André struck a deal with Fluminense and the club’s manager, Fernando Diniz, at the end of last year: no matter which club was interested in him, he would stay in Rio de Janeiro and try to win the Libertadores in 2023. It was a long shot – Flu have never won the competition and they had only reached one final, losing to the Ecuadorian side LDU Quito on penalties at the Maracanã 15 years ago – but André was confident.
“I always had in mind that our team could reach the final stages of the Libertadores,” he says. “We did a very good job last year and the core of the team continued into this year. So, at the beginning of the year, we were certain we would go all out to play in the Libertadores.”
His confidence was not shared by everyone in Brazil. “Nobody believed it,” he says. “I don’t think anyone believed that Fluminense could reach the final of the Libertadores this year, but we believed we had it in us. In January, I had already talked to Diniz, we practically knew we would keep the squad at least until the end of 2023, regardless of what happened, regardless of whether we advanced or not in the Libertadores. So, thank God, we are in the final.
“God willing, we will win this title. Now we need to focus on adjusting things, doing what we’ve been training for with professor Diniz, trying to put our football into practice. Playing at home will help a lot. We need to fight to make history – winning this title with Fluminense will be remembered for ever.”
The relationship between André and Diniz has been central to Fluminense’s success. Defensive midfielders have a lot of responsibility in the coach’s possession-based style. André approaches the defenders, receives the ball and starts the game rolling by finding teammates such as Marcelo, the former Real Madrid left-back, or Paulo Henrique Ganso, who won the Libertadores alongside Neymar with Santos in 2011.
André’s versatility appeals to Diniz. Depending on the game, the manager will ask him to focus on defending or building attacks. “In training a lot of players perform multiple roles,” he says. “There are matches where I start as a midfielder, drop back to defence and then, towards the end, I’m playing as a midfielder again. Diniz says we have to feel good on the field, try to enjoy it to the fullest, and that’s what I try to do. Regardless of the position I’m in, I’m always willing to give my best and enjoy it.”
The bond between André and Diniz is not just important for Fluminense but for the national team. Diniz took over as Brazil’s manager in July and quickly gave André his international debut, bringing him on for Casemiro during a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela. “He always said I was one of the best in my position in Brazil and that, with his arrival, I would evolve a lot and become the best,” says André. “I’m learning from him and evolving every day. He’s a guy who talks a lot, who makes you feel good and happy to perform your best on the field. He treats me like I’m his son and a great friend. That makes me very willing and grateful for everything he’s done for me. He’s an extraordinary person.”
Life, however, was not easy for André. He was born in Ibirataia, a rural village of 2,000 people in the state of Bahia, in the north east of Brazil. It was not a football hotbed so, when he showed talent as a 10-year-old, he had to travel more than 200 miles for a trial at Bahia. “I didn’t know who would take me there because Salvador was six hours away and my family didn’t have the means. A friend of my father’s offered me his house to take the three trials. It was three days: a Tuesday, a Thursday and the following Tuesday. In the end, I did well on the first day and they put me on the team on the second day – as a centre-forward, by the way.”
He was scouted by Fluminense in 2013 and moved to Rio de Janeiro. He was only 12 years old and, again, had to do things the hard way. His father was working on his cocoa farm in Bahia and his mother was caring for his brother, so he would have to stay with a family friend. “I spent about four years without my parents and it was the most difficult time,” recalls André.
“My father always supported me as much as possible, but he has his own farm and works with his cocoa. He doesn’t like coming here to Rio de Janeiro – he comes, stays for a month and then gets anxious to go back home to what he loves. Now, thank God, things have stabilised and he comes more often. Being alone, away from my parents, helped me mature a lot. I try to bring that to the field – I try to be as calm as possible and play in the greatest tranquility possible.”
Even talking to his parents was difficult in the beginning. “My father did not have a phone in the house,” says André, laughing. “He bought a phone after I came here. Because there was no other way. Either you buy a phone or you don’t talk. Everything becomes a little more complicated. But when we step on the field, it’s always worth it. We knew there was no other way. You have to go through it. Either you chase your dream or just go back home. So I decided to keep going and thankfully it’s working out.”
It is more than working out. André and Fluminense are just one game away from their biggest dream.
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