The doors of Pavilhão João Rocha opened to a new face, received with much enthusiasm and even expectation by the fans of Sporting. At 31 years old, Tatinho crossed the Atlantic. Left the comfort of home and took up the vacancy left in the Leo squad by the unexpected departure from Diego Cavinato. A solid winter booster for a lion with his eyes set not only on domestic competitions, but also on the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The Brazilian international carries with him a story that is different from the norm.
Before becoming a star on the court, Tatinho was one of many Brazilian children with the dream of football.
And the now ex-player of Corinthians, unlike many of these children, managed to make his wish come true, albeit for a short period. Short, but enough to take him to Japan and a trophy. In 2012, he represented the Ventforet Kofu on loan from PSTC and became champion of the second Japanese division.
A 20-year-old young man who was already successful in football, there was no way to predict what happened later: a series of problems with businesspeople led Tatinho to give up on his dream. Hurt by the sport, the athlete was away from practicing sport for a few years, but for a broken heart, there is always a cure and this man’s cure was to exchange the stud for a smooth sole, the grass for varnished wood. And everything made sense again.
So far, the story that we consider different from the ordinary seems, in fact, the same as many others.
The small, but big difference, is that Tatinho took the route contrary to what is usually done by those who share a history with both sports, starting with football and ending with futsal.
Although he arrived late at the courts, due to a close friend who formed the team Dracena Futsal, where Tatinho made his debut. We remember: he arrived late, but it was as if futsal had been part of his life since birth. Five years at Dracena, one at Intelli and a success recognized by Timon, which catapulted him to the big stages. By São Paulo won LNF 2022 and became international A for Brazil, just in time to join the delegation that won the 2023 Nations Cup.
A meteoric rise in a modality that gave back what plan A took away and gave him even more. Tatinho is from Sporting and Liga Placard gained another figure.
