Before starting the season with BURIRAM. Diogo has been talking about his new life in BURIRAM Thailand. (The article is translated into English, clicking link below for more details)
Question: What are the differences you noticed coming here in Thailand?
Diogo - Well, as soon as I arrived and introduced myself, it was on the eve of New Year, the coach said to me: "Go there at the training center of the club, taking a bath and participates in the dances trials ''. I said, 'What?' '. The Akexandre explained: "Yeah, you'll have to dance for the crowd in doo team presentation ''. Beauty, I got there and even had a choreographer who rehearsed the steps of two dances. One was traditional Thai and one was for that Korean song "Gangnam Style ''. And the team had to dance.
Question: For whom?
Diogo: To the crowd. At the time I found strange, but then it was cool. Had a lot of people, a lot of the same people (the estimate is 80 thousand fans). I started to laugh. I and the Macena, another Brazilian who plays with me. If you stand still would be worse. Then we danced.
Question: And again?
Diogo: We gain a day off in pre-season and back Alexander warned that we would do an integration job because the cast has changed a lot, had many young athletes. The training was legal. We went to a local Thai army and did a lot of their activities, almost like a scavenger hunt. We were divided into three teams and competed against each other. On the first day we had a race with canoe on the river where each had a function, pushed, another rowing and it was so. I liked the last day when we had a battle of 'paintball'. The name of this integration is Ice Breaker (Ice Breaker).
Question: And have you tried Thai food?
Diogo: We then had one night that Natalia was not here and I went to dinner with Macena. Even our coach was at the restaurant. The Macena has a weird sneeze and I play with him. Then suddenly, I hear a loud splash behind me and still shifted with Macena. Only it was an elephant little boy that was in the window. Believe? I changed the Macena by an elephant. Some people take this elephant to take pictures with tourists and earn money. But the sound of it splashed equals the Macena.
Question: Because the food ...
Diogo: I had never experienced before coming here. A lot of people do not like because it is very spicy. I liked. Also because it has rice, chicken, all with pepper. But as at home who cooks is to Natalia, we eat more Brazilian food.
Question: The Macena is already your partner?
Diogo: He came after me. It's a friend I'm doing. We're helping each other.
Question: How you communicate with teammates?
Diogo: I speak a little English. You know the first thing we learn in another country is to speak the bullshit. But the team has a Venezuelan defender, Andrés Tunisia, and another Spanish (David Rochela). It's understandable.
Question: You come scoring goals and giving assists. In Palmeiras, you scored just once in 34 games. What has changed?
Diogo: At Palmeiras, I sacrificed myself enough in marking and was more difficult to get close to the goal. Here, the team works with three defenders, two forwards, two steering wheels, a point guard and two forwards, and I Macena. We take turns in time to get out to the side or when I, for example, come get the ball. The goals are coming.
Question: Then it's easy to play in Thailand.
Diogo: It's hard. When I came here I thought that the quality of football here would be much lower than what I was used to. The truth is that does not have the same level of the Championship, but it's very competitive. In the Champions League Asia, we face strong teams like Seongnam and Guangzhou. It also has the Gamba Ozaka, Japan. In the first three rounds here took classics such as, for example, against a team of Bangkok that is strong. And we are playing as Brazil, every Saturday and Wednesday. We travel a lot. In the preseason, we had training in two periods every day. It is well pulled.
Question: A family walks in the meantime?
Diogo: When I'm home, we go out to dinner, to play with Enzo in the park. It's quiet. The other day, Natalia and Enzo off to Bangkok and met a place to do tours with elephants and also has a tour of the tigers, which gives to bottle feed babies. This is something I no longer have the courage to do, but Natalie and Enzo did.
Question: In this short time, you are already standing still in the streets?
Diogo: The fans know. Generally, they come and make a greeting with hands together, as if praying. He ask for autographs, sometimes a picture. One thing: I have never seen a Thai frowned. They are very smiling.