Grêmio’s new starter Wallace targeted by Bragantino, switches off phone before matches | OneFootball

Wallace, 21, has quickly become a starter for Grêmio this month and scored against São Paulo, with Red Bull Bragantino their opponents on Sunday. According to Globo.com, Bragantino had already made an offer to CRB before Grêmio moved ahead with terms that put them in front with the Alagoas club.

The centre-back prepares meticulously, switching off his phone on arrival at the team hotel to focus and telling family he will be unreachable. He avoids alcohol and soft drinks, and arrives an hour early for preventative gym work. He credits discipline shaped by his father Valério, a military man, and honours his mother Angélica with the number 82 on his shirt.

His swift impact has made him a certainty in the side, while there is doubt over who will partner him on Sunday with Gustavo Martins injured and Kannemann suspended. He also earned the dressing-room nickname Cortez, after the former left-back now coaching the under-15s.

At CRB in Maceió he lived outside the city to be closer to the training ground, often staying on in the gym after sessions. His success brought bonuses for academy staff via the fee banked by the Alagoas club, and he donated air conditioners to the training centre. Earlier in his career he was released by Santa Cruz.

Before his move he spent about a month at the home of Thiago Amorim’s mother, helping with household chores. When he was left out against Mirassol as the league resumed, worried callers rang but he laughed and reassured them, saying he knew how things would play out.

Source: Globo.com

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