Rodrigo Dias hails team effort after Vasco's first Brazilian U20 title | OneFootball

Rodrigo Dias praised the format of the Brasileirão U-20Credits: Joilson Marconne / CBF

Vasco’s first-ever Brazilian U-20 title was described by Rodrigo Dias as the result of work that goes far beyond the players and coaching staff. The club’s general manager of youth development praised the team’s journey to the title and shared the credit with the professionals who are part of the club’s youth academy structure.

Before speaking about the title, Rodrigo made a point of thanking the club’s management and highlighted the support received throughout the season.

"Before anything else, we have to give all the honor and all the glory to God. I want to thank our president Pedrinho, our directors Felipe, Ademar, Fred, for the support and guidance in our work," he said.

The achievement carried even more weight after a start to the season marked by elimination in the second round of the Copa São Paulo. Vasco responded to that result, finished the first phase of the Brazilian U-20 Championship in second place, and advanced through the knockout rounds until reaching the final against Palmeiras.

"We came from a setback, going out in the second round of the Copa São Paulo, and we came together, leaders emerged, and we managed to do well, finishing second in the group stage and getting through the quarterfinals and semifinals, culminating in the national title," said Rodrigo.

The executive also emphasized the scale of the structure needed to maintain the club’s youth development work. According to him, around 150 staff members and more than 400 athletes are involved in Vasco’s youth ranks.

"Everyone deserves congratulations. There is a lot of work behind this. There are 150 staff members and more than 400 athletes in Vasco’s youth system. Our goal is to provide players for the first team," he said.

For Rodrigo, the title can also help with the players’ transition to professional football. He cited Ramon Henrique, who is already part of the senior squad and could not take part in the final, as an example of the broader objective of the work done in the academy.

"A product of this competition is Ramon Henrique himself, who is with the first team and could not be here with us. Obviously, these titles help the players move up to the first team with more confidence and greater solidity," he said.

Rodrigo also used the occasion of the title to praise how the Brazilian U-20 Championship is organized by the CBF. In his view, the competition’s calendar and structure allow young players to be exposed to a level of demand increasingly close to what they will find in professional football.

"We also need to congratulate the CBF. They have been doing an extraordinary job, through Júlio Avellar [CBF competitions director], organizing the competitions, guaranteeing a minimum of 19 matchdays and, for those who reach the final, which was our case, playing 25 matches of the highest level," he said.

The executive also drew attention to the atmosphere at the two legs of the final. The first match was played at São Januário in front of more than 10,000 fans, while the decider took place at Nubank Parque with a crowd of nearly 30,000.

"For the first time in the history of the Brasileirão, with two matches, two finals, in stadiums with more than 10,000 people—10,000 people at São Januário, nearly 30,000 here. That helps, it contributes to bringing the players closer to the reality they will face in the first team," he said.

In Rodrigo’s view, development happens in stages that involve preparing talent, competing in high-level tournaments and, later, promoting players to professional football. He defended the continuation of the model adopted by the CBF and stressed the importance of giving athletes competitive experiences ever closer to the reality they will encounter in the first team.

"We have the preparation of talent, which happens in training and in high-level competitions, something the CBF has been doing very well, so that in the third pillar we can promote these athletes with competitive solidity. So it is important that the CBF keeps this up," he said.

The executive also said that developing players for the Brazilian national teams is one of the goals. Rodrigo mentioned the work of Branco, coordinator of the CBF’s youth categories, alongside Cícero Souza, manager of the men’s national teams, and Rodrigo Caetano, general executive coordinator of the men’s national teams.

"Our goal is also to provide players for our national team, for our youth national team, led by Branco, who does an excellent job together with Cícero Souza and Rodrigo Caetano," he said.

With the unprecedented title won against Palmeiras, Vasco wrapped up a historic campaign in the Brazilian U-20 Championship. For Rodrigo, however, the achievement does not represent the end point of the work, but rather another step in the club’s development project.

"So all we can do is be thankful. It’s a moment of great happiness for all of us, and we’ll keep moving forward on this journey. The work continues. That’s it—let’s keep going!" he concluded.

Vasco won an unprecedented titleCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.