Rony emotional at Santos, vows team will show new attitude in the derby | OneFootball

This Tuesday, Rony was officially presented as a Santos player. The forward was moved as he recalled his journey and all the hardships he faced during his childhood in Pará to become a successful footballer.

“I am very happy to be here, in the house of a King and a prince. I am very privileged to be part of this. How hard it is to leave Pará. I am privileged to have come from the countryside and to have achieved everything I have. Only those who go through it know how difficult it is to reach a club like Santos. I feel very privileged. You made it, it wasn’t easy. It wasn’t easy to go through everything I went through. I am a winner. I can say that I am a great winner. Those who know my story know what I’ve been through. People often ask me what I went through, and I ask back: could you go through everything I did, sacrifice everything I sacrificed to be here today? It’s hard, but I did what God allowed me to do,” he said.

“Many times I didn’t eat so I could train, I didn’t spend money to buy a ticket. It used to be hard to go train at Paysandu or Remo. The youth system there was tough. Sometimes my life flashes before my eyes. You watch the games and all you think about is playing there, in Série A. I played in Série D, but I dreamed of Série A. And it’s been seven or eight years that I’ve been playing in Série A. When I remember everything I went through, a rough patch is not even a third of what I’ve faced in life, so I take it in stride. God has made me mature a lot as a professional and as a person. I feel prepared for all challenges,” he added.

The former Atlético-MG forward joins Peixe on a permanent deal, with a three-year contract. He has already made his debut, last Saturday, in the 2-0 defeat to São Paulo in the Campeonato Paulista. Now, the experienced player is looking forward to playing for the first time as a home player at Vila Belmiro.

“I’m definitely anxious to meet the fans. I’ve played against them and saw the affection the fans have for their players. I’m anxious to meet them here at Vila. I hope it’s a blessed night, that we can play a great game and that they leave here happy. And I’ll be very happy if I score a goal too,” he said.

Rony also promised a new attitude from Santos this Wednesday, in the derby against São Paulo, for the second round of the Campeonato Brasileiro.

“We didn’t get a good result over the weekend. Since it’s a derby and considering how we played, it was tough, a big blow for everyone. We have to change our attitude. We have to change the way we compete, to fight for every match. I believe we need to unite even more. Every player has their value. The coach believes in each one of us. If we change our attitude, our way of thinking in each game, we can get out of this situation,” he projected.

“The fans too. They can believe. They can demand, yes, as well. They have every right to demand. A derby isn’t just played, it’s won. We haven’t played or won the last ones. We need to compete more. I’ve played in several derbies and I know losing hurts a lot. I believe our fans deserve to be better represented on the field. From the conversation we had after the derby, I believe we’re going to change our way of playing. We need to win. Tomorrow, Santos will have a different attitude,” he added.

Ambitious project

Rony also explained the reasons that led him to accept Santos’ offer. The forward liked the project presented by Alexandre Mattos and celebrated the opportunity to play alongside former teammates.

“I believe that, since it’s a club with so much global tradition, just wearing the shirt, you already feel the weight you carry. When I accepted the project, I found it very interesting, I like to compete. The project Santos offered me gave me this opportunity to compete. I like to compete. Besides playing alongside Neymar and other players with history, like Gabigol, Menino, Mayke, and Zé Rafael. It’s a privilege to play with them again. We have a lot to achieve here at Santos this year,” he said.

“When I accepted the project, it’s because it’s wonderful, to make history and compete. Of course, it takes time, but I’m sure it will be a blessed year for years to come. We have what it takes to turn things around,” he added.

The 30-year-old player was even rumored to be joining other clubs, such as Corinthians, but chose to accept Peixe’s invitation.

“I’ve never been talked about so much in a few months. But I’m happy that some clubs approached me, it shows how dedicated I am to my work. There was speculation from other clubs. I’d been talking to Santos since December. It depended on the club I was at, not just on me. It was a very intense conversation with Santos, two weeks ago, when Mattos presented the project,” he commented.

“I saw that the interest was very strong. Mattos even went to Belém to talk to my father. Things happened naturally. Santos came with a very good project. It was a club that believed in my work and I hope to give back, with grit, determination, fighting for every ball. I hope to help the players so that Santos can win titles again. Everyone knows how big Santos is. We fight for big things. That’s why it’s fair for the fans to demand,” he concluded.

Other answers from Rony

Definition “In one word? Rony is grit… A lot of grit.”

Time at Atlético-MG “Many times we plan something and it doesn’t turn out as we wanted. I wanted titles at Atlético-MG. I won one, but after that it didn’t go as I planned. Unfortunately, I couldn’t win more titles. We lost the Sudamericana, which would have been an unprecedented title. That’s part of football. The project with Mattos was based on achievements, so that Santos can return to the level it should never have left. I want my name to be remembered. That’s my mindset.”

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