Isra Suero’s footballing holiday at Rocinha, the favela visited by Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

CD Castellón are on holiday after a brilliant season that reached the play-offs and ended in a first-round defeat. Isra Suero has visited Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro, sharing the trip on Instagram.

El Periódico Mediterráneo reports that Suero posted a striking video from the favela, a place with deep footballing roots.

Set in the South Zone between Gávea and São Conrado, Rocinha is Brazil’s most populous urban community, with 72,021 inhabitants according to the 2022 IBGE census.

In June 2025, Lamine Yamal visited Rocinha and was filmed playing with local children in a Brazil shirt during his holiday, an image that underlined football’s symbolism.

In Rocinha, the game is routine, refuge and identity. It starts in ‘peladas’, the informal kickabouts, and each court carries social weight.

Community projects use football for education and protection. Craques da Rocinha works with boys and girls, promoting discipline, support, healthy habits and safe spaces.

Rocinha has produced professionals such as striker Victor Simões, raised in the community and developed at Flamengo, with spells including Botafogo and Club Brugge. Another name is Kaio Nóbrega Siqueira, linked to Flamengo. In 2012, Rocinha won the inaugural men’s Taça das Favelas, beating Jacarezinho.

These snapshots, from Suero’s visit to Yamal’s kickabout, highlight a long bond between Rocinha and football, a shared language and a way to dream, from the Maracanã and Flamengo to Barça.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo