Mão and Bruno Xavier bid farewell to Brazil beach soccer team | OneFootball

Those who love beach soccer have grown used to spending Sunday mornings filled with excitement and beautiful goals. And this Sunday (29), the crowd that packed the arena set up on Meaípe beach, in Guarapari, Espírito Santo, got to relive that feeling. The match between the Brazilian National Team and the Espírito Santo State Team marked the farewell of two true legends of the sport: defender Bruno Xavier, a two-time world champion, and goalkeeper Mão, a five-time world champion as a player and once as a coordinator.

The game took place in front of a packed arena full of fans from across Espírito Santo who came to pay tribute to two great idols of the local sport. It was not the first time they had played before a large crowd, but the emotion was unique.

Mão and his children during a tribute at the farewell matchCredits: Gabriel Badaró

“To imagine that a boy who lived on the streets could reach where I did, see the world, support his family through beach soccer, is very emotional. It was 21 years defending this shirt with great pride and great honor. Today I experienced a different kind of emotion, in front of my children and my family. It will stay in my heart forever. I’m deeply grateful to everyone on the coaching staff, to this group of players, with whom I played for many years, and to the CBF leadership, to the beach soccer director Mauro Carmélio, and manager Lavoisier Freire, for allowing me to have the privilege of officially ending my cycle with the National Team in my homeland,” said Mão, who wore jersey number 395, in reference to the number of matches he played for Brazil, where he scored 26 goals.

Getting to share the field for the first time with his nephew Breno Xavier on the Brazilian National Team, after Breno was called up by coach Chicão Castelo Branco, idol Bruno Xavier wore jersey number 157 in honor of his number of appearances for the Seleção, and could not hold back his emotion when speaking about his farewell.

Bruno Xavier celebrates his farewell goal for the National TeamCredits: André Serrão / Click do Lance

“I had to know how to separate what my heart wanted from what I needed to do. Obviously I wanted to continue; I still have two years left on my contract with a club abroad, so I’ll keep playing. But I understood that my time with the national team had come to an end. Now it’s time to let these young talents shine. This generation is incredible, most are two-time world champions, some in the group are already three-time champions, and they deserve respect. May my nephew Breno carry forward the family legacy, and may these players continue in this joyful and light atmosphere that I was able to witness during these days of training alongside them. The Brazilian National Team has a great structure, and that gives us a lot of peace of mind about the great future ahead of us. Now I’ll be just another supporter on the sidelines,” said Bruno Xavier, who scored his 210th goal this Sunday, the last in the green-and-yellow shirt.

In addition to Bruno, the fans also celebrated goals from two other Espírito Santo natives: defender Brendo, born and raised in Guarapari, and winger Breno Xavier, who celebrated together with his uncle and family members in the stands. Winger Gin and pivot Túlio Silva completed the scoring.

Buru (in green, center) was another Espírito Santo beach soccer legend who attended the event Credits: Gabriel Badaró

Another Espírito Santo legend of the sport in attendance

Buru, from Espírito Santo and a nine-time world champion with Brazil, was present at the arena and was honored by players and fans for the great history he built wearing Brazil’s shirt.

Then it was his turn to applaud, in each break of the match, his former teammates Bruno Xavier and Mão, who were invited to walk to midfield alongside their children to receive the crowd’s affection and a standing ovation.

A day of other tributes

On the men’s team, another player was honored this Sunday. Defender Antonio, a two-time world champion, reached 100 matches and received a special jersey, with the number 100 on the back, from women’s national team coach Rose Andrade.

On the women’s team, goalkeeper Natalie Wippel officially announced her retirement as a player and took on the role of Supervisor of the Brazilian Women’s Beach Soccer National Team. Natalie was part of the first women’s national team in history, created in 2019, and won two titles.

Friendlies are part of the preparation for international tournaments

The women’s and men’s beach soccer national teams traveled together to Guarapari for a training camp and these friendly matches as preparation for the El Salvador Cup, a competition taking place in the capital, San Salvador, between April 2 and 4. At the end of that tournament, which includes both teams, the men’s squad will return to Brazil, while the women’s team will continue on to Mexico, where they will compete in the Acapulco Cup alongside the United States, Japan, and host nation Mexico.

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