He collected garbage, played in the Portuguese Championship and now plays in the Champions League
Alexsandro Ribeiro has been in the spotlight for the French team Lille and this season he has already faced Sporting, in Alvalade, for the millionaire league. In Portugal he played for Chaves (Liga 2) and Amora and Praiense (Portuguese Championship)
Alexsandro Ribeiro is in his third season at Lille , where he has been a standout player, and this season he has already faced Sporting – a triumph for the Lions – in the Champions League . The 25-year-old central defender moved directly from Chaves , who were in Ligue 2 in 2021/2022 , to Lille, at the time managed by Paulo Fonseca. The Brazilian did not have an easy childhood.
“I always got back on my feet thinking about my family. The situation we were in was very precarious and I wanted to get my family out of that situation. Even though it made me sad and discouraged, when I opened the fridge and there was nothing to eat, or the cupboard and there wasn’t a single cookie… I turned that negative situation into a positive one to get back on my feet. It was the lack of everything, the basics, in my house that I treated as if it were positive. I lied to myself. I knew things might not happen, but I believed again and made them happen. I gave up, but with the difficulties I went through at home, I turned that into my strength,” he revealed in an interview with Globoesporte .
“Alex, don’t give up, man. You can make your dream come true. Turn this positive situation into a negative one. Hold on with all your strength and you’ll make it. You’ll make your dream of giving your mother a house come true, of getting your family out of this situation. Stay strong and believe in God,” he said, remembering how he motivated himself.
Alexsandro Ribeiro arrived in Portugal in 2018/2019 for Praiense (Portuguese Championship), where he spent two seasons, then moving to Amora , also in the Portuguese Championship. He then played for Chaves until he moved to France. In the Flamengo youth team, he played with Vinícius Júnior , with whom he met again this season in the millionaire league.
“When I was in the tunnel about to enter the field, Vini came up to me out of nowhere and gave me a hug. He said, ‘I’m happy to see you here, brother. We’ll talk after the game.’ That filled my heart with joy and motivated me even more on the field, which was a bit bad for him. We spent 10 years without contact. I saw him when I was 14, 15… After 10 years, I saw him like that, competing for the Ballon d’Or. I’m happy for him. He comes from a difficult situation, in São Gonçalo, where he lived,” he continued, going back and remembering when, still in Brazil, he spent a year without playing before heading to Portugal. During that time, the defender worked on construction sites, as a lawnmower, as a market vendor and as a can collector.
This season, Alexsandro Ribeiro has played 17 games for Lille and has made no secret of his desire to make it to the Brazilian national team: «I’m in a very positive moment at Lille. If I continue like this, I’m sure that this dream will come true. The World Cup too, for sure. I know it’s a little far away, but I have to think about now.»
