A Brazilian Soccer Mine Strikes Gold in Madrid

For five years, Trieste had an exclusive agreement with Athletico Paranaense, one of two top professional teams in Curitiba, a city of 1.8 million. More than 60 players, including Lodi, had moved through Trieste to the Athletico facilities, now among the best in Brazil, before the contract was abruptly ended in 2018. Athletico Paranaense, its president said in a WhatsApp message, had simply decided to bring the bulk of its scouting and youth development in-house.

Stival’s disappointment was short-lived. Less than 24 hours later, he said, officials from Flamengo arrived in his office to talk terms. A deal was signed, and now Trieste’s best prospects flow to Rio instead.

Last year, however, disaster struck. A fire ripped through a temporary dormitory at Flamengo’s training facility that housed a clutch of young hopefuls, killing 10, including three boys who had come through Trieste. The deaths brought a belated focus on how Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of soccer talent, cares for the thousands of boys and young men who enter the soccer pipeline hoping to overcome the odds.

Disturbing examples quickly emerged at other clubs — cramped dormitories, dangerous conditions, poor supervision — and the authorities closed down the worst offenders and promised more oversight.

In Trieste, though, something strange happened. Hopeful parents, now aware of the club’s link to Flamengo’s youth academy, began to get in touch. Could the club, they asked, run the ruler over their sons, too?

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/sports/soccer/atletico-madrid-champions-league-renan-lodi.html