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Paredes, Fabril and Sacavenense prepare their respective duels against the ‘big three’ in the Portuguese Cup. Throughout the week, the protagonists of the queen race write in the first person in the More soccer. How are these days for semi-professional athletes and for squads that are far from the media spotlight? The essence of the Portuguese Cup in the words of the hero candidates.
JORGE GAZELA: 27 years old, forward of União de Paredes
. November 19, 2020, two days from Paredes-Benfica
«There are 48 hours until the game and anxiety takes over us. It’s a good sign, you know. Fortunately I chose Paredes this year, because I had already decided that it was a good time to start adding another dimension to the other project I have, outside of football. I created a clothing brand in 2013, called Unity Portugal, and it’s time to make a enhance. I intend to create a specialized website and, in the medium term, have a store and sell directly to the public.
The idea came to me naturally. I always liked fashion and started creating t-shirts for me to wear. Only for me. My friends started to like the image and I felt I had some talent. I joined the interest in fashion and graphic arts. Now I can only sell my pieces online, but I think it’s time to take a step forward.
Here at Paredes we only train at 6:30 pm, so I take the day to invest in my plan b. In the morning I always train alone, to strengthen my muscles, because last year I had a complicated injury at Benfica in Castelo Branco and I was there for most of the season. I only played eight games and when I reappeared well, the pandemic canceled the championships.
I almost always have lunch at home in Lousada and take a break. Then I work on my project with Unity Portugal and in the afternoon I will train in Paredes. This week, even though Benfica is on the other side, it was no different. I am not leaving aside the possibility of continuing in football after I stop playing, but it is good to have this project well supported. I have more time, more head and more motivation right now.
Ah, the wound. Well, at first it seemed like a normal muscle injury, but then I had several relapses. Every time I tried to restore normal time, I felt a small tear. Psychologically it was painful. I ended up being away for several months. I came back, played some games, scored a goal, three assists and … it’s all over.
Almost everything is ready in Paredes. The new changing rooms will be released in the match with Benfica, as we have used prefabricated ones so far. The field has been in treatment, to be saved, and I think it will be in good condition. There are no luxuries, but Paredes provides everything a player needs.
My name is Jorge, but in the world of soccer everyone calls me Gazela. They gave me the nickname when I was six years old and I played futsal in the Grupo Musical de Miragaia, the club on the street where I grew up, in Porto. My father also played in Miragaia and I ran with him the bare fields of AF Porto. There was no shortage. But about my nickname, the explanation is simple: I was faster and ran faster than everyone else. I just wanted to run and shoot at goal. A great friend started calling me Gazela and she seemed fine.
When I arrived at FC Porto, for children, they asked me my name and I immediately replied ‘Gazela!’. It was strange, but no one forgot it. I went to capture the Constitution on a Saturday and I signed for FC Porto on Sunday. I played futsal and even heard some ‘mouths’ from Mr. Álvaro Silva, a man who has been there for decades. He saw me dominating a ball with my sole, as I did in futsal, and immediately threatened me: ‘if you get the ball back like that, you’ll run across the field. Good memories.
At FC Porto I was teammates with André Gomes, Gonçalo Paciência and Fábio Martins, for example. I ended up being fired at Padroense in the third year, but then the clubs made a protocol and I ended up connecting again with FC Porto and playing alongside these good friends. I still have Tozé and Lupeta in Padrão da Légua. And André Caio, the doorman, whom I met in Castelo Branco. The club is great, but Caio deserves more.
At age 20, already in the Padroense majors, I had a great season and was hired by Sporting. This season he scored 11 goals. We ended up playing with two forwards and I was one of them. How is Sporting interested in an AF Porto player? That’s a good question. A few years ago I had already gone to train in Alcochete, invited by Sporting. It went well for me, but then I got injured at Padroense and I barely played the final. I ended up getting no more feedback At that time.
There it was well referenced, but before it even had several proposals from II League clubs. I stayed at the Padroense, until in 2014 I managed to make this great leap. From what they told me, the Sporting scouts even went to see another athlete, but I did very well and they offered me a contract valid for five seasons. In fact, it was President Bruno de Carvalho who took over the hiring process. I felt a personal choice for him.
In team B I played 20 minutes the first day, in Faro, and then I never got off the bench. Why? I often say that there was more competition between us. The squad was very, very good. For my position there were Podence, Gelson Martins, Iuri Medeiros, Filipe Chaby also played there … Ryan Gauld, Hadi Sacko. Too many players for too few positions. I stopped having opportunities, the internal competition was enormous.
In the middle of the first year I was transferred to Salgueiros, who at that time was contesting the promotion phase at the CNS, and I thought it was a good opportunity to add minutes. There were other clubs in the II League, but Sporting first rejected my assignment and then it was good, already near the end of the market.
In the summer of 2015 I returned to Sporting, to do the preseason, and they told me that the club wanted to ‘fix the house’. The coach was João de Deus, who is now Jorge Jesus’ assistant, and he told me that it was best to look for an alternative elsewhere. This was told to me in a conversation started by me. I returned to Salgueiros, after things failed with a II Liga club. I still don’t know the reasons today.
Sports people called me and proposed to terminate the contract. This happened after I had my first training session in Salgueiros. I sat down with them, we talked and we agreed. I terminated my contract when I had four years left, but the truth is that I didn’t feel like a Sporting player if I only trained there.
On Saturday I will meet again with Juan de Dios. I liked his ideas, I enjoyed working with him. If you ask me if I like it … I can’t say yes, because I didn’t play. But he was honest and direct with me, it was the best for both parties. I will receive you in Paredes, without any problem.
I played for FC Porto and Sporting, now it’s to eliminate Benfica. For me, Benfica, only Castelo Branco. I had the privilege of going through their two biggest rivals and that makes this game even more special.
I was a companion of many stars. I would like to highlight the quality of Fábio Martins and Sérgio Oliveira, who have always been above average. I played with another outstanding player: Júlio Santos. He played many years for FC Porto, he was my partner at Sanjoanense in 2018/19 and I know that his career is over. He had a serious knee injury and never made a full recovery. I played a lot.
PHOTOS kindly provided by Jorge Gazela
