André Santos: Impressed with some of his Indian colleagues.André Clarindo dos Santos is well known as a versatile left-back but has been playing as an attacking midfielder for FC Goa in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). The fact is he started his footballing life in the midfield before making the left-back position all his own in a long and eventful journey.Santos began his tryst with the beautiful game at a very young age. “My very first gift in life was a football. My father handed me a football almost as soon as I was born. Football is big in Brazil and naturally I was drawn to it. I never liked cars or other toys. It was always football,” he told indiansuperleague.com in an exclusive and candid conversation.Santos started his career with Brazilian club Figueirense and literally hit the ground running. “I went to Florianópolis with my friends to try out for the club. I managed to make it in the very first outing. My career started there and it only got better,” he recalled.The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup winner grew up at a time when the Brazilian team dominated world football and he is in awe of the players of that era. “There have been so many good players from my country. My coach Zico is one of them. He was the best player in his position. Then there was Il Fenomeno (the phenomenon) Ronaldo, and Rivaldo,” he noted. “However, in my original position, left-back, I have to say Roberto Carlos. He was one of the best players to play in that position. My focus while growing up was on him. He had excellent technique and his quality was immense.”The 31-year-old left-footer is effusive in his praise for his new coach. “Zico is a very important figure in this team. About my shift in position, you know, it’s very normal in Brazil to start playing football in the midfield and then shift position. In fact, when I first started playing, I began in the midfield. I moved to left-back eventually because there aren’t too many left-backs in the world. It worked out well in the end,” he said.Santos went on to add that Zico knows what he is doing in asking him to play in the midfield. “Zico knows this position very well, having played there for so many years. It also helps the team because I have experience playing in Turkey, England and Brazil. Working with Zico is also easy because I can communicate effectively with him since we speak the same language. He helps me develop a lot as a player. It’s been a while since I’ve played in midfield,” he remarked.Santos also said he’s privileged to play alongside Arsenal legend Robert Pirès: “He’s a quality player. You can see with the way he holds the ball. His passing is very accurate too. The thing about him is that he’s a very intelligent player and it’s very easy to play with him.”The ex-gunner also revealed that he benefited from his spell at Arsenal with Arsène Wenger. “I got a good amount of experience playing under Wenger. He’s a fantastic coach. He’s been at Arsenal for 18 years now. He’s extremely experienced. He gives young players the opportunity to shine and that is good for football. For me it was very good because I got to learn so much from him. I had a good first season at Arsenal but an injury to my ankle prevented my progress there,” he recounted.Among his new Indian teammates, Santos singled out Mandar Rao Desai, Gabriel Fernandes, Narayan Das and Romeo Fernandes for special mention. “These guys are very good players. I was very impressed with their game. They are quality players and they work very hard. With the help of players like Pirès, Grégory (Arnolin) and me, and the experience they are receiving now through the ISL, which I think is a fantastically organised tournament, these guys can flourish and do really well,” he opined.Asked for his opinion on the state which is now his temporary home, Santos replied with a broad smile on his face, “Everything about Goa amazes me. The beaches, people, food, everything. I don’t really like spicy food too much but I’m very fond of naans. I’ve travelled all over India now with the team, except Kerala, because I was injured. But there’s no place like Goa. This is a fantastic place.”
