A Gávea native, Uri Geller praises the creation of the U-23 World Cup
Former left winger says tournament will bridge 'black hole' between youth and professional teams
By From the official website team - in
When the saying "Flamengo makes stars at home" comes to mind, fans immediately think of the team that won everything in the late 70s and early 80s. It's true, the young athletes revealed by Flamengo in those golden years achieved everything they could with the sacred jersey, but it wasn't as easy as it seems. The path was arduous, and part of it was taken away from Gávea. This was due to the lack of a competition that would 'give shelter' to newly emerged stars, like Julio Cesar Uri Geller.
Today, the excellent left winger celebrated the creation of the under-23 football cup, which could give game rhythm and opportunities to some young talents revealed at Flamengo, who currently do not have a place in the main team.
"This tournament is crucial for our young players. We used to have a similar tournament, but it was for ages 20 and under, called the Aspirants' Championship. After that, there was a black hole, a lack of activity for most. With tournaments like this, young players who come up and aren't used right away can show their talent. They can continue working, finding their place. It was a fantastic idea," said Uri Geller, explaining that he went through the 'black hole' but turned it around.
"That's exactly what happened to me. I was overage and wasn't used on the top team. I ended up going to play in Belém (PA), at Remo, where I stayed for two years. I came back from there smashing it, with a silver ball, and made the team. If there had been a competition like this, I wouldn't have needed to leave. Leaving these kids idle, without playing, is really bad. When the coach ends up needing them, he calls them in and they're all out of rhythm," he said.
And Julio Cesar Uri Geller is also rooting for the U-23 coach. A product of Gávea, the former left winger played with Renato Trindade in Flamengo's youth academy in the 70s and was full of praise for his friend's talent.
"Renato is one of ours. He played with everyone in Flamengo's youth teams, he was a very quality midfielder, but he ended up getting injured. I was very happy when he was called to lead this team and I'm rooting for everything to work out."
But it's not just the Flamengo coach that Uri Geller is rooting for. Besides being a self-proclaimed Flamengo fan, he confesses that he gets emotional just watching defender Dão train. A product of his youth academy, he brought the boy to CFZ and now he's getting this opportunity at Flamengo.
"I'm a big fan of defender Dão. I know the kid and took him from a youth academy in Méier to CFZ. Now, he's come to work with this group for the under-23s, and it really moves me. I'm even more excited to see him working with football than when I was playing. The same thing happened with André Bahia, who I also took from a youth academy. These days, he's in the Netherlands, where he's been for about five years," he concluded.
Today, the excellent left winger celebrated the creation of the under-23 football cup, which could give game rhythm and opportunities to some young talents revealed at Flamengo, who currently do not have a place in the main team.
"This tournament is crucial for our young players. We used to have a similar tournament, but it was for ages 20 and under, called the Aspirants' Championship. After that, there was a black hole, a lack of activity for most. With tournaments like this, young players who come up and aren't used right away can show their talent. They can continue working, finding their place. It was a fantastic idea," said Uri Geller, explaining that he went through the 'black hole' but turned it around.
"That's exactly what happened to me. I was overage and wasn't used on the top team. I ended up going to play in Belém (PA), at Remo, where I stayed for two years. I came back from there smashing it, with a silver ball, and made the team. If there had been a competition like this, I wouldn't have needed to leave. Leaving these kids idle, without playing, is really bad. When the coach ends up needing them, he calls them in and they're all out of rhythm," he said.
And Julio Cesar Uri Geller is also rooting for the U-23 coach. A product of Gávea, the former left winger played with Renato Trindade in Flamengo's youth academy in the 70s and was full of praise for his friend's talent.
"Renato is one of ours. He played with everyone in Flamengo's youth teams, he was a very quality midfielder, but he ended up getting injured. I was very happy when he was called to lead this team and I'm rooting for everything to work out."
But it's not just the Flamengo coach that Uri Geller is rooting for. Besides being a self-proclaimed Flamengo fan, he confesses that he gets emotional just watching defender Dão train. A product of his youth academy, he brought the boy to CFZ and now he's getting this opportunity at Flamengo.
"I'm a big fan of defender Dão. I know the kid and took him from a youth academy in Méier to CFZ. Now, he's come to work with this group for the under-23s, and it really moves me. I'm even more excited to see him working with football than when I was playing. The same thing happened with André Bahia, who I also took from a youth academy. These days, he's in the Netherlands, where he's been for about five years," he concluded.
Follow Flamengo's official Twitter profile
\Check out the photo gallery on Flamengo's Official Website
\Check out the audio gallery on Flamengo's Official Website