A Soccerex, one of the most important fairs in the world of sports business, has been held in Rio de Janeiro since last Saturday (20.11). The event runs until Wednesday (24.11) and features kiosks from companies interested in investing in football, major clubs from around the world, as well as lectures and workshops with big names in football from around the world.

Businesspeople, representatives of multinational corporations, and marketing executives are the main targets of the fair, but players and former players, as well as club officials, are also regulars at the event. And a young talent from the red-and-black team attended SoccerEx, which takes place at Forte de Copacabana, this Tuesday (November 23.11), before training at Ninho do Urubu.

"It's an interesting event. I went there to learn about it and to get informed. It's always good to be up to date with this kind of stuff," said 19-year-old Diego Maurício.

Even as a young man, he dreams of a successful soccer career and knows that his life is now worth millions of reais. A promising prospect for the Gávea team, Diego knows that it takes skillful career management and trustworthy people by his side to stay on the right path.

"It's a dream come true for me. It's funny, there's a lot behind football, and you need to be well prepared psychologically and have competent people around you to be able to manage your career well. Football is a big business, and you always have to be alert," observed the striker, who is cautiously thinking about the 2014 World Cup, another of the fair's focuses.

"One step at a time. My first step was to establish myself at Flamengo, and I've been trying to do that every chance I get. I'm fully focused here, to get the team out of this bad situation in the Brazilian Championship. After that, I want to get to the U-20 team, and then think about 2011, 2012, 2013... There's still a lot to happen between now and 2014, but of course it's a dream for every player to play in a World Cup, especially in their own country," he concluded.

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