(Watch the footage after reading about the player, see link at end) About a year ago I first mentioned him here on BS when he was still 15 or 16 years old. Now as a 17 year old he has officially arrived on the Brazilian soccer scene. No Im not talking about, Robinho (18) of Santos that made it big in last years Brasileiro, nor am I talking about his just turned 18 year old teammate Diego which also shined. I'm also not talking about 20 year old Kaka which I also first brought up here on BS a few years ago when he was still unkonwn worldwide. The, yet another, young Brazilian player to start getting big headlines is a 17 year old named (also) Diego. This kid is Internacional's response to rivals Gremio's Ronaldinho Gaucho. Yesterday in the Brazilian classic Gre-Nal (Gremio x Internacional) Diego arrived and in style (his 4th or 5th pro game), twisting up the experienced Gremio defense that includes 2002 World Cup champ Anderson Polga. He is yet another Brazilian (like Robinho) with a flare for trick moves and always going straight towards the goal. Get this, the forward also has a Twin brother named Diogo which has also been promoted from the Junior levels to the Pro's, though Diogo is a midfielder and not a forward. In the Junior levels both tore it up on the same teams winning International titles both for Brazil and the club Internacional. Its important to point out that Diego and twin Diogo also have pedigree. Their dad Joao Carlos played for Inter in the late 70's and 80's and was on the legendary team of 1979 that won the Brazilian championship undefeated, something that hasnt been done since. Dad Joao Carlos though was a right back. I continue to repeat that at this pace Brazil is going to arrive in Germany 2006 with a mix of veteran but still young megastars and very young creative talent that in my opinion will be the best collection of players Brazil will ever have put together (rivaling that of 1982). Just Kaka (Sao Paulo), Robinho (Santos) , Diego (Santos) and now Diego (Inter) is enough to imagine what will be on display in 2006. With 2 Diego's you know what that means in Brazil, a nickname or suffix will be attached. Look for a Diego to become either Dieginho or Diego Paulista (Santos) or Diego Gaucho (Inter) if they are called up together at the same time. See Diego in action in yesterday's classic Grenal. He is # 7 in Inter's Red jersey. http://wm.globo.com/webmedia/window...e/20030310/ge1003_mat10_16x10_low.wmv&ext.asx
Diego v. Christian The clips of Diego surrounded by youth wearing the same jersey are great - he doesn't look of place among them. Then again, he doesn't look out of place on the field with the pros either! Tough to tell much from thegame action shown here - seems exciting, what with the play he beat three Gremio players, but the camera angle doesn't let you see much. Also, it's always interesting to see a player like Christian return for the first time to his old club for a derby match - TRAIDOR! Incidentally, the clips ran smoothly, so no worries there.
A Photo of the new star the day after: Here with twin Diogo (right) at school today which both attend at night. School is something that is actually rare for Brazilian footballers. Good to see their Dad ex-player Joao Carlos is keeping them in line.