From culture shock to cult hero
2:00pm Saturday 13th October 2012 in Sport
By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers reporter
WHEN Bruno Ribeiro swapped the beaches of Sao Paulo for East Lancashire, it was supposed to be the realisation of what he had dreamed of for most of his life.
More than a year later, Blackburn Rovers’ boy from Brazil has only just woken from a very real nightmare after months of being frozen out at Ewood Park and left longing for the blue skies of South America.
Homesickness, loneliness and communication problems were just some of the problems facing Rovers’ right-back as, through no fault of his own, he was left something of an Ewood Park laughing stock.
Ribeiro’s Rovers career looked over before it had started having not featured in a single first team squad last season, after being plucked from Brazil’s lower leagues by owners Venky’s.
Then manager Steve Kean had likened him to Manchester United legend Denis Irwin but comparisons with Lord Lucan were perhaps more apt with Ribeiro growing infamous by his absence.
Just a glance at the 29-year-old as he approached me in the reception at Brockhall earlier this week showed how things have suddenly changed.
Smiling, locked in conversation with a couple of Rovers’ Portuguese exports, and happy to talk about the future, Ribeiro can finally see his English football dream being realised.
He said: “It was a hard time for me. I was just playing games in the reserves and I was missing my family. It is a different country, different weather. Now I am enjoying England.
“I came here on my own. My family is in Brazil and they come sometimes. They spend one month here and two months in Brazil. I have some friends here but it was difficult last season and I missed a lot of things that I used to have.
“Last season, I was always confident in my ability but I tried to come back to Brazil on loan. I knew I was not playing here and had no chance, so I tried some clubs in Brazil to go on loan.
“I am enjoying things now. I have waited a long time for the chance and I will work hard to make sure I take my space in the team.
“I am enjoying it here. It is my second season here and my first season was a little bit hard for me because I didn’t play any game for the first team. Now I enjoy more because I have played some games and I want to keep that going.”
Ribeiro has already made five Championship appearances for Rovers this season and has become something of a cult figure among sections of Ewood Park after his unlikely emergence.
‘Ribeiro’ memorabilia is even on sale in the official club store and he is determined to make sure it is second season lucky for his own English adventure.
“It has all worked out well,” he said. “I didn’t leave and I have got some chance here. That is better for me. Now I have to take this chance.
“It was so strange when I played my first games and heard the fans chant ‘Bruno’. I was very happy because they know me now and I try to do well for them.
“We know it is hard work. This league is very hard, a lot of teams are the same quality and a lot of teams are close in the league. It is very difficult to get promoted but Blackburn is a big club and we have to. We want to get promotion.
“It would be wonderful for me if we got promotion. I didn’t play the season we got relegated so if I am playing and the club go up it would be wonderful for me.”
So how different is life in Blackburn to Brazil? Apart from the obvious climate differences, the man formerly based in Sao Paulo state admits there were plenty of hurdles he had to overcome.
“It was very different. The football was very different, I just played in Brazil before and when I got this chance I was thinking it would be a good opportunity to learn different football and a different language. The first season was for learning and this season will be better.
“I could not speak the language. My English was just what I had learned from school, a few sentences. Now my English has improved.
“On my own at home last season I used to teach myself from the internet, this season with some Portuguese guys in the club, a teacher comes in two times a week to teach.
“We speak the same language and now I am trying to help them because, except Nuno Gomes, they don’t speak the language.
“I am helping them and like a translator when they need to say something.
“The difference is a lot. Here the pitch is always wet and so the game is quicker, in Brazil most times we play with a dry pitch so it is slower. Here it is very physical. I never played against such big guys in Brazil. Now I am fit and ready to play.”
Comments(31)
portolibero
says...
2:17pm Sat 13 Oct 12
sonny
says...
2:43pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Harwoodstblue
says...
3:11pm Sat 13 Oct 12
OnePostThenTheOther
says...
3:34pm Sat 13 Oct 12
willhelmrover98
says...
3:43pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Bangkok Rover
says...
3:44pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Harwoodstblue
says...
3:48pm Sat 13 Oct 12
OnePostThenTheOther wrote:And give him a three year contract ?.........Now he's here though, lets give the lad a chance to show what he can do....Something he never got under the idiot.
So at 29, with kindergarten English, no experience of playing on fast pitches or against big players, who thought it was a good idea to bring him to Rovers?
smellthecoffee
says...
4:26pm Sat 13 Oct 12
sonny wrote:It was how Kean designed it....he knew his position would be strengthened (and his lucrative contract maintained) by the fact that he could speak Portuguese and many other coaches can't. The guy was an utter disgrace to the profession.
ridiculous that of the halve a dozen portuguese/brazilian players brought only 1 speaks english!!!
blueette
says...
5:29pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Roverthere
says...
5:45pm Sat 13 Oct 12
MxMave
says...
6:05pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Roverthere wrote:maybe it was one of them portable rock fm sandboxes.
One small point Andy, no beaches in Sao Paulo. A lot of roads and a few parks but no beaches or sea.
MxMave
says...
6:05pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Roverthere wrote:maybe it was one of them portable rock fm sandboxes.
One small point Andy, no beaches in Sao Paulo. A lot of roads and a few parks but no beaches or sea.
MxMave
says...
6:06pm Sat 13 Oct 12
MxMave wrote:Or maybe he said he missed the **** of Sau Paulo.
Roverthere wrote:maybe it was one of them portable rock fm sandboxes.
One small point Andy, no beaches in Sao Paulo. A lot of roads and a few parks but no beaches or sea.
roverfor60years
says...
6:36pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Captain Dreckley
says...
6:57pm Sat 13 Oct 12
stefjam
says...
8:35pm Sat 13 Oct 12
silverstan
says...
10:10pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Matt Newcastle
says...
11:32pm Sat 13 Oct 12
Surely as part of the players daily programme English lessons would have featured with a 1 to 1 tutor being allocated to each player to instill some basics.
Just another reason why Black must not be let anywhere near the managers position for a flaw as significant as this just shows up his and the odious ones lack of fundamental planning and player care.
In addition why do footballers expect everything to be done for them, why could he not have fixed up his own tuition.
Reading David Dunns account of lack of pre season training also adds another nail in Blacks poor planning skills. Also if Dunn thought he was not fit enough did he not do something personally about it. Simple answer He does not care about the shirt for if he truly did he would have dipped his hands in to his pocket for a personnel trainer to help him out.
Typical footballers. All blame everyone else but themselves. Total lack of own self initiative.
pbirty
says...
1:16am Sun 14 Oct 12
Nuttall Street
says...
12:05pm Sun 14 Oct 12
blueette wrote:Brilliant post. Just shows what lack of effort goes into LET journalism.
Beaches of São Paulo? Someone needs a geography lesson. The city is 50 miles inland 800 ft above sea level. And Bruno was playing in Porto Alegre 500 miles away before he joined Rovers
Dingle Infiltrator
says...
12:20pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Matt Newcastle wrote:Whinge whinge whinge.
Total disbelief
Surely as part of the players daily programme English lessons would have featured with a 1 to 1 tutor being allocated to each player to instill some basics.
Just another reason why Black must not be let anywhere near the managers position for a flaw as significant as this just shows up his and the odious ones lack of fundamental planning and player care.
In addition why do footballers expect everything to be done for them, why could he not have fixed up his own tuition.
Reading David Dunns account of lack of pre season training also adds another nail in Blacks poor planning skills. Also if Dunn thought he was not fit enough did he not do something personally about it. Simple answer He does not care about the shirt for if he truly did he would have dipped his hands in to his pocket for a personnel trainer to help him out.
Typical footballers. All blame everyone else but themselves. Total lack of own self initiative.
No wonder your team are so useless. It's because the players couldn't give a monkeys about fans like you.
Black for Blackburn - Viva Black!
Black is the way forward.
STEVE KEAN WITH HAIR!
blueblooded
says...
12:55pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Dingle Infiltrator wrote:Kean for Burnley.. And even he's too good for you.
Matt Newcastle wrote:Whinge whinge whinge.
Total disbelief
Surely as part of the players daily programme English lessons would have featured with a 1 to 1 tutor being allocated to each player to instill some basics.
Just another reason why Black must not be let anywhere near the managers position for a flaw as significant as this just shows up his and the odious ones lack of fundamental planning and player care.
In addition why do footballers expect everything to be done for them, why could he not have fixed up his own tuition.
Reading David Dunns account of lack of pre season training also adds another nail in Blacks poor planning skills. Also if Dunn thought he was not fit enough did he not do something personally about it. Simple answer He does not care about the shirt for if he truly did he would have dipped his hands in to his pocket for a personnel trainer to help him out.
Typical footballers. All blame everyone else but themselves. Total lack of own self initiative.
No wonder your team are so useless. It's because the players couldn't give a monkeys about fans like you.
Black for Blackburn - Viva Black!
Black is the way forward.
STEVE KEAN WITH HAIR!
real betis hotpot
says...
1:34pm Sun 14 Oct 12
merlinrabbit
says...
3:20pm Sun 14 Oct 12
smellthecoffee wrote:and he knew he could tell them anything and they wouldnt know any different
sonny wrote:It was how Kean designed it....he knew his position would be strengthened (and his lucrative contract maintained) by the fact that he could speak Portuguese and many other coaches can't. The guy was an utter disgrace to the profession.
ridiculous that of the halve a dozen portuguese/brazilian players brought only 1 speaks english!!!
walshy2866
says...
5:32pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Peter White must be turning in his grave!
Harwoodstblue
says...
9:36pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Nuttall Street wrote:Hi Nuttall Street, I think Andy Cryer might be right. My understanding is Sao Paulo the city, is the capital of Sao Paulo the state. The state of Sao Paulo does have a coastline.
blueette wrote:Brilliant post. Just shows what lack of effort goes into LET journalism.
Beaches of São Paulo? Someone needs a geography lesson. The city is 50 miles inland 800 ft above sea level. And Bruno was playing in Porto Alegre 500 miles away before he joined Rovers
keanoutofrovers
says...
9:48pm Sun 14 Oct 12
Very frustrating, it honestly wouldn't take a genius to add a couple of players to this squad and get it back on track.
whittaker0
says...
7:42am Mon 15 Oct 12
Sportivo
says...
9:23am Mon 15 Oct 12
flowersorseaman?
says...
10:24am Mon 15 Oct 12
Matt Newcastle wrote:he did do something about it, but how was he to know that he would barely feature in pre-season? He took himself out of club training to get himself fit. All this after kean forgot to tell the fitness coach that his services were no longer required. Dunny should be applauded, the true shambles being that he had to sort it out himself
Total disbelief
Surely as part of the players daily programme English lessons would have featured with a 1 to 1 tutor being allocated to each player to instill some basics.
Just another reason why Black must not be let anywhere near the managers position for a flaw as significant as this just shows up his and the odious ones lack of fundamental planning and player care.
In addition why do footballers expect everything to be done for them, why could he not have fixed up his own tuition.
Reading David Dunns account of lack of pre season training also adds another nail in Blacks poor planning skills. Also if Dunn thought he was not fit enough did he not do something personally about it. Simple answer He does not care about the shirt for if he truly did he would have dipped his hands in to his pocket for a personnel trainer to help him out.
Typical footballers. All blame everyone else but themselves. Total lack of own self initiative.
RUinsane says...
2:16pm Sat 13 Oct 12