Brazilian Adjusting Well to FC Seoul

Some people make you happy just by their presence.

We met someone like that on September 1 at GS Champions Park of Guri. A foreign player with his hair in intricate knots and a playful smile on his face comes up to greet us.

He is called “Dudu” (26, FC Seoul). His real name is Eduardo Francisco de Silva Neto.

Most Brazilian names are long like this. So the 30 or so Brazilian players playing in the K-League use nicknames. “Dudu” is Eduardo’s nickname.

After moving to FC Seoul from Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma FC during the second half of the season, Dudu seems to have hit the peak of his caliber. He is the tonic of his team, not only because of his soccer skills but also his cheerful personality.

Head coach Lee Jang-soo of FC Seoul was very satisfied with Dudu, saying, “Many foreign players have a hard time adjusting, but not Dudu. He is very sociable and gets along well with the other players.”

Dudu first came to Korea in July, 2004, after playing for the famous Brazilian team, Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.

“When I first came to Korea, it was so hot that I felt like I was suffocating. That was all that bothered me.”

Not all foreign players do well in the K-League. Many of them have trouble with the coaching staff or other players, egotistic play, or cultural differences.

Dudu says the soccer culture is very different in Brazil and Korea.

“In Brazil, we make short passes and depend a lot on individual skills. In Korean soccer, there is a lot of pressurizing and you have to keep moving.

However, Dudu says he learned a lot of things in Korea that he didn’t know in Brazil.

Strong physical contact during games is hard to come by in Brazil. But Dudu is confident that this is no longer a problem for him.

“This is my little secret. If someone is marking me, I intentionally run more. The defensive players are exhausted by the second half. I’m pretty confident about my stamina,” says Dudu, grinning.

Dudu advised other foreign players, saying, “For a foreign player to survive in Korea, it’s important to take in aspects of Korean culture such as the hierarchy between older and younger players and not complain about them.”

Commenting on his home country Brazil’s performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany, he said, “It was so disappointing that I was embarrassed, If Brazil had the willpower and spirit of the Korean team, we would have won the cup.”

What is soccer to Dudu? He answered, “alegria.” It is a Portuguese word meaning “joy.” Dudu, a true soccer player who says he is happiest when he is playing with a soccer ball, has a very distinct hairstyle. He says his mother did it for him. It has no less than 28 knots.

Dudu’s hobby is as interesting as his hair. He stressed that, “I love sleeping. Sleeping is really important for training and playing well.”

Dudu wears a total of five rings on his fingers and glittering bracelets on his arms. On the bracelets, the names of his two sons, Artur and David, are engraved.

Dudu’s dream is to open a soccer school in Brazil to help delinquent Brazilian children to find their way back to the good side.

jaeyuna@donga.com