Keep moving; play quickly under pressure; find space; develop a vision; play the simple pass.
According to the football pundits, these are some of the attributes a good midfielder should have. Claudio de Almeida (UP-Tuks) is ticking most of these boxes if not all. One has to watch him play to realise it.
In last week’s Varsity Football match against UJ De Almeida was a true “general” in the midfield linking between the forwards and backs.
When complimented on the way he always seems to find a teammate each time he passed the ball De Almeida replied that the secret to playing good football is to keep things simple.
“That is what I try and do,” said De Almeida who also plays for AmaTuks. He also had a stint at SuperSport United and played for Germany’s Osnabruck II.
Many would consider UP-Tuks have their “back against the wall” after drawing their first game against TUT (1-1) and losing to UJ (0-1). These results mean that UP-Tuks are currently third from the bottom of the log with only one point.
Theoretically, things are not going to get any easier this Thursday (10/08) when UP-Tuks play NWU in Potchefstroom. The home team is unbeaten after two games and are arguably confident about making it three in a row.
De Almeida admits that they are in for a tough game against NWU.
“We played against them in the USSAFootball semi-final, and although we won, I considered it to be our toughest game.”
According to De Almeida, it would be wrong to write off UP-Tuks’s chances of winning the Varsity Football tournament.
“For some reason, we always seem to be slow out of the ‘blocks’. All is certainly not lost yet. As long as there are points up for grab in the tournament, we will be competing for it. We have not given up on winning.
“In the game against UJ, although we dominated, we failed to penetrate their defence. It is something we have been working on over the past few days to rectify.”
Football was always the BCom Business Management student’s passion. His first memory of playing was when he was five years old.
“I guess it is my father’s influence. He is passionate about football, and it must have rubbed off.”
Asked why he thinks football is so popular worldwide, De Almeida answered: “It is the one sport that gets people emotionally involved. Love and anger are part and parcel of the game.
“Football is also the one sport where players get to become ‘Super heroes’ at a young age. In other words, there is a real opportunity to make something of one’s life that the rest of the world can take note of.”
Virtual Campus
Get Social With Us
Download the UP Mobile App