For the last few years, Claudio de Almeida’s name is one of the first that the coach Tlisane Motaung will “pencil” in when selecting his UP-Tuks team for the Varsity football encounters.
Nothing changed for tomorrow’s home game against the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN). Motaung has a good reason for doing what he does.
One of De Almeida’s star qualities as a football player is that he seemingly has perfected the passing art. It very seldom happens that any of his passes are intercepted. Tactically is also very astute being able to do the right thing at the right time. To summarise he is “Mr Consistency” on the field.
The ever-modest De Almeida views the coach’s confidence in his abilities as a compliment but hastily added that he is just doing what is expected of him.
“Sometimes in local football, we tend to complicate things. I believe in sticking to the simple things, like making sure as not to concede possession. Football is all about confidence. If you make the wrong pass, it might have an impact on the game. Therefore the first touch is important. It will make the opposition realise that they cannot just run up to you because you are able to take the ball away from them.”
De Almeida’s talents have not gone unnoticed. He is also part of the AmaTuks squad. He admits that he got to tweak his approach slightly depending for which team he is playing. But it is a challenge he relishes.
“The standard of play in the National First Division is certainly more intense. So when I play for AmaTuks, I got to take my game to the next level. When you play Varsity Football the hype is so much greater due to the crowd support and the fact that you are playing in front of television cameras. As a player, you learn how to handle the intense scrutiny of the fans.”
In spite of his passion for football De Almeida realises that no football career lasts forever.
“As a South African football player, you cannot afford to focus on just one thing. If I am lucky, I will be able to play football for another five or so years. Afterwards, you still need to do something with your life. That is why my LLB-studies is so important.”
Judging by the results so far Tuks should beat UKZN quite easily, but as a seasoned campaigner, De Almeida said it would be foolish to take anything for granted.
“The reality is that the Tuks is the one team everyone wants to beat as we sort of have set a benchmark in all the Varsity sports codes. It means whoever plays against us will find a way to lift their level of play. So we are under pressure each time we take to the field. However, as long as we can keep on building on the positives, I don’t foresee any problems.”
Kickoff for tomorrow’s game at Tuks is 18:30.
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