In 2013, Coritiba won its fourth championship title and midfielder Alex praised the win seen from different angles. One can speak of the dedication of directors and managers, of the opportunities offered to boys in the youth league or the affirmation of well-established aces, or even the feeling of love from the grandstands. The achievement marked the first title for Alex as part of Coxa and accurately sums up the plurality of meanings regarding the club’s current phase and how heterogeneous the meaning of this achievement is.
“The structure was based on the three-time championship team, the people that have been here since 2010 won the fourth title, those from 2011 and last year. But I realize I'm a kid from the junior league, with experience, that sees the club professionally and with love from the grandstands”. Alex's statement is almost a self-portrait and reveals a personality full of characteristics, due to the fact that, as he himself sums up, it is a mix of such differing situations that makes up the current Coritiba.
The fact of leaving Alto da Glória a few years back and returning as an idol is motive for deep analysis. With a small part of his dream now a reality, he uses his experience to risk viewing the fourth championship title from another angle. In the days following the 3 x 1 win over Atlético, the Alviverde captain spoke about the feat and its effects.
Interview:
You offer collective representativeness: you honed your skills here, you have a relationship with the club, an established international career, your internal participation means you are an athlete identified with the club, furthermore, you inspire love from the grandstands. Does this combination of elements set you apart?
Alex: I know what I represent, though we shouldn't confuse things, as I still have a long way to go. For example, I could be a two-time champion next year, and the team a five-time champ. We have two or three important competitions this year, the Brazil Cup, which was a close call on two occasions, and the Brazilian Championship that Coritiba has only won once. Perhaps, playing in the South American Cup and winning an international title, which Paraná football is yet to achieve, is something we could possibly attain. The fourth title was important. We really have to celebrate it. For me, it’s a milestone, as it is my first for Coxa. But it’s not a defining mark, there are many things that can and must still happen.
Were you surprised by anything in this conquest?
A: Striking surprise me. It was something unexpected. Despite having been a striker at Palmeiras, Cruzeiro and Fenerbahçe, it wasn’t something I planned. Then all of a sudden it landed in my lap. Now, I imagined being champion, that I’d be one of the team leaders, maybe not the captain, ‘cause there were players that had been here longer, so all this made it all the more emblematic.
Was it a dream come true:
A: Firstly, for the fans I hope so. In my case it is like this: I left, went to good teams, important teams and I got used to fighting at the top of the table. I also got used to playing with big-time winners. I played on the Brazilian team for ten years with the country's top players and these guys were playing to be champions all over. And I was no different, I played to be champion. I imagined how my career would take shape, and that I wanted to end up at Coritiba. But I wondered how Coritiba would be doing. When I began talking with Ximenes and Vilson, I was caught off-guard. The administrative organization and potential for growth really impressed me. I imagined coming back and leaving my mark with many more titles. The fourth title was different, we managed. The last few days allowed us to reflect and each of us dealt with the fourth title differently.
Does this evolution have anything to do with the change in mentality you mentioned?
A: The change in mentality is what I say to the players: we aren’t that much better than the teams from Paraná and we aren’t any less than other team in Brazil. There are situations where the games are on par, and it is then that the mental part comes in. It is the part of concentrating on not conceding a goal off a free kick, of knowing the moment to argue on the field to bring the game to a halt for a few minutes, to break the adversary's momentum. Or in a stagnant game, someone creates a little confusion to set off a spark off the field to get the fans going. In the fourth championship title win, I received a yellow card following an incident with Zezinho, it was an attempt to shake up the stadium, which had gone quiet, after we had just managed to tie the match, and its set things off. So, that’s what I mean when I talk about mentality, thinking and reacting... And it’s true for everyone, even the press”.
Returning to the lessons from the Fourth title win. Something last achieved almost 40 years ago. What should we take from it?
A: The mental situation is the most important. And supporters must understand that their participation has to be complete, more than 25,000 per game on a quest for something different. Another factor is that all players are subject to the pressure of various situations. So, Marquinhos knows who is who, the good things, the difficult things, if we need a player here or there. The variation he implemented in the Paraná Championship occurred because it could, now he’s seen what can happen. We need to evolve mentally, think like champions, act like champions, perform like champions.
After almost a year since your return and mission completed, have you outlined any objectives?
A: Individually, I want to keep myself physically fit to ensure my natural performance, as I feel I can help the team like that. That is my intention. As part of the group, I want to maintain the thought pattern I have for the major games we face, as it is possible to take on the big teams. So we have to prepare ourselves for the good things, plus the strength from the grandstands, with a good number of the public participating, we can fight to the top to arrive at least at the Libertadores. I think it’s possible.
In 2013, Coritiba won its fourth championship title and midfielder Alex praised the win seen from different angles. One can speak of the dedication of directors and managers, of the opportunities offered to boys in the youth league or the affirmation of well-established aces, or even the feeling of love from the grandstands. The achievement marked the first title for Alex as part of Coxa and accurately sums up the plurality of meanings regarding the club’s current phase and how heterogeneous the meaning of this achievement is.
“The structure was based on the three-time championship team, the people that have been here since 2010 won the fourth title, those from 2011 and last year. But I realize I'm a kid from the junior league, with experience, that sees the club professionally and with love from the grandstands”. Alex's statement is almost a self-portrait and reveals a personality full of characteristics, due to the fact that, as he himself sums up, it is a mix of such differing situations that makes up the current Coritiba.
The fact of leaving Alto da Glória a few years back and returning as an idol is motive for deep analysis. With a small part of his dream now a reality, he uses his experience to risk viewing the fourth championship title from another angle. In the days following the 3 x 1 win over Atlético, the Alviverde captain spoke about the feat and its effects.
Interview:
You offer collective representativeness: you honed your skills here, you have a relationship with the club, an established international career, your internal participation means you are an athlete identified with the club, furthermore, you inspire love from the grandstands. Does this combination of elements set you apart?
Alex: I know what I represent, though we shouldn't confuse things, as I still have a long way to go. For example, I could be a two-time champion next year, and the team a five-time champ. We have two or three important competitions this year, the Brazil Cup, which was a close call on two occasions, and the Brazilian Championship that Coritiba has only won once. Perhaps, playing in the South American Cup and winning an international title, which Paraná football is yet to achieve, is something we could possibly attain. The fourth title was important. We really have to celebrate it. For me, it’s a milestone, as it is my first for Coxa. But it’s not a defining mark, there are many things that can and must still happen.
Were you surprised by anything in this conquest?
A: Striking surprise me. It was something unexpected. Despite having been a striker at Palmeiras, Cruzeiro and Fenerbahçe, it wasn’t something I planned. Then all of a sudden it landed in my lap. Now, I imagined being champion, that I’d be one of the team leaders, maybe not the captain, ‘cause there were players that had been here longer, so all this made it all the more emblematic.
Was it a dream come true:
A: Firstly, for the fans I hope so. In my case it is like this: I left, went to good teams, important teams and I got used to fighting at the top of the table. I also got used to playing with big-time winners. I played on the Brazilian team for ten years with the country's top players and these guys were playing to be champions all over. And I was no different, I played to be champion. I imagined how my career would take shape, and that I wanted to end up at Coritiba. But I wondered how Coritiba would be doing. When I began talking with Ximenes and Vilson, I was caught off-guard. The administrative organization and potential for growth really impressed me. I imagined coming back and leaving my mark with many more titles. The fourth title was different, we managed. The last few days allowed us to reflect and each of us dealt with the fourth title differently.
Does this evolution have anything to do with the change in mentality you mentioned?
A: The change in mentality is what I say to the players: we aren’t that much better than the teams from Paraná and we aren’t any less than other team in Brazil. There are situations where the games are on par, and it is then that the mental part comes in. It is the part of concentrating on not conceding a goal off a free kick, of knowing the moment to argue on the field to bring the game to a halt for a few minutes, to break the adversary's momentum. Or in a stagnant game, someone creates a little confusion to set off a spark off the field to get the fans going. In the fourth championship title win, I received a yellow card following an incident with Zezinho, it was an attempt to shake up the stadium, which had gone quiet, after we had just managed to tie the match, and its set things off. So, that’s what I mean when I talk about mentality, thinking and reacting... And it’s true for everyone, even the press”.
Returning to the lessons from the Fourth title win. Something last achieved almost 40 years ago. What should we take from it?
A: The mental situation is the most important. And supporters must understand that their participation has to be complete, more than 25,000 per game on a quest for something different. Another factor is that all players are subject to the pressure of various situations. So, Marquinhos knows who is who, the good things, the difficult things, if we need a player here or there. The variation he implemented in the Paraná Championship occurred because it could, now he’s seen what can happen. We need to evolve mentally, think like champions, act like champions, perform like champions.
After almost a year since your return and mission completed, have you outlined any objectives?
A: Individually, I want to keep myself physically fit to ensure my natural performance, as I feel I can help the team like that. That is my intention. As part of the group, I want to maintain the thought pattern I have for the major games we face, as it is possible to take on the big teams. So we have to prepare ourselves for the good things, plus the strength from the grandstands, with a good number of the public participating, we can fight to the top to arrive at least at the Libertadores. I think it’s possible.