Heir to Cafu? Find out who is the jewel of Sport coveted by European giants at the age of 17 | sport

But the story of a short, young Pedro Lima began far from Ilha do Retiro. The first steps of the Paraíba native, born in Cabedelo, were taken on the futsal courts in João Pessoa.

ge revisits, based on reports from professionals with whom Pedro Lima shared the courts and then the fields, these roots: the above-average trajectory in futsal, the behind-the-scenes of his arrival at Sport and the vision of those who were already impressed by the precocious virtues in a child’s body.

His life as an athlete began at the age of seven, in the Esporte Clube Meninos da Paraíba project. There, Pedro Lima remained until the under-15 category, piling up titles, goals and plays à la Neymar. Like one where he gives the opponent a bath before finishing for the goal, first time (see video below).

Pedro Lima’s moves when he played futsal in João Pessoa

In eight years with the project, he won his fourth Paraíba championship and his second Brazilian seven-a-side football championship. Until the last dance. When he played for the under-15s, before moving to Sport, the boy finished top scorer in the Taça Brasil – equivalent to the Brazilian championship in futsal -, with nine goals scored.

At the Pernambuco club, the following year, he repeated the feat, also becoming the best player in the championship.

It was August 16, 2021 when Sport futsal and Meninos da Paraíba took the court for the Taça Brasil, played in Belém, Pará. A common indoor confrontation between the teams, considered rivals in the sport.

The red-and-blacks came out on top, beating their opponent – they would later become champions -, despite Pedro Lima’s efforts to avoid defeat. There, the hammer was struck: the boy’s destination, desired by Leão since he was 11 years old, needed to be Ilha do Retiro.

From that day on, the main characters of the story enter the scene: Sport’s futsal coach, Nathan Figueiredo, now director of Olympic and amateur sports, and Carlos Henrique, better known as Caíca, futsal collaborator and one of those responsible for the arrival of the boy.

“Talking about Pedro Lima, I’m going to have to spend a lot of time… A boy who always had physical strength and a different skill. I met him in 2014, in the under-8s, in a championship in Campina Grande. I, together with Nathan, we brought him to Sport”, he says.

Valencias also highlighted by Nathan Figueiredo – the duo who supported Lima’s arrival also for field football, immediately asking for evaluation in the under-15 category. “It was easy to sell him to football”, says the red-and-black director.

“You saw that the team’s posture when he was on the court was one and when he left, it was another. He was already leading with both legs, finishing, dribbling. And it’s not doing it for the sake of doing it, it’s how to do it. The posture on the court of calling the team when it was in a difficult moment. He pulls balls out of his hat: volleying goals, giving a shot… And when you start to live with him on a daily basis, you see the difference. In addition to natural talent, the essence of respect. “.

— praises Nathan Figueiredo

Boy Pedro Lima has established himself on the right side of Sport

Wearing the Sport shirt, Pedro Lima won the Pernambucano and Brazilian Championships, both in the under-16 category. At that time, he already alternated his periods on the court with football on the field, on whose “floor” he would attract attention very soon: under-17 state champion twice, champion of the Champions Cup and champion of the Carpina Cup.

It didn’t take long for his success at the base to soon lead to call-ups for the Brazilian national team and then for last year’s U-17 World Cup, starting in Brazil’s five games in the competition (the team fell in the quarter-finals to Argentina). .

It was the kickoff for his first steps in professional football.

That’s how it happened. Supported by Sport’s management committee and coach Mariano Soso, Pedro Lima gained chances and, today, secures absolute ownership of the right-back position. In 19 matches, he scored two goals and provided two assists.

Whether he really will be the “heir of Cafu” remains to be seen. But at just 17 years old, Pedro Lima is increasingly proving that he can also be a star player.