Neto’s eclectic career to date has taken him to some of the biggest clubs in Europe, and our new Brazilian goalkeeper thanks a series of decisions and lucky interventions that have ended with him fulfilling one of his childhood dreams – to be at Arsenal.
Football was always in the blood for Neto. His dad, Betao, played professionally also as a goalkeeper in Brazil, so he grew up surrounded by the sights and sounds of the sport. He had made his mind up long ago that this was what he wanted for himself as well.
Then it was just a case of going out and making it happen. Though as he explains, there were plenty of hurdles to overcome along the way.
“I always told myself that I should become a football player,” he says. “My dad was a goalkeeper as well, and I always watched him when I was growing up, wearing the kit, so I always wanted to be a goalkeeper from the very beginning.
“So inside of me I always felt I had to be there too. I have to be a football player, become a professional. But when you are on the journey it’s very difficult, because a lot of things can happen to put you on another way. So I’ve been lucky, and I’ve had my family’s support. But always inside of me I had that feeling I should become
a footballer.”
Neto, who joined us on loan from Bournemouth on transfer deadline day, realised very early on that, in order to make it in this profession, he would need bundles of patience and perseverance.
“I remember when I was about 11 or 12, whenever I had some free time I would go and watch the training sessions of the professional goalkeepers or the under-21 keepers,” he says. “I always tried to learn from them, every time, and when the time comes I think the most important thing I’ve learned is the patience and resilience that you need.
“I think that’s very difficult, in our position. So the most important thing is that, the resilience as well as the desire to become something special. You have to be prepared to fight, be ready for every moment, because in football you never know what will happen. It’s a world where anything can happen at any time, and if you are not ready, you have lost your opportunity.”
