MILAN - Nerazzurri midfielder Felipe Melo sat down for a long chat with Sky Italia for their Signori del Calcio (Football Gentlemen) programme.
Do you feel a bit like a football gentleman?
"I think it depends on how you look at it. Coming from where I came from – which was nothing – it wasn't easy to get where I have so I'd say yes. I'm always grateful to God and my family. I was born in Rio and I played for a team called Oso Team then when I was nine we played a friendly against Flamengo. I made a really good impression on them so after that I joined them and stayed for ten years. It was quite a trek to get there though because it's a two-hour bus journey to Flamengo from my house and it was a struggle for my parents to pay for it. A lot of the time my dad was doing jobs so that he could earn enough. I really love my parents. I wanted to play with my friends and I often used to wonder why I wasn't allowed out. Why should I have to go bed before ten o'clock? Why should I have to get up at four o'clock in the morning when I'm just 11? But you just do get on and do it. It was a big effort and I see that it helped me grow a lot. Now I see that my son – even though he has everything – appreciate the little things too and that's important because you should."
When did you realise that football could be more than just a hobby but a job for you?
"When I told Flamengo it was too hard for me to keep making the journey and they said: 'No, wait. In that case we'll give you a monthly wage.' Then I got an offer to play for Futbol Sala. When I started playing I was the only one who was paid. I was 12 or 13 and that's when I realised that football could change my life."
There's one coach in particular that you learnt a lot from and that's Vanderlei Luxemburgo. How important was he for you?
“When I got the call-up to go to the World Cup with Brazil I phoned him and said: 'This is down to you too.' He was a bit taken aback because he didn't expect the call. When he joined Cruzeiro he wanted to sign me. I went there and we did the treble, which is an incredible acheivement in Brazil. I was still a boy, just 17, so everything was new to me. I was at new team in a new city with no experience so I did things that youngsters do. That's when he had a chat with me and told me I needed to get my head screwed on properly, train hard and be professional because that's what you have to do if you want to reach the top. It's something that stayed with me ever since. I think that was an important step in my career.”
Then you went to Spain, where you developed your game further. Was that when you reached full maturity?
“Definitely. My time with Almeria was really important too. I worked with a great coach there – Unai Emery, who's now at Sevilla. We still have a great relationship even to this day. He helped me improve loads. We beat Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, we beat Sevilla 5-1 away and we finished sixth – all incredible stuff. I'll never forget that year because I was named La Liga's best midfielder alongside Xavi, which is something I can tell my children.”
Let's choose four adjectives to describe you: talented, physical, competitive and sharp-tongued. Does that sound about right?
"Yeah, that's me! I have my own personality. I've never needed to go on a TV show or talk to a newspaper to help me grow. As a kid, all I needed was God, my family and my professionalism. The year everyone was talking about me I played in the best team at the World Cup. So I think I must have something. I've played in some fantastic teams and won league titles in different countries. I'm still young enough to keep playing and win some more. This year I'm in a team that's fighting to get into Europe. I'm competitive because I'm competitive in life – I had to be because I started with nothing. I want to win in life, not just in football.”
You set up a goal for Robinho against Holland at that World Cup. It started off as the perfect match. How much did it hurt that it ended the way it did?
“That's the way football goes unfortunately. You win some, you draw some and you lose some... Until they equalised at 1-1 we were playing amazingly well. That Brazil side was immense. It was the first time in ages that we'd won everything except the World Cup. We'd won the Copa America and the Confederations Cup, we'd beaten all the big sides and finished top of qualifying without struggling at all for the first time in years. We'd beaten Argentina 3-1 away and Uruguay 5-1 at their place for the first time in 50 years. So it was a great team. But that's football for you and there's no regret. That game hurt because I thought I'd win the World Cup with Brazil that year but it didn't happen so that's that. Now I'm working hard to maybe earn myself another call-up and get another chance of winning the World Cup.”
Dunga is the head coach now as he was then. How important is he?
"Dunga is a hugely important figure for me. I'm extremely grateful to him for what he did for me – he opened the door to the Brazil squad for me. I was at Fiorentina when he called me up to play against Italy. Nobody knew me but afterwards everyone was talking about me. I played the whole game, we won 3-1 and I kept my place in the team from then on. I have a great relationship with him. True, we haven't been as close since he returned to the helm of the national side but the mutual respect is still there and I'm still very fond of him. I think it's the same for him."
Are you hoping for a call-up for the Copa America?
"To be honest I was hoping to get the call from Brazil the last two times. There were some injuries but the call never came. I respect his choice, though. Whether he calls me up or not won't change my opinion of him in any way. I'm doing a good job at Inter. I'm a bit of a football nut - I look at all the stats and my record is very good at Inter. We've won lots of games when I've played. I went four or five matches without playing but then I came back and we won. I'm feeling good again now so yes, I am hoping for a call."
Tell us about your season at Fiorentina.
"It was my first year in Italy and one of the best I've ever had. Fiorentina was the first big team I joined and I met people there who will be a part of my life forever. The relationship I had with the fans there was amazing. It was a hugely important year for me."
Was going to Turkey a bit like moving back to Brazil?
"I nearly joined Paris Saint-Germain that year. Leonardo called me and I was all set to go there but then Taffarel phoned me and they made me an offer that was impossible to refuse. I've got a family to feed... I just couldn't say no. I didn't play in the first friendly: we were in Austria and it was against Inter funnily enough. There were loads of Turkish fans all cheering and shouting and I thought, 'This is a good start, it's like being back at Flamengo.' I spent four years in Istanbul and I became the most successful Brazilian to play for Galatasaray. The relationship I have with the Turkish fans is something that will stay with me for life."
Have Mancini and Prandelli been important for you?
"Yes, they have, and so too was Fatih Terim – it's a bit like a father-son relationship with him. Prandelli's tactical preparation is meticulous, I learnt so much from him at Fiorentina. As for Mancini, what can I say? We won trophies together at Galatasaray and then he brought me here. We have a fantastic relationship. I have so much respect for him and I thank him for bringing me to Inter. If I have to bust a gut, I do it for him too. How many times did he call last summer? We spoke a lot and I had to be patient. The initial contact with Inter came three months before the end of the season. I received lots of other big offers but I only wanted to join Inter.”
What went wrong for Inter this year?
"I think the dip we had is quite normal because we have a new team. We dropped a few points that were really frustrating. We're still growing as a team but we have a good side. It's hard to win the league with so many new players – it takes time to gel together. But after that lull we started winning and playing good football again. That's important. I came here to win things and to get Inter back into Europe. We're close to doing that, although our real target was to get into the Champions League. We've already improved on last year and we'll see where we are come the end. When I joined, people said, 'But you used to play for another team.' Then they saw in the derby how much I care about Inter and how hard I fight for this shirt."
Did your red card against Lazio change your season?
"I think I made a mistake on the penalty and that can happen – I'm human, after all. He was below me and I couldn't see him. I didn't set out to hurt him when I jumped, I don't see any of the nastiness in it everyone was talking about. I wanted to win that game and then I committed a foul. I see lots of fouls in Serie A but I got a three-match ban. Against AC Milan I was booked for a foul on Balotelli when I took the ball 100%. That's how I play, that's my strength. I think when my team-mates see me fighting like that, they fight the same way themselves. And we'll all keep fighting till the end."
Tell us about your family.
"I met my wife when I was at Gremio. We've had three kids together – they're everything in our life. In Brazil they say behind every great man is a great woman. I say that next to a great man is a great woman."
What about your time at Inter?
"I'm very happy at Inter. I'd just signed a new four-year contract at Galatasaray with incredible terms but I wanted to come here. I came and signed a three-year contract. We're already a better team than we were last season and I think there's plenty of room for improvement. We're getting better by the game and next year we'll be better still. I've spoken to my agent, he's come here a few times and spoken with the club and they're happy with me. The transfer rumours are all lies. I have a three-year contract and I want to stay here."
And in the future?
"I can't see myself leaving the game because I'm one of the few players who are really nuts about football. We already have a club that's fighting to get promoted to the top flight in Spain – my agent is one of the shareholders. I don't know, maybe become a pundit, a club official, a coach... We'll see."
