Felipe Anderson Credits His Development to Street Football

West Ham winger Felipe Anderson says his upbringing playing street football in his hometown of Santa Maria have made him the player he is today. The Brazilian joined Santos when he was 13, but his formative years were spent playing on the streets. Anderson, who recently spent 5 years at Lazio, told West Ham’s official […]
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sambafoot_admin
2018-08-04 17:17:00

West Ham winger Felipe Anderson says his upbringing playing street football in his hometown of Santa Maria have made him the player he is today. The Brazilian joined Santos when he was 13, but his formative years were spent playing on the streets.

Anderson, who recently spent 5 years at Lazio, told West Ham’s official website, “I grew up playing on the streets with my friends, and I think that had an effect on me technically. Now I’m here, in Europe, making my dreams come true.

“When I was a child I would play on the streets, because in Brazil you cannot join an academy until you are a bit older. I would play on the streets when I was very young, until I was eleven-years-old. I played on dirt pitches first, then onto grass.

“When I was 13 I went to Santos and that is when I started to play in a more professional setting.” The 25 year old was part of a squad that included Neymar, Elano, Danilo and Alex Sandro at Santos, who’ve all enjoyed stellar careers in Europe.

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