Filipe Luis is the latest member of the first team squad to look back on his early days in the game…
Source: Chelsea FC official website
What was your first professional club?
I went to a club when I was 14 to play futsal, but my first real club was Figueirense in Brazil.
Did you live close to where you trained?
My parents lived about two hours away from the club, so a lot of the younger players, including myself, had to stay there. It was a really difficult time because the club were very poor. They gave us food but that was it, there was no money or anything like that, we didn’t get paid.
Were you always a left-back?
No, I started out as an attacking midfielder, I used to play in Oscar’s position until I was 17. I made my debut in that position and the manager then came to me and told me I should be a left-back, because I had the qualities to build the game out from the back. There weren’t a great deal of talented left-backs around at that time, so he felt I would have a better chance of having a career in the game playing there.
Which players did you play with that went on to have big careers?
Not so much from my younger days but early on in my career I spent a year at Ajax, where I played with Wesley Sneijder [pictured below], Rafael van der Vaart, Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. When I moved to Real Madrid B I played with Roberto Soldado, Alvaro Negredo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Javi Garcia, who was at Manchester City last season.
What’s the best advice you’ve received in your career?
One of my former coaches, Dorival Junior, told me my body was my tool. He said if you are an engineer you have a hammer or computer, but my tool is my body. So he explained I needed to take care of my body, be careful about what food I eat and make sure I get enough sleep. It was so true, because I depend on my body. I have to be in the best possible condition for a game. Your body must always be ready, I always tell myself that. I have plenty of time to enjoy other things later in life.
Do you remember when you signed your first pro contract?
Yes, I was 16 years old. I signed a five-year contract and I was getting paid the equivalent of £60 per month. I was so happy because at the time I felt like I was signing the contract of my life, it was really big for me. It was one of the best moments of my career.
