One of the main names of CSKA and one of the leaders of the current squad, Brazilian defender Willyan Rocha will complete the mark of 250 matches as a professional player this Thursday. After serving two suspension games in the local league, the defender returns to the team for the first leg against Zenit in the final stage of the Russian Cup.
Revealed by Desportiva Ferroviária and with passages through the youth categories of Flamengo and Grêmio, Willyan began to build his career in Europe with the shirt of Cova de Piedade, from Portugal. He then transferred to Portimonense until arriving at CSKA last season in a 2 million euro deal. 250 games later, the defender says he is fulfilled with his football career.
READ MORE
++ 30 years after his death, Ayrton Senna is still on the podium for the most pole positions
++ The day Akira Toriyama met his idol Ayrton Senna
++ Bruno Senna remembers his uncle Ayrton Senna: “I had my hero by my side”
“Undoubtedly, it is a great achievement to reach 250 games as a professional player. When I was just another one chasing the dream, I saw myself fulfilled just by playing one match, so reaching this mark is much more than I could have imagined back then. I hope to continue living this dream, which is mine and my whole family’s, for many more years and being even happier with football,” he commented.
Current Russian Cup champions, CSKA are looking to repeat the feat this season. Eighth-placed in the Russian Championship, the club has the Cup as their only chance of a title and for that they will have to overcome Zenit in a two-legged tie. The first 90 minutes of the clash will be played this Thursday, at 1:15 PM (Brasilia time).
“We know the difficulty we will face, it’s no coincidence that Zenit is once again fighting for the league title, but we also know the strength of our group. Our team knows how to play the Russian Cup, we were champions last season and we really want to win the title again. We hope to have a great game at home and take a good advantage to the second leg,” he projected.
Zagallo documentary by Sambafoot
Sambafoot Series has launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo’ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays – as a player and as a coach. The first episodes are available in Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
