Since my infancy, the first memories I have in life are related to sport. in 1994, at age seven, I watched every match of the FIFA World Cup, and even though I wasn’t really sure what was going on, that meant a lot to me. Brazil ended up winning the competition and that experience certainly made me feel it was something I would like to live constantly. So I engaged in competition, then I completed studies in sports and now I can live on that. It is a dream came true.
The picture below shows Maracanã, one of the most important stadiums in the world. It was a very special night, when one of my clients and very iconic, Flamengo, invited me to the match.
When on duty, I have the opportunity to access stadiums during ordinary days. Where most of people have their leisure on weekends, I do my job during the week. This is something I enjoy, as I can feel the energy, relive memories and feel connected to the venue. São Januário is owned by CR Vasco da Gama and is located in Rio de Janeiro’s downtown. It is not a modern stadium, but is very charming.
Allianz Parque on the other hand is a fully renewed stadium. It is really modern and became a concert hall in southern hemisphere’s biggest city São Paulo, hosting for example Paul McCartney, Roger Waters and Maroon 5. It is owned by Palmeiras and is has one of the greatest attendance rates in Brazil. One of the reasons is the ease to reach the stadium by metro (Barra Funda station - red line).
On the other end of metro red line is the Corinthians-Itaquera station and Arena Corinthians. Owned by Palmeiras greatest rival Corinthians, it is a brand new stadium built for the FIFA World Cup 2014, that hosted the opening ceremony. Corinthians has the most fanatic supporters in Brazil, and I was thrilled to be there. The energy was really special.
Located in Minas Gerais (one of the places with the best cuisine in Brazil), Mineirão is another historical stadium in Brazil. Unfortunately, this is the stadium where the Seleção (Brazil national team) suffered it’s worst defeat in the history: 1-7 against Germany in 2014 semi-finals. On this sense, feelings were mixed during the day.Heading to the Curitiba, Athletico Paranaense stadium is probably the best in South America. It provides athletes with great facilities and supporters with comfort and entertainment. Matches are played on artificial grass. The modern moving ceiling allowed it to host the 2017 FIVB World League finals
The last two stadiums have a really special meaning for me. Morumbi is owned by São Paulo FC, the club I support and had the chance to be an intern during college. The picture was taken during a 2015 Libertadores match against River Plate. São Paulo won 2-0, the stadium was crowded and the atmosphere was unique. It is located in a rich neighbourhood and is better reached by taxi.
Neither Arena Fonte Luminosa (the stadium), nor Araraquara (the city), nor Ferroviária (the club) are highly known, but I worked and lived there for a year, 300km from São Paulo. It is a really nice city to live, and it is a great stadium owned by a traditional club. With you do come to Araraquara for some reason, don’t forget to try the famous coxinha, one Brazilian dish that is very famous in this place. Sport is the reason I visited the most places and met the most people in life. I hope I can keep on this journey and maybe someone can share their story on other sport venues around the world. Sport is the way i try to do the world a better place
