He is shy and discreet but affable and polite, too - Eder Gabriel Militao is one of the latest to emerge in Brazil and he knows that he is about to make a giant leap in his career. Real Madrid are determined to lure him away from Porto, where he has shone as a 21-year-old and only needed a matter of months to become wanted by all of Europe's elite clubs. With so many interested, Madrid moved fastest and raced ahead of the competition. So much so, that only the player's signature is missing and preventing his move to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu becoming official. Militao is not disturbed by the attention and has continued to look at ease throughout the speculation about his future.
He is a giving person and he always respects the children who have waited for him after matches, signing autographs and posing for photos with a smile. When he was a boy, football was breathed in his house. His father, Valdo, played for Corinthians, while his brother played for Marilla Atletico Clube as a left back. Militao was initially a right back, but has moved centrally - like Sergio Ramos - with time. He has intelligence, an impressive wingspan and has agility too. To the naked eye it seems as though football is what he enjoys most. But when he was a child he loved playing with kites more than anything else, as well as cycling. One day, suddenly, he declared his desire to play football, which Valdo says he had a talent for from early on: "They always picked him first when choosing teams".
According to MARCA, The player also takes the necessary time to meet with younger fans in the stadium. They are the small children of relatives and friends of teammates. Behind the dressing room door is a sacred place, but MARCA gained access to that exclusive zone and Militao greeted us with kindness, getting to know the newspaper and website. He's aware that he has been the star on a number of front pages and he chatted in a colloquial way.
"I'm shy, I don't like to talk very much and it's hard for me to do it in front of the camera," he said. "I prefer playing a thousand times more than giving interviews," he added, making reference to his first big appearance before the media when he was summoned by Tite to represent Brazil.
That day, it was his colleagues who convinced, or forced, him to take part in the press conference, where he finally appeared alongside Alex Sandro. Porto signed him for seven million euros from Sao Paolo, who will receive around four million of the player's next transfer: "It's a dream, a big step in my career," he said on the day his move to Portugal became known. "I leave with recognition for those who trained me since I was 13. I will leave through the front door and with my head held high."
One of those who discovered him was Agnello Souza. He put Militao on the right path by taking him from his modest hometown and placing him in the orbit of Sao Paolo at the same time as ensuring the coaches at the club were keeping close tabs on his development. From there, he moved step by step to the first team and he is now a multipurpose player with great versatility, but is undoubtedly at his best in a central role. Pepe's arrival at Porto has seen him play some games at full back. Juventus' Fabricio Paratici watched him in the Champions League game against AS Roma, subsequently stirring the rumour mill, but Madrid were not alarmed.
On Saturday he returned to his central position, with Pepe taking a seat on the bench and the side won again. Militao has been a key cog in an excellent season that sees Porto top the Portuguese league table. Obedient and respectful of his club, the player avoids talking about Madrid at all times (Los Blancos will pay around 50 million euros to sign him), but he doesn't shy away from talking about football.
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