The victory of Athletico-PR by 3 to 0 against Santos, on Sunday night (3), at the Ligga Arena, was special for the mid-attacking 17-year-old Dudu who made his debut in the professional team. On Wednesday (6), the team faces the Cuiabá, and the player is among those related to the match.
"It's a dream come true. I've prepared a lot to live this moment. I'm happy to conquer my space with work and respect for my companions. Now it's about staying focused so I can do my best when opportunities come up," Dudu said. "My focus has always been to help my club in the best way possible either on the base, selection and now on the pro. I want to thank my family and Hurricane fans for their support."
Even more striking, the player entered the field in the position of the captain and idol Fernandinho. Honored, Dudu tore compliments on Hurricane 5's shirt. "It was right in his place, right? (laughs). What an honor... I hope it's striking for a beautiful story coming up. Fernandinho's a big fan. Everyone knows the giant story he built in Europe and here in Athletico. He's a great inspiration to us young people, and it's an enormous honor to be on a daily basis with him. I've been learning a lot," Dudu adds.
The player had experience acting in futsal before being taken to the base categories of the Athletico Paranaense. With its current club, the midfielder has already won the title of the Championship Paranaense Sub-17 in 2022, campaign in which he participated in 30 games and scored six goals.
Dudu was one of the major highlights in winning the South American Under-17 with the Brazil national team earlier this year, with 3 goals and 6 assists. Last month, the player was with Brazil in Indonesia competing for the Under-17 World Cup, where he wore the shirt 10.
