:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_bc8228b6673f488aa253bbcb03c80ec5/internal_photos/bs/2021/D/Q/31SxxdQvWhkP5U8tPjoA/whatsapp-image-2021-12-18-at-11.09.14-1-.jpeg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Between real and virtual world, Yuri goes from childhood dream to Internet campaign to reach Vasco | Vasco")
Yuri went announced this Friday as Vasco’s first reinforcement for 2022, but his relationship with the club comes from the cradle. Vascaín, who played in the bleachers in his teens, played for several Brazilian teams and even Japan before fulfilling his dream of putting the Malta Cross on his chest, as a professional athlete, at the age of 27.
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Yuri has not yet been shown, but he posted on social media, after the announcement, that a movie went through his head and recalled when he was going to São Januário to cheer with his cousins and uncles. THE give he talked to Luís Oliveira, a very close cousin and a companion in the stands, when they were both younger. In addition to their kinship, they are of the same age, they were raised together, neighbors, in Parque Colúmbia, in Pavuna, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. Luis considers Yuri his brother and is still trying to assimilate his signing to the club at heart.
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– I woke up still not believing it. The chip will only drop when Yuri is playing with Vasco’s shirt – said Luis.
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Luís and Yuri Lara in the background, younger, wearing Vasco’s shirt at a family barbecue — Photo: Personal Archive
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– We have always been fans of Vasco, we went to some games. In 2011 we celebrated the title of the Copa do Brasil a lot. Until 2013 he was a lot more fan. After he moved up to professional, he went to Bahia and became more contained, he was afraid that this could harm him in some way. He became a more professional guy, but I kept following Vasco. And we always talked about Vasco. Now, thank God, this chance came for him to fulfill this dream. His and his family’s dream – celebrated the player’s cousin.
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The desire to see his cousin in Vasco is old. Luís has records of conversations on WhatsApp in 2016 and 2019, when the two played and commented on the message app about Yuri’s dream of playing at Clube do Coração.
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In 2011, Luis and Yuri at the celebration of Vasco’s title in the Copa do Brasil — Photo: Personal Archive
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This time, however, Luis did more than dream and rolled up his sleeves to help his cousin go to São Januário. After a great season with the CSA, when he was the biggest thief of balls in Serie B, Yuri would be without a contract at the end of the year, and Luís decided to act.
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First, the cousin of Vasco’s new steering wheel searched for club employees on Twitter. Got contact, but not with those responsible for the performance area. That’s when he decided to look for João Almirante, a Vasco influencer on social media.
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Old dream: conversation between the two in 2016, when they were already talking about the possibility of Yuri playing for Vasco — Photo: Reproduction
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Conversation between cousins in 2019 — Photo: Reproduction
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– I looked for João Almirante, I had never spoken to him. I sent a message and told us to try to bring Yuri, I told him he was from Vasco, I sent a picture of him younger in Vasco’s shirt. The Admiral wanted to publicize it, I spoke with Yuri, who released the publication of the photo. And it happened. The fans saw that he had done a good Series B and asked to be hired. Business has taken on a very large proportion on the internet. Yuri called me crazy (laughs). Until then he hadn’t told me anything about the proposal.
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Much loved by the CSA fans, Yuri was close to renewing. But it swayed in the face of interest from the childhood team and family. The mobilization of the fans on social networks also weighed on the success.
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– Yuri arrived in Rio on the 11th (Saturday). We saw each other on Sunday, he hadn’t told me anything. On Monday, we went to his father’s house to have a barbecue. When we stopped by the market, he told me about Vasco’s proposal. I went crazy and said: “Sign up soon”. He had other proposals, there was one from Grêmio and from a Serie A club. In my emotion, I said that I had to come to Vascão.
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– The CSA wanted to renew. He was inclined to renew with CSA before, the crowd likes him a lot, he likes the club and Maceió a lot. But he chose Vasco. It was a dream not only for him, but for the family, who have a lot of people from Vasco. That counted for a lot.
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Luis and Yuri with Vasco’s shirt in their teens — Photo: Personal Archive
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Luís saw his cousin play in São Januário not long ago. At the end of October, with Yuri’s good performance, CSA beat Vasco by 3-1, a game that started the Rio team’s downfall in Série B. Now, the expectation is to see their cousin in the stadium wearing Vasco’s shirt. Luís revealed that the steering wheel is also anxious and is betting that the relationship will work out.
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– He’s very excited. He’s a guy more like him, he doesn’t like the media very much. But he told me he was really happy and he doesn’t believe he’s going to play for Vasco. He knows the pressure, but he’s dying to debut. He knows we have great expectations, he wants to live up to the fans’ expectations. We are rooting for everything to go well. If he turns a year like he did at the CSA, I’m sure the crowd will appreciate it. He gives life in the field.
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