When Mbappé made his Ligue 1 debut, he was 16. When Junior Messias made his Serie A debut, he was 29 and had spent a decade delivering washing machines through the streets of Turin.
That is what must be understood first.
At 20, Junior was a boy from Belo Horizonte stuck in amateur football and struggling with alcohol. One night, his car fell into a hole. They rescued him. He tested positive on a breathalyzer. He survived by a miracle.
He never drank again.
He went to Italy with his brother. No contract, no name, nothing. He played for Sport Warique, a team of Peruvians in Turin, in neighborhood matches with no stands. During the day, he delivered refrigerators and washing machines. Football did not put food on the table.
A former Torino defender saw him play one Sunday. He recommended him. No one else would have noticed him.
He signed for Casale in the Italian fifth division. He was 24. He scored 21 goals in 32 matches. He moved up. Chieri. Gozzano. Crotone. One step at a time, without skipping any.
Throughout that journey, only one person never doubted. His grandmother.
On November 3, 2021, Junior Messias came onto the pitch in the 56th minute. Milan were losing to Atlético de Madrid in Champions. In the 87th minute, he headed it. Goal. Milan’s first Champions victory in eight years.
The guy who scored that goal had delivered washing machines less than ten years earlier.
At 31, he played a Champions semifinal at San Siro.
His grandmother always knew.
Cracks 🤝