Paris 2024: Brazil's Jefinho hopes for fifth blind football medal
Brazilian star Jefinho has high hopes for a Paris 2024 Paralympic medal in the city that inspired him 01 Sep 2024
With the Eiffel Tower dominating the skyline above just as his team dominates the blind football Paralympic stage, Brazilian star Jefinho says his love affair with the sport began in Paris.
Football in Brazil is a right of passage and could be considered a national past time. The democratic nature of the sport, and its adaptability, means it is ideal to help drive the Paralympic message.
Jefinho, full name Jeferson Goncalves de Conceicao, is looking for a fifth Paralympic gold medal. Brazil are chasing their sixth; they are the only winners and have never lost at the Games.
But, the gap to the other teams is closing; a narrow 1-0 victory over South American rivals Argentina saw them victorious at Tokyo 2020.
Inspired by Ronaldo in Paris
For the 34-year-old, the football obsession began with a connection to Paris, the city in which he is standing, watching Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final at the Stade de France on TV, despite a 3-0 loss to France.
Before the final, Jefinho’s main inspiration, striker Ronaldo, was in hospital after suffering a mysterious ailment. Ronaldo played in the game, but it was the first of a number of setbacks that cemented Jefinho’s love for him, as he faced his own adversity growing up.
Ronaldo would go on to suffer successive knee ligament injuries, calling his career into question, before returning to the big stage to help Brazil win a fifth World Cup in 2002.
“I remember the World Cup here in France in 1998, the team was inspiring for me,” he said
“My hero was Ronaldo, 'o femomeno' (the phenomenon) for everything he did in his career and the problems he faced, his comebacks.
“After his injuries, Ronaldo came back and won the World Cup in 2002, this made me fall in love with football.”
Extra preparation
Known by his nickname ‘the Paralympic Pele’, after another great of Brazilian football, Jefinho is leading the team everybody wants to beat. But he and his teammates are not feeling the pressure; in fact, they’re more prepared than ever before.
“The preparation has been awesome,” he added. “We’ve done some different stuff this year. We have been reunited since January, training twice a day, which is unique in the history of this team.
“This will help us to evolve as a group on and off the pitch; we came to Paris much stronger to try and achieve this gold medal together.”
But everybody within the Brazil set up is acutely aware of what is ahead. Although they are expected to win gold again, he has warned anything can happen. That is why it is so important for them to always stay one step ahead of their rivals.
“We are an experienced team; most of the players have played in other big tournaments. We are used to these moments and adversity against the group.
“On the pitch it is five against five, there is no favourite; we cannot think like that. We are just working to conquer and achieve our goals. Pressure is not a problem.”
Blind football’s popularity
As one of the team’s senior players, Jefinho has seen a growth in the Paralympic movement and more positive attention for blind football since his first Games, Beijing 2008. He hopes that can continue.
“I’m delighted to see how much blind football has grown during the years.
“It is different from when I started. People are more interested in blind football and they know more about the sport than years ago; this is really nice to see fans are more involved and enthusiastic about the competition us as players.
“Here we are at the most important tournament for the athletes; people are coming to see us and we are very excited to be here with this amazing atmosphere.”
Brazil’s dominance of the blind football scene has been unprecedented, but Jefinho is hungrier than ever to maintain at the scene of his football inspiration.
