I am distressed at the massive circulation in various media of false statements about my private life and specifically about a supposed sentimental relationship with Ms Alexandra Paressant.

 

In some cases the reports go so far as to conclude that the alleged relationship has had a negative influence on my performance as a professional player. I therefore feel obliged firmly to deny the statements published by issuing this press release. It is entirely untrue that Ms. Paressant and I have had any relationship beyond a conversation between acquaintances and that I have neglected my obligations as a player in the Brazilian team, as the press has suggested.

 

The seriousness of this matter has given me no choice but to leave it in the hands of my lawyers, who have already begun the necessary steps to restore my reputation.

 

Everyone is feeling amazingly good.

After qualifying early for the round of 16, we’re obviously feeling a bit more relieved.

The last game against Australia was tough. But we accomplished our mission. Once again, we did what coach Parreira asked us and, thank God, things have fallen into place. We’ll be feeling more relaxed against Japan, and we’re getting better as time goes by. Now we’ll wait and see who we’re playing against in the next stage. Whoever it is, it won’t be easy pickings.

Today, we got acquainted with the Dortmund stadium. It’s an awesome stadium, like all the others we’ve played at. I’m having fun during practice. After the workout with Moraci, that slave driver everyone likes.

There’s something I’ve gotta tell you in this Blog, Émerson is still p… off because he finally lost a videogame. Hehehehe.

Last night I played with Manchester United and won in the penalty shots with Gilberto after two games, then I beat Émerson 1 to 0 and wiped out his mythical invincibility! How could I not razz him about it.

Bah. I was sorry about what happened to Owen in the match against Sweden. When his leg bend inward, I could almost feel it. It looked like rubber. Today I found out that he’ll be sidelined for quite a while. Shoot, it could happen to anyone. Even to me. England will miss him badly. There’s only one thing to do, keep your chin up and keep going.

A good game for us all

 

I already moved into my room here at the Munich hotel. We arrived at about 22:30 h and then had a quick snack. I turned on the laptop before hitting the sack. Let’s see what’s new.

It was a hard day. I met with the international press, practiced in the afternoon and then flew to Munich. It was a fast trip, but it’s always a hassle getting on the bus, getting off the bus, boarding the plane, leaving the plane...

I can get more sleep tomorrow. We’ll practice only in the late afternoon at the stadium where the game will be played.

I can’t wait to get on the field again. We had high expectations for the first game and, although we won, I hope the game against Australia will be a bit smoother like it should. No doubt it’s going to be an awesome game.

Mom is inviting everyone over for a barbecue party at home, and they’ll watch the game on TV. Cheers to everyone in Brazil.

I’ll be back on Monday to talk about the match. I hope we win, obviously.

Well, we won.

 

Maybe our performance didn’t please everyone but we played well.  We did exactly what coach Parreira asked us to and we managed to overcome our first obstacle. What really matters is the positive result and all of the group can be proud of this.

 

A complicating factor was the opening game nervousness which adversely affected our performance. We seemed to be tied down and things didn’t flow like we wanted. But happily this initial tension has now passed and we’re going to loosen up more. A win in the first game gives the group confidence. I’m sure that in Sunday’s game things will happen more like we want them to.

 

Croatia is a very strong team. The match was very difficult. The marking was very hard. No sooner had we controlled the ball than we had two or three of their players on top of us. But that’s what usually happens. We already knew that the game would be like this and I believe that’s what will happen right up to the final.

 

Today we have a day off and I’m going to take advantage and rest a bit because the opening game tension ends up wearing you down physically as well. My brother’s here and we were having a long chat when all of a sudden I had a web-cam meeting with my family not to miss them so much.  I heard that everyone gathered in front of the TV at home there in Porto Alegre to watch the match.

 

A big hug for everyone out there who’s cheering for us.

 

At the end of the week, we played New Zealand in Geneva.

They played like Australians, our adversaries in the group, and it was interesting to get the feel of how football is played in down under. The game is going to be a lot tougher than the last friendly game.

There are no more easy national teams.

According to the CBF schedule, after the game on Sunday we’re going to Germany to stay.

Each day is a day closer to the world cup, and it increases that tingling feeling in your gut. It’s cool.

 

Now writing about Germany.

The city of Konigstein (I had to look at the program to see how it’s spelled), he-he-he.

We flew in last night. It was a quick flight. It was late when we got to the hotel. I only had time to have a snack and jump in bed. I slept like a log. Today is a day off and we have to check in at 22:00 h.

I’ll use this time to rest because we’ll be training tomorrow, in the morning and in the afternoon.

They say the field is perfect, I’m looking forward to trying it.