The boy who at 14 years of age was already head of the family

This is the story of a boy who at just 14 years of age was the breadwinner of a family of five. What he earned at Grémio went towards the household expenses. Practically the whole salary. The childhood story of this youngster was different from most. Football was always his passion; his studies always took second place. This is why his mother, Doralice Oliveira, a widow of five years, signed him up for the junior team of Olímpico. As well as giving her son the opportunity to do what he truly he wanted, it was a chance to take him off the Brazilian streets and simultaneously provide him with a future profession.



Anderson, "little Pele", as he was known in the Rubem Berta Park, the zone north of Porto Alegre, only visited his family at the weekends. He was one of 130 boys who lived in a type of youth home. And while at the start the adaptation was not easy, he now states that he wouldn’t swap this experience "for anything in the world". But only after weeping abundant tears of homesickness, not only for his family, but also for the street kick-abouts. "Here the training sessions are scheduled and everything is organised; there’s a lot of discipline", he commented at the time. He settled in. With difficulty, his mother also had to get used to this new reality, albeit temporary, in the certainty that her son was on the right track for a better future. "If not as a player, then as a person, as a citizen", she said at the time.

The future would prove her right. The strong personality that was noticeable as a boy was increasingly ingrained. He said that everyone would see him on TV, he said that one day he would offer a house to his mother and build a football pitch for the "guris" (kids) of the neighbourhood were he was born and grew up, so that they would have the same opportunity as him. The first promise is fulfilled; the second will soon be made reality. The big opportunity arose by chance, but also because he knew how to catch the attention of the then coach of Grémio, Cuca. He was 16 and had just been promoted to the junior team. The canteen was shared by all the members of the club. Cuca was sitting down at the table when he noticed a kid looking at himself in a mirror holding two mobile phones in his hand. He was curious and called over the young player. "Do you need two mobile phones to play?" he asked. "It’s not you who pays the bills", retorted Anderson immediately. Cuca was impressed, and decided to find out more about that "guri" from the Grémio boys’ coach and the Brazil under-17 national coach. What was his name, was he already an international, where had he played. Anderson went up to Cuca. "You can ask me: I'm called Anderson, I've already played in Spain, France, Germany, England, I play for Brazil, I’ve scored more than 40 goals". Cuca made a decision at that very instant: Anderson, the kid that used two mobile phones, was called up to the senior team of the club, four days before a vital match between Grémio and Internacional. "I can’t explain why, it was a hunch of mine", said Cuca at the time. "He’s got a promising future and the best references possible".


The "guri" Anderson was not only called up for the first time to the professional team, but he played and scored a goal. Grémio lost 3-1, but he was the player who stood out most. The goal he scored in converting a free-kick, his versatility, his self-assurance and confidence were evident. From that moment onwards Anderson was part of the professional squad of Grémio. At 16. That was the moment he had a considerable rise in his wages, because he went from being a "prodigy" to being considered the successor to Ronaldinho Gaúcho. It was also when the agents began to appear with increasing frequency.

Doralice Oliveira had dealt with this phenomenon of her son called Anderson since he was just 11 years old. Many came knocking at her door offering video games and sums of money in exchange for signing some documents. She refused all entreaties, remaining steadfast in the defence of the interests of her son. "On the day I meet somebody who's got his interests at heart, okay", she said endless times. Anderson is currently represented by Jorge Mendes, who was responsible for his transfer to FC Porto.