Unless you are a fan of Brazilian amateur football, which you most likely are not, the name Uberabinha will mean absolutely nothing to you.
The small club, however, were the starting spot for Aston Villa’s Wesley Moraes on his road to professional football, moving between them and Sport Juiz de Fora before a three month spell with Atlético Mineiro.
His career then took him to Tupi and Itabuna in Brazil before heading to Slovenia with Trencin, where he was spotted by Club Brugge, who gave him the springboard for his Aston Villa move.
We mention Uberabinha because as part of FIFA’s solidarity mechanism, they received a chunk of money from his move to Villa Park, which has since helped them apply for a professional status.
The story comes via Globo Esporte in Brazil, who interviewed Sérgio Eduardo, responsible for the project and who used to coach the Aston Villa striker when he was at the club.
He said: “The money was 100% useful. Without it, there was no way for us to become professional. With this money, we are trying to take a turn at work, train new players, new “Wesleys” for football in the city, Brazil and maybe even Europe.”
While the amounts received by Uberabinha weren’t revealed, it was enough to start a process that could be hugely beneficial for the club going forward.
Other areas need to be looked at too, such as a change in bylaws, but it was a welcome boost, and a nice little story on a Tuesday afternoon.
