ESPN Brasil on Thursday managed an interview with striker Jô, who currently plays for Japanese side Nagoya Grampus.
It turns out that instead of talking about his current club or even his entire career, they’ve chosen to chat about a specific topic, which was his time at Manchester City.
Jô was asked by reporter Vladimir Bianchini to talk about each one of his famous teammates from that time, and had some funny stories to tell.
First talking about Patrick Vieira, he said: “He was a fantastic guy, who became my friend and used to go to my house.
“He was very serious and imposed respect. Vieira was always the captain and everyone thought he was a tough guy. But he wasn’t so much, he is a very good-hearted guy and a good person. He was always a leader and he commanded everything.
“Vieira has always praised the quality of Brazilian players.”
Then it was time to talk about Yaya Toure: “He was one of the protagonists of the FA Cup title. He scored a goal in the derby against United in the semifinal and another in the final. He was one of the guys who danced in the locker room after the title when I put on some Brazilian funk. He asked me to teach some steps.
“Brazilians have no idea of how much they are references for other players in the world, even for the consecrated ones. Yaya always talked about playing for Barcelona with Ronaldinho and about Brazilian football.”
About James Milner, Jô said: “We admired how much he ran every game. After all the matches they put the players’ statistics on a board in the locker room. He was always the first, he ran all the time. It was impressive! It was 13km, 14km…. These are impressive numbers. We, the South Americans, and the Spaniards from City, called him a road runner.
“But I never spoke to him because the English are closed and many jokes they don’t accept. Me, David Silva, Carlitos Tevez and Zabaleta played a lot.
“I see his games today and he hasn’t changed much.”
Finally on David Silva, he said: “When he arrived, the press criticised him for the way he played, his physical shape and size. They said it wouldn’t work in the Premier League, but he’s been there for 10 years playing at a high level. People need to be cautious when talking about something because football plays incredible tricks.
“He was very nice and outgoing with us. Every month there was a party for the coaching staff and the players. At parties, he was a guy who enjoyed drinking beer and let go. Guys, how can David Silva in training and games be so calm… But at the party he kept talking and making fun. To everyone he appears to be a very shy guy, who doesn’t talk much, but he’s a playful guy. On a daily basis he liked to cheer up, make fun and talk.”
Jô was signed by Manchester City in a €24m deal from CSKA Moscow in the summer of 2008, but his time playing for the club didn’t last very long.
Six months later he was loaned to Everton, staying at the Toffees for a year, until January 2010. Then he spent the rest of that season on loan at Turkish side Galatasaray.
When back, he played for Manchester City for another season, and then went back to Brazil in a free move to Internacional. He had six goals and five assists in 42 appearances for the Citizens.
