When young footballers start showing their skills, it’s quite common to see them compared to big stars. Especially if they have similar steps at the start of their careers.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Sporting for England when he was just a boy, and the same has happened to Rafael Camacho. The difference is that instead of Manchester United, the latter one has played for two of the Red Devils’ biggest rivals: Manchester City and Liverpool.
Currently at the Anfield side, Camacho tries to follow the path of his idol, even though he knows there’s a long way to go.
The youngster has spoken to Portuguese newspaper A Bola this week, and talked about the life he’s been having under great names at Liverpool.
First asked about Steven Gerrard, who is his coach at the academy, Camacho said: “Working with Steven Gerrard is a fantastic experience. It’s easy to imagine a fabulous player, who I grew admiring and suddenly you’re there with him trying to do what he says, he’s your coach.
“Gerrard is special, even as a coach. It’s funny that we work hard on the aspects of the game, but he has a huge concern with the mental aspects. It makes us believe that there is where we start to win games and titles.
“When you work with him you realise even better why he has reached the level he has achieved, why he was one of the best players in the world and one of the greatest in the history of this great club that is Liverpool.”
On the first team manager Jurgen Klopp, Camacho told A Bola: “I’m a boy and being able to be there with Mr. Klopp and all those incredible players is a unique experience. This is what I have been dreaming for in my career.
“He’s one of the best in the world, but he doesn’t fail to have a special concern for the youngsters. He’s been fantastic with me, tries to tell me to be as calm as possible, not to be afraid of making mistakes, to do what I know.”
Finally, the youngster doesn’t seem to be afraid of being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, and actually sounds excited about it: “Being like Ronaldo is the dream of any child, anywhere in the world. I’m part of the millions of young people who carry this dream … that’s all.”
“Yes, we have the same agent. Jorge Mendes knows Cristiano Ronaldo’s secrets like nobody, and the formula that he followed to be successful. If he gives me some of them it will be fantastic. Like I said, it would be good. If I were to live the same movie as the protagonist, as I said, there was not much to change…. it would be just invert the CR to RC and it will be good (laughs).”
