Versatile and mature, the full-back is set to play a major role for Brazil in Rio and could well be heading to Europe following August's games
For Jose Carlos Cracco Neto, or simply Zeca, August’s Rio Olympics will crown more than a decade of hard work and dedication.
Brazil's 38-year-old Olympian | PROFILE: Luan | PROFILE: Wallace
The full-back was quickly ear-marked for success on the international stage from the moment he joined Santos as an 11-year-old, but his journey through the storied club’s youth ranks proved a rocky ride that even included a brief spell away from the Peixe.
His promise was realised, however, during a stunning run of performances in the Sao Paulo youth cup in 2014 that turned heads at a number of clubs both home and abroad.
But the 22-year-old elected to remain with Pele’s former club and was quickly promoted to the senior side by coach Oswaldo de Oliveira.
He looked set to become a regular but Brazil’s endless managerial merry-go-round saw Oswaldo depart the club and under the club’s next two coaches, Enderson Moreira and Marcelo Fernandes, Zeca was unable to tie down a regular starting role.
Another change in the dugout would lead to a chance in fortunes, however. Just as Zeca was wondering whether his time with Santos had come to an end, in came Dorival Junior.
Zeca never looked back. In the 12 months or so since, he has not only become a regular first-rate performer in the Santos starting line-up, but joined the Brazil squad that will go in search of the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal in football – and on home soil in what promises to be a historic event in the Rio.
Right-footed, he can operate on both sides of the pitch but generally plays from the left, utilising his preferred foot to duck inside the opposition when joining the attack. He is also able to operate in a central role at the base of the midfield.
He is now set to start at right-back for Olympic coach Rogerio Micale’s side in Rio, with his versatility in particular winning over a contemporary coach who is looking for players in every position who are able to carry out a number of different functions.
His maturity, too, has impressed MIcale. The recklessness and tendency to concede cheap free-kicks during his time in youth football has been all but eradicated since he became a senior professional.
And labelled ‘old-fashioned’ by a number of his team-mates, he has proved an example to the younger players hoping to follow in his footsteps with Santos.
All of the above has the European vultures circling once more, with some in the local media going as far as suggesting he may not return home from the Olympics.
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are reported to have already tabled offers for the full-back, who has refused to rule out the possibility of an impending exit.
It’s been a long road and Zeca could well be set to tread a new path. But first, history awaits in Rio.
..... - Goal