Career
Sandro Raniere Guimarães Cordeiro
From friendly games in Distrito federal to the Brazilian soccer team, the son of Mrs. Rosangela and Mr. Juaci, Sandro face many difficult years in the football world. The poor kid from the city of Riachinho in Minas Gerais, now is one of the biggest celebrities in the city which he was born, but to get there he had to have a lot of persistence, confidence and willpower.
Sandro started to play under the influence of his own brother, Saymon, the first in the family that try earn a living in soccer fields. Living in Planaltina at the age of 8 –DF, he entered in a soccer school in Araponga, the team of “ Véio Jaci” his first coach. There were his first contact with training, positioning, tactics, uniforms and where the Internacional´s defensive midfielders discover his true vocation: Soccer player.
Prominent player as a centre forward in the town’s team he was invited to go play in Zé Vasco, a branch soccer school of Gama’s team in Brasilia.
"I was big, strong and scored many goals because for my age I was very tall and passed through the other boys easily."
Sandro played many years in Ze Vasco and gain a lot of visibility playing for all base teams. Then he received a invitation to play in Gama infant’s team, in Brasilia. But due to the precarious conditions, the boys didn’t even have an “allowance” to practice.
"Many times my dad had to give me his own money to go to work for me to go practicing. Bira also helped many times, He used to collaborate many and many times by buying cleats and also paying for transportation. They never let me gave up my dream of playing soccer and help my family. I was lucky because I always played well and then somebody always showed up donating cleats and shin guard"
A bright player during the infant years he was invited by a soccer manager to go practice in Curitiba, there he stayed in a “house for athletes” and used to practice daily waiting for an opportunity.
" It was a difficult time. Everybody was going to teams and I was staying alone in a house in the middle of nowhere. But I always thought that I could never give up, because someday it would happened. I was there suffering, but when I left home I said I would only return when I had money to help my mom and dad, and that was giving me the strength to continue."
In 2006 he made some tests in Atletico Paranaense, but got rejected and was lend to Astral, a team of managers in Curitba, for Astral, already playing as a middle fielder he was the prominent player of the Parana’s championship of juniors. Competed the São Paulo’s cup in 2007 and again being one of the prominent players of the cup. That was when better opportunities came up.
"Who played back than with me was Alan (today playing in Fluminence) and the opportunity to play there too came, but my managers brought me to Porto Alegre. When I came to Inter I was injured in the pubis, and for 45 days I was in the nursery for 45 recovering myself. Everybody used to look at me and question, who was the boy, that came here with no conditions of game. But thinking what I had already been through, the fact of been in Inter was Wonderful."
Sandro played for Inter junior’s team, and there he was a starter in the Sao Paulo’s cup and started to be noticed. Promoted to the professional group, he made his debut on march 26th 08’, in a game of “Gauchão” against “Inter de Santa Maria”. In that same year he was the champion of Sul-americana’s cup.
Called to defend the Brazilian’s team (under 20), he was the captain of the champion team in 2008. His first opportunity in the Brazilian team was in 09’, when coach Dunga called him to play against Argentina and Paraguay.
