Striker José Sá "Thwarted" the President

José Sá, a true "local boy," was born and raised in Palmeiras, living just two minutes from the training center.

"Our homegrown talent is indeed José Sá. He resides here in the village and always visits us whenever his professional league commitments and life allow. Naturally, we hold a very special affection for him," emphasized Pedro Soares, who, coincidentally, was once a teammate of the 33-year-old goalkeeper.

"He played with me for about two years. I had the opportunity and privilege to be his teammate, and in the same position, as a goalkeeper no less. But we have a curious story: José Sá started as a forward in his early development, and then we had a coach who challenged him to try playing in goal. From then on, he seized the position and never tried another. And it's a good thing he did," admitted the president of Palmeiras in an interview with A BOLA.

The Portuguese international ultimately "thwarted" the president. "By going into goal, he ended up making me play far fewer times than I would have liked, but it was for the best. It was a privilege to have been part of his team," he confessed.

"Whenever he can, José Sá comes to see us, but we have other cases, like Tomás Araújo, who visits our facilities whenever possible," Pedro Soares also noted.