Played for International de Porto Alegre, F.C. Barcelona and F.C. Porto
Played for Brazil in the Olympic Games of Seoul, Korea in 1988 (silver medallist) national de Porto Alegre, Barcelona e F.C. Porto
The contract of my life!
Aloisio Alves“He was the only one in the family that played soccer.”
I come from a middle class family in Brazil. Of my eight brothers and sisters, I am the only one who played soccer. Christianity did not play a part in my family. On the contrary, we were under the influence of Spiritism. In the beginning, soccer was just a game to me. My mother wanted me to study, but I wanted to play. By the age of 10, I was already playing with older players. Eventually, the desire to become a professional soccer player took root in my life. One day, my parents asked me why I didn't help the family out by getting a job because I was already old enough to help out. I wondered if it would be possible to work, study and play soccer.
From that point on, things happened quickly. At just 16 years old,I signed my first contract with my home town team “International de Porto Alegre”, and instantly became very well known in my city. Because of my shyness, the recognition that I received was very embarrassing. I also moved in to my own apartment at this time. During this period, everything happened very quickly after so much work and I finally saw my dream coming true. With my transfer to such an important team, I began to worry about the way that I would deal with everything because of my shyness. For the first time in my life, I was on my own.
I played in Brazil for five years before being transferred to Europe. When my team from Portugal (Porto Alegre) went to play in Portugal, Spain and England, I met the person who would become the coach for Barcelona. This is how I received the invitation to play on that great team. The transfer process was easy and I can remember feeling great and really excited. I felt honored to play on one of the most famous teams in the world.
Even though I was happy playing in Brazil, I took the opportunity to play in Europe as a new challenge for my life. I travelled and made a lot of money but I didn't even have time to spend it with soccer taking up all of my time. During this time, I wasn't thinking much about God and I thought that I lived a happy life. In reality, I had much more than most people dream about. Still, there was a lingering feeling that something was missing....something that money couldn't buy. It was at this time that I met some Christian players who had come to play in Europe. They were an example to me in their behavior on and off the field. I could see that they not only spoke about God, but they took God very seriously. So seriously, that their lives would speak for themselves about what they believed. They invited me to their meetings, but because I was very shy, I only went once in a while. At the same time, I would look at nature and wonder about it's Creator. Being able to see these Christians live such an exemplary life had a huge impact on me. It was obvious that they had something that I didn't. A short time later, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Savior.
I was transferred to Futebol Clube do Porto (FCP) in Portugal a short time later. There were two other players that I knew in Portugal. One played for the Portuguese national team and another one played on FCP. During Christmas and Easter, it is common for foreign Christian players to get together since they are far from their families. It was at one of these meetings that my wife, Cleci, gave her life to Christ. A short time later, I accepted Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Savior. This decision was not well accepted with my family in Brazil until some of them understood the importance that Christ had in my life.
Currently, my immediate family are Christians, as well as some of my family in Brazil. I have been a Christian for over 10 years now and I thank God for people that He used to help me grow spiritually along the way. My family and I live in Portugal and consider it our home. At this time, I am very satisfied with coaching a team in Porto. They say that I am not an easy coach because I demand good discipline from my players. Lord willing, it is my dream to continue in my career as a coach. More important that having success in my new career as a coach, is my desire to be an example to my friends for their daily lives. Above all, I want God to be satisfied with the way I act and live. As a player, I signed some good contracts, but giving my life to Jesus was, without a doubt, the best contract of my life!
