Ç. Rizespor
Samsunspor
Kasımpaşa
Antalyaspor
Adana Demirspor
Alanyaspor
Beşiktaş
Eyüpspor
Keçiörengücü
Iğdır FK
Ümraniyespor
Adanaspor
Çorum FK
Kocaelispor
İstanbulspor
Bandırmaspor
Vanspor FK
Elazığspor
Serik Bld
Giresunspor
Bld. Derincespor
68 Aksaray
Karacabey Bld
Somaspor
Karaman FK
Arnavutköy Bld.
Yeni Mersin İY
Erbaaspor
Kastamonuspor
Karaköprü Bld.
Kırklarelispor
Altınordu
Tuzlaspor
Altay
24 Erzincanspor
Adana 01 FK
Fethiyespor
Batman Petrolspor
Isparta 32
Sarıyer
Brighton
Not. Forest
Man. City
Arsenal
Preston
Blackburn
B. Leverkusen
Wolfsburg
Stuttgart
B. Dortmund
St. Pauli
Leipzig
Getafe
Leganes
Ath. Bilbao
Celta Vigo
Villarreal
Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano
Atl. Madrid
Fiorentina
Lazio
Monza
Bologna
Roma
Udinese
Inter
Milan
Monaco
Le Havre
Angers
Nantes
Brest
Toulouse
Montpellier
AJ Auxerre
Lyon
Marsilya
Heerenveen
Groningen
Almere City
Twente
Feyenoord
NAC Breda
F. Sittard
PSV
“Every time I come to Germany, it’s really special for me. Especially to be in Bremen – I’ve dreamt of it since I was a child,” says the prolific jersey collector. In May, he made his third trip to the city, with one thing on the agenda: football. First, he saw the U23s defeat Hemelingen 4-3 on 2nd May, and met up with an old friend while he was there.
“The game wasn’t the best. I was expecting it to be about 10-0 given how the season’s gone so far, but the main thing is that we won.” The real highlight of the day, though, came after the match. Just as he’d done last year, kitman Stefan invited the Brazilian into the boot room. “Last year I was interviewed here in Germany and Stefan had seen it on TV,” Rodrigo recalls. “He took me into a room with a metal box full of jerseys and told me I could take whatever I wanted. I’ve met him again this year and he’s given me a match-worn shirt. He’s a great guy.”
Rodrigo’s footballing journey next took him to the Hamburg derby – a 1-0 win for Hamburger SV – alongside Werder legend Ailton. The pair had first made contact over Instagram, but their first meeting in person came about entirely by chance. “I was walking across a market square in Bremen in 2020 with a friend and we saw him. I called out, ‘Ailton! Ailton!’” says Rodrigo with a grin. “He was happy to meet a Brazilian. We went for a coffee and he gave me a jersey as a gift.” Since then, the two have become close friends. Last year, Ailton visited Rodrigo in Rio, and ‘Kugelblitz’ took Rodrigo to his first game at the wohninvest WESERSTADION last April. “I was in the VIP area with him for that one,” reflects Rodrigo, “so I didn’t have the same experience of watching the game that you get with the fans in the stands.” But it wouldn’t take too long for him to get that experience, watching the Green-Whites’ 2-2 draw against Gladbach from the Ostkurve. “It was completely different to the first time. You could just feel the atmosphere from the fans. It was the highlight of my trip to Europe.”
A perfect excuse to come back
To round off Rodrigo’s green and white weekend, he also attended the women’s Bundesliga match between Werder and Duisburg. “It was great,” he said after the 4-2 victory. “A few years ago, the team were fighting to stay in the Bundesliga, and now they’re comfortably mid-table and looking upwards. I’m proud of them.”
One thing still eludes Rodrigo, however – he is yet to see a home win for Ole Werner’s first team. “Maybe I’m the problem,” he chuckles. “It was the third Werder game I’ve been to – two draws and one defeat.” A perfect excuse for the Brazilian to come back again.
“The game wasn’t the best. I was expecting it to be about 10-0 given how the season’s gone so far, but the main thing is that we won.” The real highlight of the day, though, came after the match. Just as he’d done last year, kitman Stefan invited the Brazilian into the boot room. “Last year I was interviewed here in Germany and Stefan had seen it on TV,” Rodrigo recalls. “He took me into a room with a metal box full of jerseys and told me I could take whatever I wanted. I’ve met him again this year and he’s given me a match-worn shirt. He’s a great guy.”
Rodrigo’s footballing journey next took him to the Hamburg derby – a 1-0 win for Hamburger SV – alongside Werder legend Ailton. The pair had first made contact over Instagram, but their first meeting in person came about entirely by chance. “I was walking across a market square in Bremen in 2020 with a friend and we saw him. I called out, ‘Ailton! Ailton!’” says Rodrigo with a grin. “He was happy to meet a Brazilian. We went for a coffee and he gave me a jersey as a gift.” Since then, the two have become close friends. Last year, Ailton visited Rodrigo in Rio, and ‘Kugelblitz’ took Rodrigo to his first game at the wohninvest WESERSTADION last April. “I was in the VIP area with him for that one,” reflects Rodrigo, “so I didn’t have the same experience of watching the game that you get with the fans in the stands.” But it wouldn’t take too long for him to get that experience, watching the Green-Whites’ 2-2 draw against Gladbach from the Ostkurve. “It was completely different to the first time. You could just feel the atmosphere from the fans. It was the highlight of my trip to Europe.”
