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The chances of you stumbling across @Luvdepedreiro, which translates to 'Broken Gloves', are very high if you downloaded TikTok like everyone else in the world back in March 2020.
Real name Iran Ferreira, what'll strike you immediately is how cultured he is with the ball at his feet, performing all sorts of tricks before scoring a lovely goal. What you'll then spot next, is the terrain he's playing on.
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Ferreira lives in Quijingue, which is a municipality of Bahia in Brazil and the facilities at his disposal aren't what a footballing prodigy has in Europe.
The 20-year-old spends his mornings and evenings on dirt, but what shines through that is his sheer enthusiasm and love of the game. Just check out some of his best bits below.
It's managed to earn him 15.7 million followers on TikTok at the time of writing and he's just getting bigger and bigger.
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He wasn't always a social media superstar, however. Ferreira's first TikTok was filmed in his garage and started from complete scratch on Instagram.
A few months later, popularity started to surge and he regularly hit 1 million likes on videos, something the biggest of creators can only dream of.
What may have helped him take off is his speeches to camera after scoring a goal.
After pulling off a piece of wizardry prime Adel Taarabt would be proud of, Ferreira runs to the camera and speaks incredibly quickly in Portuguese. It always started with a loud 'receba' into frame. That translates roughly to 'how do you like that?', which Bayern Munich pair Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich were captured shouting in training. Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. too, although we're not sure his dad will be swapping 'Siuuu' out for it anytime soon.
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They were clear moments of passion and he spoke from the heart, but Ferreira's journey was first beginning, he was actually mocked for this.
It's unknown how serious it was, but it overshadowed the rest of the video. You'd have to scroll for what felt like eons to find a comment that wasn't some variation of 'bro just told me how to unlock the PlayStation 6.'
What started as insincere backing turned into genuine support. Ferreira would eventually graduate from normal sportswear to wearing jerseys of famous football teams across the globe. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were the two main sides, who Brazil icon Ronaldinho played for in his career. Remember this for later.
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In February 2022, Ferreira took the plunge and started his own YouTube with a video titled "BROKER'S GLOVE - NEYMAR JR INTERVIEW." It was Ferreira pretending to interview the Paris Saint-Germain winger and he lip-synced the entire thing acting as Neymar himself.
It's amassed over 700,000 views and caught the attention of many. Including the PSG superstar.
The duo attended an event together and performed tricks on stage to the delight of many. Ferreira managed to have his boots and a ball signed by Neymar and they shared a huge hug as well. Funnily enough, a young fan wanted their picture taking with Ferreira and Neymar took it. Talk about becoming a star in front of one of your hero's eyes.
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Any Brazilian from a certain generation will tell you Ronaldinho is their ultimate idol. He brought Samba flair back into the mainstream during the early 2000s and always played with a smile on his face. Sounds like someone we know, doesn't it?
Well, back in March, Ferreira was given the ultimate honour of meeting Ronaldinho. The first thing he did when he locked eyes? Bowed down to greatness. Still so humble, even after becoming an online sensation.
Brazilian side Vasco De Gama brought this incredible story to a climax a few weeks ago, when they had Ferreira come on the pitch to be cheered by thousands of fans in the stadium. He had them all in the palm of his hand. Or gloves, if you prefer.
Featured Image Credit: TikTokTopics: Brazil, Neymar, Ronaldinho, Spotlight
