Brazilian striker Hulk was a guest at an event hosted by Romário, engaging in an extensive conversation with him. In the interview, Hulk reflects on his playing experience in Japan, Porto, Zenit, China, and Atlético Mineiro. This article is the first part of that exclusive interview.

Brother, great to have you at our event. Let me start by asking: you left Brazil at a very young age to play football in Japan. How did you adapt at that time?

For me, it was certainly something I was very worried about back then. Because my career had just started, and I went to Japan even before I could speak Portuguese very well. But once I arrived there, I had a very positive feeling. The country gave me everything I needed, and I adapted very quickly. For me at that time, the experience was excellent.

Was Japanese football more similar to European football or Brazilian football?

I think the technical level of Brazilian football is already very high now. It wasn't like that before—there used to be more space in our game, so there would be many transitions between attack and defense. When I first arrived in Japan, there were also many transitions in their game. So compared to European football, there are still some differences.

Did your experience in Japan help you better handle the pressure of playing in Europe? When you actually arrived in Europe, were you more relaxed and calm?

I think when we arrive in Europe, we tend to be more relaxed. I think it's different from our own country; playing in Brazil brings more pressure. Especially when going to Europe at such a young age, I often say that once you get there, you receive full support from the coaching staff, and they help you adapt. I joined Porto in 2008, and the coach at that time was Jesualdo Ferreira. He really helped me a lot and made many things much easier for me.

You won 11 titles in five years at Porto. Do you think that was the best period of your career?

I think although it wasn't the best period, it was certainly one of the best. We won the Europa League and the Primeira Liga undefeated. I also received my first call-up to the Brazil national team in 2009. So it was a very special period. I think it was indeed one of the best periods of my career.

You must have worked with many Portuguese coaches. Now these Portuguese coaches have indeed entered our football world in large numbers, especially Brazilian football. There's also Mourinho, one of the most famous coaches among them. Do you think Portuguese coaches have something different from our coaches?

I don't think so. I think everyone has their own way of reading the game, and different coaching philosophies and ways of thinking. I think this is more related to the era they experienced.

There was a time when Brazilian coaches were very popular. Luxemburgo coached Real Madrid, and Scolari was also a highly respected coach; he coached Chelsea and went to many places around the world. When Argentina won the World Cup, many Argentine coaches also started to emerge.

And now, I think Portuguese coaches are indeed very prominent, especially in Brazilian football. I think this is related to their achievements. For example, Abel won important titles after coming here. And the coach who is now coaching Cruzeiro, and previously coached Botafogo and won the Copa Libertadores, I can't remember his name right now.

Arthur Jorge.

Jorge, yes, Arthur Jorge. So these achievements give credibility to Portuguese coaches and also increase their value. I think now is a period when Portuguese coaches are very respected in Brazilian football.

They are indeed very popular now.

Yes, very popular. Very popular, truly very popular.

After Mourinho went to coach in England, did he ever consider bringing you there? Why didn't it ultimately happen?

I was at Porto for four years, and almost every transfer window there was a chance to move to England, but Porto always held onto me. They didn't want to sell me, they simply didn't want to sell. In the 2010/11 season, we won the Europa League, won the Primeira Liga undefeated, and almost won everything. That year was truly extraordinary.

After that, Porto sold Falcao to Atlético Madrid, and then immediately received an offer for me from Manchester City. At that time, if they were willing to sell me, the offer was 60 million euros. I only found out about this later.

But Porto said they wouldn't sell me. They wouldn't sell because they had just sold Falcao and didn't need to get more money by selling another player.

The next year, I remember Villas-Boas left... was it from Chelsea to Tottenham, or to Chelsea?

Chelsea.

Yes, that was Chelsea. He wanted to take João Moutinho and James Rodríguez at that time, if I remember correctly.

No, it was João Moutinho and Álvaro Pereira.

Yes, I think that's right. Anyway, he didn't end up signing them. After that, the European transfer window closed. And at that time, I was the only player receiving an offer from Russian football. The European transfer window had already closed, but in Russia, it seemed there was still about a week left.

I received an offer from Zenit. At that time, I seriously considered it, because I had already negotiated a contract extension with Porto, and I also knew that the club had rejected offers from England for me the year before.

So I thought: "Brother, I think it's time to leave." I could still play in the Champions League and go to a completely different league. Of course, I did have the opportunity to play in England.

When you went to Russia, was that market attractive in all aspects at that time? Not just financially. Back then, was Russian football also starting to get more attention in Europe?

I think so. Because they were investing a lot of money at that time. For example, they also signed Belgian player Witsel, and many other famous players. Eto'o also went to Russia, so there were indeed many big players going there at that time.

At the same time, we could also play in the Champions League, and Zenit was a very strong team at that time. So all these factors played a big role, not just financial reasons.

Did you ever experience racism in Russia? How did you handle that situation at the time?

It was very difficult, truly very difficult. Because when I first arrived in Russia, some jealousy started to emerge in the locker room. The local Russian players had some resistance to our arrival because of my salary and Witsel's salary, and our transfer fees.

So this started creating an uncomfortable atmosphere in the locker room. I even offered to leave, but the president wouldn't let me go.

In some matches, opposing fans would also target me, singing racist songs. That period was very difficult, and I suffered greatly. Then I prayed to God, hoping he would give me enough wisdom to know how to handle that situation.

Then something happened that even surprised me. One time I went to take a corner kick, and the fans started doing it again. For some reason, I suddenly started blowing kisses to the stands and laughing there.

Did something like this happen elsewhere after that? Or after experiencing racism in Russia, did it never happen again? In other words, was it mainly during the Russia period?

That time in Russia was the last time. I also experienced it once in Portugal, but I didn't even hear it myself at the time—I only found out later when I saw the video. It seems it was in the same match where I scored a goal. But after leaving Russia, it never happened again.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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