Rony Barbosa, a Brazilian youngster born in the city of Magalhaes Barata, a neglected municipality in the Amazonian state of Para, his impressive trajectory has been a perfect way to win back the hands and hearts that abandoned him as a kid.
Been abandoned or rejected doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the end for every individual. The Brazilian was abandoned by his parents at a very young age and grew up along with his siblings with their grandmother back in the countryside, a region where he grew up deprived of motherly and fatherly love before his grandmother passed away while they were still young.
The goal-hungry forward was quite instrumental in Palmeiras’s quest in winning the Copa Libertadores this year, which cumulated into them testing their might in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar.
Barbosa pushed his way through the pinnacle of South American football with his trajectory back in Remo, a team from the Amazon city of Belem.
The Brazilian forward move to Cruzeiro in 2015 proved to be a disaster, having been a two-time Champions at Remo, but he was able to showcase his talent at Nautico on loan scoring 14 goals in 49 appearances for the “White Eared” before he caught the attention of Japanese side Albirex Niigata.
Rony Barbosa’s Journey
Say whatever you like about Barbosa or call him the abandoned one, that didn’t in any way affect his game because he has outgrown that and found his way through to the pinnacle of South American football.
With five goals scored and seven assists in the Copa Libertadores, the outstanding Palmeiras forward has shown that irrespective of life challenges, with dedication and hard work one could break through to the top.
After the death of Rony’s grandmother, he had to help his grandfather in farming in order to make ends meet by peeling manioc. With a life full of hunger, no toys to play with, not even a good pair of shoes to wear, the only thing that made Rony pushed to the top was a ball at his feet.
Belem, been a region with few opportunities, Barbosa moved there as a young boy worked as a mechanic assistant, motorcycle courier and a farmer to survive until 2014 when he finally made his professional debut.
Life in the Japanese league only lasted for a year before he returned to Brazil in 2018 to don the shirt of Athletico Paranaense, where he played 73 games, scored 13 goals with three trophies to his name between 2018-19.
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The brilliant stint with Paranaense further shown how brightly his career would turn out should he continue to work hard as a professional.
Barbosa’s impressive form in front of goal strike an interest in the mind of Palmeiras board for his services, and they did invest €6m on him in February to sign him on a four-year deal. Life at Palmeiras didn’t start on a good note for him, as he was constantly criticized for his mistakes on the pitch during the reign of former Real Madrid gaffer Luxemburgo.
The toast of Palmeiras bounced back into what a proper forward should be like under new manager Abel Ferreira, who finetune his career into a brilliant player who now becomes one of the best forward in the Brazilian league.
With his impressive form been noticed by Europe’s top sides, the king of South American football Palmeiras wouldn’t hesitate to cash out on Barbosa should the right club and price come for him.
However, with Barbosa’s home still at Palmeiras, the abandoned boy of then has had a breakthrough as he found his way into becoming one of South American football stars.
It would have been a great feeling to see the Brazilian side with the informed Rony in the final having conquered their region, but their best performance could only take them to the third-place where they lost to African Champions Al Ahly via penalty shoot out.
It was a bitter defeat for the “Big Green“, as Rony’s tamed effort and bizarre approach to his penalty couldn’t take them past the rock-solid El-Shenawy on the night in Qatar.
Barbosa’s hope of winning the FIFA Club World Cup may have been dashed. However, the Magalhaes Barata born has shown under Abel Ferreira that he’s a player full of fire even though he was abandoned, he was able to turn the table around and become Palmeiras’ go-to man.
