FIFA.com caught up with the 26-year-old and spoke to him about his long road to the top, his hopes of booking a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ with Brazil, and how it feels to earn the praise of Maradona.
FIFA.com: Felipe, do you think the path your career has taken has helped you tackle the challenges you have faced along the way?
Felipe Melo: "I was only 20 when I left Brazil and joined Mallorca from Gremio. I didn’t do much in Brazilian football apart from scoring the goal that saved Flamengo from relegation one year [in a vital Brasileirao match against Internacional]. That made me a little more famous at the time. I went to Europe soon after and, being a foreigner, I had to learn lots of new things like the language and customs. It’s a different type of football too, and I had to take lots of tactical and disciplinary aspects on board. It was very difficult and maybe that’s why it took me a little time to come through".
What was the biggest difference when you moved to Italy from Spain?
"I was at Racing Santander for two years and really suffered there until I went to Almeria, where Unai Emery [the current Valencia coach] gave me a lot of help. I really progressed with him and by the time I went to Fiorentina I’d earned much more respect. That was a far bigger shop window. I was playing regularly in a team that was going for the European places and I was developing a lot from a tactical point of view. That all helped me make the Brazil team".
Let’s turn to Juventus now, who have been struggling of late. How are you coping with that?
"Juventus are a big club and like all the great names they have to win titles. But it’s been a few years since that has happened. A lot is expected of us and hopes were high that we could win the Scudetto. But the only place we can sort this out is on the pitch. We are going through a tough patch but that’s something that happens to every team, like Milan at the start of the season. I know what pressure is and when I was called up for the national side, 99 per cent of people were criticising me. I had to turn the situation around by playing well. So we’re going to stay calm and even though people are saying we are not up to the job, we play for a great club and I’m absolutely convinced we’re going to get through this".
FIFA.com采访了Melo，在访问中，Melo表达了强烈的参加南非世界杯的愿望，并且对Maradona的赞扬做出了回应。
FIFA.com：Felipe，谈谈你的职业生涯吧。
Melo：我20岁就离开了巴西，从Gremio加盟Mallorca。我在巴西踢的比赛很少，印象深刻的是曾经打入一球帮助Flamengo保级成功。那个球让我小有名气。在那以后我很快来到了欧洲。作为一个外国人，我需要学习很多东西，比如语言和习俗。足球风格也不一样，我需要适应全新的战术和纪律规则。这很困难，所以克服这些困难，我花了一些时间。
FIFA.com：意大利到西班牙，什么最不同？
Melo：在Racing Santander的两年很糟糕，直到转会去Almeria，情况才有所好转。主教练Unai Emery（现Valencia主教练）给了我很大帮助。我提高了很多，然后Fiorentina看上了我，把我带到了意大利。我的职业生涯打开了一扇大窗户，我获得了主力，为了欧冠席位而战，对于战术的理解也提高不少。这帮助我入选了巴西国家队。
FIFA.com：回到尤文图斯，在这支球队里面你似乎遇到一些麻烦，你怎么克服呢？
Melo：尤文图斯是一支豪门球队，这里有许多大人物，目标就是赢得冠军。但这是几年以前的事了，人们认为我们可以获得意甲冠军，这种期望过高。我们只能在球场上解决这种矛盾，我们处境不好，但每个队都会遇到这种时候，好像赛季初的Milan。我压力很大，当我入选巴西国家队的时候，99%的球迷认为我没有资格。我必须通过球场表现改变他们的看法。我们必须保持冷静，即便球迷说你不行。我们在一家伟大的俱乐部效力，我百分百相信我们能够渡过难关。
