Bácaro grateful for new lease of life

A year ago, Vinicius Bácaro was on the ElPozo Murcia FS side that lost the UEFA Futsal Cup final on penalties to MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg in Moscow. Twelve months on, he is back in Russia with a new club – Interviú Madrid – facing the same opponents for the same prize. But much has changed in that time for the Brazilian-born Italian international.

New perspective
Just before he would have been travelling to the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil in October, Bacaro underwent knee surgery, and indeed only in the last couple of months has he been able to really make an impact at Interviú, who he joined in the summer from their Spanish rivals. Bacaro, who claimed the winning goal for Italy in the 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship final, showed he had not lost his knack for important strikes when completing the scoring in Interviú's 5-0 win against Kairat Almaty on Friday night, but he admitted that his perspective on life and sport have been altered for good by his injury.

Life changed
"I'm a different person today," Bacaro told uefa.com. "My life completely changed the day I had my knee surgery. I became a more patient person, more tolerant as well. It's a moment that you can't share with anybody, only you go through it and experience it. It made me rethink my life, about the way I was living and about the plans I could have. It has made me start studying again. It has made me read a lot again. It really opened my mind. I started meeting different people.

Stronger person
"I feel I have become a stronger and a better person. It goes beyond the goal I have scored tonight, it is all the things I have gone through this year. It is about being able to take the stairs without being worried, about driving a car, about having a walk in the evening. It has made me see that time heals everything and puts everything on the place it needs to be."

At peace
Therefore the semi-final strike against Kairat was special, as victory would be against hosts Ekaterinburg in the decider today, but Bacaro needed to marshal all his mental strength to even make it through Friday's game. "Keeping my focus was the key for me to score that goal, to carry on fighting all the time and wait for my chance to come," the 30-year-old said. "Six months ago I did not even know if I could ever play again and now I've been able to play and score a goal. Today I am a new man. I have also learnt about loneliness. Some people can be very lonely even if they are surrounded by many friends. Now I am able to be lonely and quiet. I am a more calm person after the last six months. I feel more in peace and it has made me think and reconsider my future. I can now see that there is a lot more to life than futsal."