"An agent discovered me in Brazil, so I moved to his school and spent two years there. When I was 15, he arranged an audition with Hellas Verona, and I was good enough.

 

"I met Rafael there and we became friends. I told him I lived with €20 per week. Then he said 'wait a minute, something's not right'. He did some research and found out that my agent took money without my knowledge.

 

"At that point, I wanted to give up, I was completely devastated. I called home in tears and my mother told me that I was so close to the finish line, that I shouldn't come back," he concluded.