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–Dener died in a car accident on April 18.
Dener: Ronaldinho’s role model and one of the greatest talents of all time
uh, who please? Is that a Brazilian insider tip? A failed jewel that no one knows anymore? Not failed, no. Dener is dead. 28 years already. On April 18, 1994, one of the greatest talents of all time dies in a car accident – leaving behind a potentially huge void that we may not be able to fathom because it was never filled. In any case, Robinho, another highly technical Brazilian, said later: “It’s a shame that he died so early. He was amazing!”
Even as a kid, Dener is one of those Brazilian boys who make the game a feast for the eyes. He’s small, agile, extremely fast – and he first started playing futsal before he really became a footballer. Technology in the smallest of spaces, in this area nobody can fool little Dener early on. Whole hosts of defenders can only look in amazement when the whirlwind dances out a complete team again.
Portuguesa takes notice of him and takes him to the youth academy. Dener is a difficult character, it shows early on. A rebel, a boy from the bottom. Antonio Lopes, then manager of the club, recalls: “It was one of my first days at the club. An agent told me: ‘There is a boy who could leave soon. He married a girl, he is in a difficult situation. But the boy is really good.’ I told him to send the kid over to train with us pros and when he first got the ball he tunnelled Vladimir, a tough tackler who was hard to get past, then did a sombrero flick over another player . I went to the President and told him it was imperative to keep the boy.”
In 1994, instead of Dener, a certain Ronaldo traveled to the World Cup for Brazil
Dener stays at the club and in 1991 wins the famous Copinha tournament, which pits Brazil’s best youth teams against each other. After ten minutes he scores against Gremio in the final, it’s the decisive moment for his team, who wins 4-0 in the end. Needless to say, he is voted Player of the Tournament. Everybody in Brazil knows the little precious technician from Sao Paulo overnight.
It’s his breakthrough, he’s even called up to the Selecao by national coach Falcao. Dener plays against big rivals Argentina and is involved in his team’s third goal in the 3-3 draw. When Falcao’s successor Parreira used him only one more time in 1992 and did not want to take him to the 1994 World Cup because of his youth and rebellious behavior, Brazil was appalled. Dener’s participation in the World Cup is demanded – before that can happen, he’s dead. Instead of him, a certain Ronaldo is going to the tournament at the age of just 17.
In 1993, Dener was also able to prove himself elsewhere, he was loaned out to Gremio for three months and promptly celebrated the championship. It will remain his only major title. A year later he was loaned to Vasco da Gama. He shines in a friendly against Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys, facing Mauricio Pochettino and the great Diego Maradona on the day. When he once again performs one of his inimitable dribbles and his shot only fails at the keeper, the cameras catch a defining moment: Maradona smiles.
Almost Bundesliga: Dener “better than Neymar, than Messi”
Of course, Europe is already on the mat at this point. PSV is on it, but VfB Stuttgart is actually particularly close to a commitment. A verbal agreement is said to have been made a few days before his death. One of the greatest talents in the world almost ended up in the Bundesliga. But then comes April 18th.
Dener is only a passenger, the driver is a friend of the young Brazilian. He will survive and, according to reports, die in the illegal drug trade only a few years later. But the 23-year-old Dener never gets out of the car alive, he suffocates on the seat belts. It’s the sad end of what might be the greatest talent of all time. How good would he have become? You will never know. But one thing is certain: many of the greatest Brazilian footballers of the 21st century have been inspired by Dener.
“Dener was much greater than many of the world’s best. His creativity, his speed, his ability to improvise. Nobody has done anything like this from 1990 to now. He’s the best player from 1990 to now. Greater than Zidane, Romario, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Fenomeno. Better than Neymar, than Messi. I’ve seen Pele play, I know what I’m talking about,” says Dener’s biographer Ubirajara Nassar. More is not possible – or unfortunately better said: More would not have been possible.
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