It was the moment Shakhtar Donetsk’s 20-year-old Tete announced himself to the world. A stunning goal, an assist and a devastating individual display helped the Ukrainians tear apart Real Madrid in a sensational Champions League first-half performance in October as they raced into a 3-0 lead.
They ultimately held on to a memorable 3-2 win and now, before a crucial return match at home in Group B on Tuesday, the Brazilian attacking midfielder reflects on what could prove a pivotal moment in his career. “The game at Real Madrid was definitely the best and most important in my career so far,” Tete tells BBC Sport in an exclusive interview.
“It was a great honour and pleasure to play against legends like Marcelo and Casemiro – a dream come true. I wanted to show my skills and prove myself, so I dribbled against Marcelo one on one. I was happy to have helped the team to get such a great and important result.”
Tete’s performance in Madrid highlighted his potential to join the list of Brazilian stars who developed at Shakhtar, which includes Manchester City’s Fernandinho, Arsenal’s Willian and Juventus’ Douglas Costa – who is on loan at Bayern Munich.
