Like father, like sons: How Brazilian A-League legend Cassio laid a path in Australia

Cássio José de Abreu Oliveira, known simply as Cassio, was Adelaide United's genius talisman on the pitch and is now father to two promising players of Australian football's new generation. Considered a left-back revolutionary in Australia since Romário introduced him to the sport downunder, Cassio says coming to the country in 2007 has yielded results he could never have imagined.

Elected by FourFourTwo magazine as the best Brazilian in the history of the A-League, Cassio marked his season playing on the left side of Adelaide United for seven straight seasons. Source: AAP / AP Photo/David Mariuz

Key Points

• Brazilian-born Cassio began playing for Adelaide United in 2007.
• He says his lack of English meant he ignored his coaches' instructions on how to play at left-back
• Nowadays, he runs a football academy while his sons flourish in the Australian football scene.

Revered by his previous club, Flamengo, Cassio arrived in Australia in 2007 as a reinforcement for Adelaide United, thanks to an introduction by fellow Brazilian, Romário.

Fifteen years later, Cassio has now settled in Australia and says he is proud of the legacy he built at Adelaide United and as part of Australian football more generally.

Also, Cassio and his wife have two sons, both earmarked as possible future players with the national team, the Socceroos.

Cassio is one of the six Brazilian football stars profiled in SBS Portuguese's podcast series "A pinch of Brazil in Australian football".

Cassio's career kick-off in Australia

Cassio says that when he arrived in Australia in 2007, the local game featured few Brazilians.

Luckily, there was a very well-known Brazilian, Romario. Because of him, things took off, and my story started in Australia.

Cassio, ex-player for Adelaide United

Not yet understanding nor speaking English well in his early years at Adelaide United, where he played for seven seasons, Cassio went against the defensive guidelines of his coaches by playing offensive football, a hallmark of Brazilian footballing culture.

In fact, he was so successful with this style of play, it set a benchmark for this position in Australia, he says.

Cassio says he brought a different culture to Australia because the full-back in Brazil is more of an offensive player than a defensive one.

Cassio defended Flamengo against Palmeiras in 2002. He was revered by the Carioca club, where he played for a few years. Source: Supplied / Eduardo Viana/Lancepress

"At the time, I didn't understand English, so I didn't understand what they asked for, and I played my game exactly as I had played in Brazil," he says.

Full-back 'benchmark' in Australian football

Cassio says that when his coaches saw that what he did on the field as a left-back worked, they concluded: "Wait, I won an offensive weapon by accident".

I played a lot (as a left-back) and became a kind of benchmark. When clubs were going to sign players, they liked what I was doing.

Cassio, former Adelaide United player

He says the quality of life in Australia was one of the main drivers behind him and his family deciding to stay on in the country after 2007, as well as the chance to escape the problem of salary delays which dogged his career in Brazil.

"I came for a job opportunity, to try a different market. Clubs in my time in Brazil had difficulty paying salaries. I didn't receive a salary on time at any of the clubs I played for in Brazil," Cassio says.

To this day, some Brazilian clubs owe me.

Cassio, former Adelaide United player

Invitation to play for the Australian national side

His great seasons in the South Australia Reds shirt earned him an invitation to defend for the Australian national team in 2012.

Cassio says he went through the entire nationality process, but an unexpected change in the Socceroos' technical command meant that the call-up did not eventuate.

Cassio almost made it into the Australian national team when he was 32, but it was not to be. Source: AAP / PAUL MILLER/AAPIMAGE

Even so, he says the invitation paid off, as he, his wife and their children received citizenship and could take up permanent residency in Australia.

According to Cassio, the possibility of playing for the Australian national team came about at the invitation of the German Holger Osieck (former coach of the Socceroos).

"I was already 31 going on 32 years old, but I was in excellent physical condition. Until then, I was not Australian and had a proposal to return to Brazil. So I said: 'I accept, but I want this nationality process to be for my whole family.' And that's what happened," Cassio says.

He says that when the call-up was about to happen, Holger Osieck was replaced by Ange Postecoglou (current coach of Celtic, Scotland).

"And then it ended up not flowing, but I believe I wouldn't have taken it either. At the time, of course, I wanted it, but today, I would make way for a younger player," Cassio says.

When the call-up (to the national team) was about to happen, Holger Osieck was replaced by Ange Postecoglou, and then it ended up not happening.

Cassio, former Adelaide United player

Brazilian fans vs Australian fans

During his Brazilian career, playing for major clubs such as Flamengo, Internacional, Ceará and Santa Cruz, Cassio lived through the pressure of being at his absolute best in essential games in front of thousands of people in large stadiums.

Comparing the two entirely distinct football contexts and cultures, there was no pressure for Cassio in Australia, he says.

"In a Flamengo game, you have more pressure when you are 15 or 16 years old than in the professional arena. I've been stoned in the head; missed a penalty in the final; scored a goal with an audience of 80, 90 thousand people," he says.

The fans here don't boo, which is a good thing. Brazilians are too passionate. It's about the country's education.

Cassio, former Adelaide United player

Cassio says that when he came to play in Australia in 2007 and saw the young players shaking nervously before the games, he found the scene "a little funny".

Cassio's transition from Brazilian to Australian football was indeed very smooth because of this.

"I was already 27 years old, with more than 300 professional games in my career and a solid resume. Thanks to my experience, I was able to help many players in their transition period from young (players) to professional (ones)," he says.

Training new talent, including children

Today, eight years after ending his professional career, Cassio runs a football academy, created shortly after hanging up his boots.

The work on training talent with a Brazilian touch is already beginning to bear fruit, he says.

Cassio proudly points out two athletes with opportunities in significant clubs in the country: his sons Bernardo and Henrique.

At 18 years old, Bernando, Cassio´s son, already works professionally at Adelaide United and defends the Australian youth teams. Source: AAP / AAP Image/Matt Turner

Bernardo, at 18, is already fully immersed in Australian football. He has been with Australia's youth teams since he was 15, debuted at 17 among Adelaide United professionals and scored three goals in his first season.

Today, he is part of the Australian Olympic team and is preparing to gain more prominence in the new season of the A-League.

The youngest, 13-year-old Henrique, stands out for his physical strength, competitiveness, and quality with the ball at his feet. He is already playing his first interstate tournaments and is starting to attract club attention.

Cassio's youngest son, Henrique, 13, is already playing in his first interstate tournaments and is starting to attract the attention of clubs. Source: Supplied

"They (Cassio´s two sons) have something a little different from the Australian player, of wanting to be a winner, something I had when I was young," Cassio says.

"I see the Australian players as very relaxed - I don't know if it is because they have a country that can provide everything for them."

Cassio says that he has passed on to his children the notion that to get where they want, they have to like it more than the others, "...otherwise there will be someone else who will run you over. Unfortunately, football is like that".

"We give them all the support without leaving their study aside, of course. They have all the potential to play for a top club in Australia or play in a bigger market like in Europe," Cassio says.

This interview with Cassio is part of SBS's six-episode series in Portuguese, "A pinch of Brazil in Australian football."

To follow the series, access  SBS in Portuguese on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where you can access all podcasts.

Listen to SBS in Portuguese live on Wednesdays and Sundays at noon or whenever you want on our web page.