Learned from Hulk, a fan of Neymar: we present the newcomer of Dynamo Rubens

Rubens was born in the tiny town of Tumiriting in the southeast of the country and, like all local boys, loved football since childhood. At the age of 15, he was lucky enough to get into one of the two main clubs in the region - Atletico Mineiro. At the academy, he began to progress quickly, playing in the center of midfield, and in 2020 he became one of the main architects of his team's victory in the Brazilian youth championship (under 20).

Already in March of the following year, he made his debut in a match of the Minas Gerais state championship. It is noteworthy that on the same day, former Zenit and Brazilian national team striker Hulk played his first match for Atletico after returning to his homeland. Subsequently, he became one of the main mentors of the young footballer.

- Hulk gave me a lot of advice throughout my career and helped me in everything. He is a modest guy, and despite the fact that he has had everything in his career, it has not changed him. I am proud to call him my friend, - Rubens said in an interview.

Surely, the young footballer also learned some tips from Hulk on how to hit with his favorite left foot. You can watch a clip of our newcomer's goals at this link. In gratitude for his valuable help, Rubens even got a tattoo depicting a game moment where he and Hulk celebrate a goal. By the way, the 39-year-old forward is still in great shape and has scored 129 goals for Atletico in 5 years. So there is definitely something to learn from him.

Rubens made his debut in the Brazilian Championship in 2022 and played in 29 matches during the season. Moreover, he spent most of them in the left lateral position. He also debuted in the Copa Libertadores, where the first big drama of his career happened. In the return leg of the quarter-final against Palmeiras, Rubens was the only one who did not convert a penalty, which was his first in his adult career. He was helped through this by the care of his young father - two weeks before, his son was born.

In the summer of 2023, the legendary Luiz Felipe Scolari took over Atletico, and Rubens once again had to prove his right to a place in the starting lineup. He won it back in October, and by the end of the year he had to move to the right flank. Everything was going well, but in the spring he damaged his knee ligaments, and it took him more than three months to recover.

- At first, it was very difficult to accept. I felt terrible because I was injured at an important stage of my career. It was a tense moment, because I did not know what would happen next, but then the pain subsided, I returned to the field and was happy again, - Rubens recalls this period.

After his injury, he only became stronger, helped the team reach the finals of the Brazilian Cup and the Libertadores Cup, and also became the best in the Brazilian Championship in tackles (3.2 on average per game). But the main thing that the fans thanked him for was the saving goal in the last round of Serie A. In the event of a defeat to Atlético Paranaense, his team could have left the elite division for the second time in history, and Rubens' goal from the follow-up after Hulk's missed penalty was the only one in the match.

In the winter, coach Cuca, under whom Rubens made his debut in big football, returned to Atlético and bet on his protégé. Before the start of the season, Cuca even asked where he was most comfortable playing, took into account the player's wishes and began to increasingly place him in the center of the field. As a result, in 23 matches in three major tournaments, Rubens scored 3 goals, made one assist and was second in interceptions in the Brazilian Championship (2.3 on average per match).

— I am very concerned about the situation with Rubens, if we lose a player of this caliber, it will be difficult for us to replace him. Even taking into account that he has not yet reached his peak and he has room to grow as a defensive midfielder and a lateral. I would not want him to leave the team before the end of the year, — said Cuca when information about the player's departure began to appear.

Before leaving Brazil, Rubens managed to fulfill a childhood dream and played against his idol Neymar, who returned to his native Santos in the winter. In honor of this event, he got another tattoo, capturing a game moment where he is facing the Brazilian national team forward.

Rubens played his last match for Atletico on July 13, so it shouldn’t take him long to get back into top shape. We are expecting the debut of the versatile Brazilian in the very near future!