On the 6th February 1958, the ashes that appeared in the Munich sky were those emanating from the Munich Air Disaster. 53 years later, the appearance of ashes once again in the sky of Germany’s third largest city, signalled another tragedy. The suspected act of arson by Breno on his house drew to a close a rollercoaster four years for the defender that began with such excitement, descended into chaos and now leaves him considering his future in the game.
The 22 year old’s career couldn’t have begun under more different circumstances. After four years spent in the Youth Academy at São Paulo, the stocky centre back seamlessly slotted into the starting XI following high praise from former Tricolor star Zé Sérgio. Indeed, 2007 would prove to be a remarkable year for club and player, respectively. São Paulo finished as runaway winners of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A – their fifth Campeonato overall. As for Breno himself, he looked assured when in possession of the ball, was strong and robust in the tackle and proved to be more than a match for opposition strikers. Such consistently excellent performances saw him become the youngest ever winner of the Bola de Prata. At the time there was no doubting that he was a wonderful prospect.
The Cruzeiro-born youngster’s qualities in his successful debut campaign with the Morumbi outfit earned him a call up, by the then National Team Head Coach Dunga, to the Brazil Olympic Football Team (otherwise known as the Brazil National Under-23 team) to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The 6ft 2in defender was influential in helping A Seleção maintain clean sheets in every game up until the semi-final stage where the team was unceremoniously dumped out of the competition by rivals Argentina. Nonetheless, his impressive displays had caught the eyes of a number of big European clubs and it was German football giants FC Bayern Munich, identified by ex-star striker Élber, who stole a march to secure his services.
Whilst he had the benefit of easily adjusting to a well-defined defensive system at São Paulo, the centre back’s lack of top-level experience was immediately cruelly exposed as he found it difficult to adapt to the style and pace of the German game. Furthermore, persistent injuries to his right knee plagued his chances of stringing together a successful run of games, prematurely ending his loan spell with FC Nuremberg in 2010 and the 2010-2011 season as a whole. This season brought with it hope of a change in fortune, however his appearances were restricted by the emergence of the highly rated Holger Badstuber. Overall, Breno has made just 40 appearances for the Bavarian outfit over the course of four years. However, matters off the pitch haven’t helped his cause either.
Since arriving in Germany three years ago, the player has lurched from one personal crisis to another. His involvement in a series of bust-ups with opposition players, staff and a marital crisis, culminated in an incident on the 24th September of this year when he was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a fire at his home. Despite evidence suggesting his involvement in the incident, the Brazilian was released on bail soon afterwards. This has led some in the German media to question his state of mind, an issue still very much in the public domain following the suicide of the former German International goalkeeper Robert Enke two years ago. And yet one should perhaps not be too surprised to learn of such tumultuous goings on.
It’s often said that Brazilian players are making the move across the pond too early on in their careers. Breno is a case in point. Overexcited and perhaps misguided, he leapt into the great unknown without an understanding of the German game, culture and language. In his first three years with the Bavarian outfit he preferred to speak his native Brazilian Portuguese. So much so that a translator was required to be present for the birth of his son Pietro in 2009. With such high-expectations levelled at him and at such a young age, it’s little wonder he cracked. In hindsight, a few more months to pick up experience in the Copa Libertadores would have done him no harm whatsoever. Instead, he’s now embarking upon a slow road to recovery.
The defender has many bridges to mend with his current employers who stuck by him through his most difficult times. How can he repay them? Through his performances on the pitch, which, in the early stages of his career, did all the talking. He’s under no illusions that a huge degree of work, commitment and training will be required for him to once again reach those levels that saw him earn a move to the current Bundesliga leaders in the first place. His psychological condition is now as important, if not even more so, as his physical condition. Earlier this month he returned to action with a run out for FC Bayern Munich II – the first step in what he hopes will be a successful return to the starting XI.
Whether he does decide to stay and fight it out or return home to former club São Paulo, who’ve expressed an interest in offering him an escape route from Bavaria, at the age of 22, the Brazilian still has time on his side. Breno must now breath new life into those fading embers and thus reignite a career that’s been, up till now, significantly starved of satisfaction, security and stability.
Twitter: @aleksklosok
