A towering presence in the centre of our team this season, Marcos dos Santos plays with his heart and soul every time he goes onto the pitch. The Sao Paulo native is a boyhood Corinthians supporter and says representing Casuals is a source of great joy for him and his family. Dominic Bliss caught up with him to ask how he is enjoying his first season in Tolworth and embracing the fan culture…
How has this season has gone for you so far?
I feel great joy in being with this group this season. I understand that despite having some players from previous seasons in the squad, we are a group that is starting a project from scratch and this requires a lot of work and dedication from us. Whether we like it or not, it takes time to build everything we want, but it is clear to see that we have great and good fruits to reap soon. I am happy and motivated with the group and also happy with my performance so far.
Can you tell us about your football journey to this point?
When I was 14 years old, I went to my first club to play in the Paulista Under-15 youth league, playing for São Bernardo. I stayed there for a year, when I went to the centre of São Paulo, and after that I played for several other clubs. Then, in August 2018 I went to do pre-season at Penapolense to play in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.
From there, I went to Grêmio Barueri, and I stayed there for about a year and a half, in the Under-20s, during which time I went up to the professional team and played in the Paulista Cup, as we reached the quarter-finals. After the first team were knocked out, I went back to the Under-20s, where we were champions in the Paulista Cup.
Soon after that, there was the outbreak of coronavirus, and I ended up without a club for a while, but I had a short stint at Colorado Caieiras, who were playing in the second division of the Paulista Championship.
I ended up tearing the ligaments in my ankle and was unable to play in the championship due to the long recovery. I got treatment at the club and then came to London, in search of realising my dream of playing in Europe.
I already had family here and the first club I played for had a lot of Brazilians, so I was able to get used to it quickly. Here in London, I had a stint at NW London, where I was champion in Step 7, and won two cups, then I played for St. Panteleimon in Step 5 last season, before having the great honour of defending this great shirt with Corinthian-Casuals.
How did you come to join Casuals?
Emerson Pilonetto and I already had an old friendship, even off the field. We had already played together on some teams, and he was talking to someone from Corinthian-Casuals and he was going to do a trial. He asked me if I was interested as well, because he knew I was a Corinthians fan. Of course I wanted to, so he sent a video of me performing, the coaches liked it and after that we started coming to training. Thank God everything went well.
How much do you know about the historical connection between Corinthian-Casuals and Brazil?
I remember watching the Corinthians game against Corinthian-Casuals in 2015, but since I arrived in London I never fully knew about it. One time, when I looked at the profile of the Fiel Londres, I saw that they were going to games here in London, so I did some research and started connecting one thing to another and remembering the game in Itaquera. But I confess that with each report I see and each bit of the history I learn, I become prouder to be at this club. Knowing that I am where it all began is a source of great joy for me.
How have you enjoyed your time here?
I already joined this club loving it, but I was very well received by the committee. The players are very close and I believe that the affection of the fans is the main thing – they really welcomed me.
I’ve played 32 games this season, and among all these games there are two that really marked me. The first was when we were traveling to Jersey for a game far away, where we took a plane. I know that in all the games the fans are present and they always go and sing and encourage us a lot, but when we arrived in Jersey and were on our way to the stadium, we passed in front of a bar and I had the impression of having seen a pink Casuals shirt. I thought that it was just my imagination, but when the bus passed I saw all those people, and it was a massive party! Everyone was shouting, I couldn’t believe they would travel all that distance, and I felt a huge pressure because I wanted to come back with the victory at all costs, not just for myself but also for the club and for them.
The second game that made an impression on me was against Abbey Rangers at home. It was a game in which we conceded a goal in the 15th minute and from then on, we were trying to equalise, but the ball wouldn’t go in. I remember very well our fans sang the whole game but when it was around the 80th minute it seemed like the atmosphere had changed, because the fans were singing louder and louder and banging on the stands. It seemed like we were winning, and their singing renewed my strength. I believe it wasn’t just me, because we were already attacking but from then on we started to be more intense and it was no surprise at the 84th minute when Diogo scored a goal, and with one minute left in the game Shea scored the winning goal. At that moment we could see how strong our group is and how powerful our fans are. In that game I felt a very strong connection between us.
How has this season has gone for you so far?
I feel great joy in being with this group this season. I understand that despite having some players from previous seasons in the squad, we are a group that is starting a project from scratch and this requires a lot of work and dedication from us. Whether we like it or not, it takes time to build everything we want, but it is clear to see that we have great and good fruits to reap soon. I am happy and motivated with the group and also happy with my performance so far.
Can you tell us about your football journey to this point?
When I was 14 years old, I went to my first club to play in the Paulista Under-15 youth league, playing for São Bernardo. I stayed there for a year, when I went to the centre of São Paulo, and after that I played for several other clubs. Then, in August 2018 I went to do pre-season at Penapolense to play in the São Paulo Junior Football Cup.
From there, I went to Grêmio Barueri, and I stayed there for about a year and a half, in the Under-20s, during which time I went up to the professional team and played in the Paulista Cup, as we reached the quarter-finals. After the first team were knocked out, I went back to the Under-20s, where we were champions in the Paulista Cup.
Soon after that, there was the outbreak of coronavirus, and I ended up without a club for a while, but I had a short stint at Colorado Caieiras, who were playing in the second division of the Paulista Championship.
I ended up tearing the ligaments in my ankle and was unable to play in the championship due to the long recovery. I got treatment at the club and then came to London, in search of realising my dream of playing in Europe.
I already had family here and the first club I played for had a lot of Brazilians, so I was able to get used to it quickly. Here in London, I had a stint at NW London, where I was champion in Step 7, and won two cups, then I played for St. Panteleimon in Step 5 last season, before having the great honour of defending this great shirt with Corinthian-Casuals.
How did you come to join Casuals?
Emerson Pilonetto and I already had an old friendship, even off the field. We had already played together on some teams, and he was talking to someone from Corinthian-Casuals and he was going to do a trial. He asked me if I was interested as well, because he knew I was a Corinthians fan. Of course I wanted to, so he sent a video of me performing, the coaches liked it and after that we started coming to training. Thank God everything went well.
How much do you know about the historical connection between Corinthian-Casuals and Brazil?
I remember watching the Corinthians game against Corinthian-Casuals in 2015, but since I arrived in London I never fully knew about it. One time, when I looked at the profile of the Fiel Londres, I saw that they were going to games here in London, so I did some research and started connecting one thing to another and remembering the game in Itaquera. But I confess that with each report I see and each bit of the history I learn, I become prouder to be at this club. Knowing that I am where it all began is a source of great joy for me.
How have you enjoyed your time here?
I already joined this club loving it, but I was very well received by the committee. The players are very close and I believe that the affection of the fans is the main thing – they really welcomed me.
I’ve played 32 games this season, and among all these games there are two that really marked me. The first was when we were traveling to Jersey for a game far away, where we took a plane. I know that in all the games the fans are present and they always go and sing and encourage us a lot, but when we arrived in Jersey and were on our way to the stadium, we passed in front of a bar and I had the impression of having seen a pink Casuals shirt. I thought that it was just my imagination, but when the bus passed I saw all those people, and it was a massive party! Everyone was shouting, I couldn’t believe they would travel all that distance, and I felt a huge pressure because I wanted to come back with the victory at all costs, not just for myself but also for the club and for them.
The second game that made an impression on me was against Abbey Rangers at home. It was a game in which we conceded a goal in the 15th minute and from then on, we were trying to equalise, but the ball wouldn’t go in. I remember very well our fans sang the whole game but when it was around the 80th minute it seemed like the atmosphere had changed, because the fans were singing louder and louder and banging on the stands. It seemed like we were winning, and their singing renewed my strength. I believe it wasn’t just me, because we were already attacking but from then on we started to be more intense and it was no surprise at the 84th minute when Diogo scored a goal, and with one minute left in the game Shea scored the winning goal. At that moment we could see how strong our group is and how powerful our fans are. In that game I felt a very strong connection between us.
