KuPS, which is still firmly fighting for the championship of the men’s football league, received a familiar reinforcement in its ranks at the end of August, when the 29-year-old Brazilian striker Lucas Rangel returned to the ranks of the Kuopio club.
Rangel has already been seen in Kuopio twice before, when he represented Palloseura in the years 2018–2020 and in the 2021 season.
The decision to come back to Kuopio for a third time came easily in the end. The team has many players he knows from before, such as Petteri Pennanen mixed Saku Savolainenwith whom communication has continued over the years.
Also a familiar head coach Jani Honkavaara was one reason to return to familiar surroundings.
– It was an easy decision to come back to Kuopio. I know a lot of people from here, like the coach and the players. I have also followed the team’s performances in the past, although I have not been here, Rangel states.
Escape from Ukraine was frightening
In addition to his home country and Finland, the Brazilian forward has played in Albania, Austria, Latvia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Ukraine during his career.
When Rangel moved from Kuopio to the Ukrainian club Vorskla Pultava in August 2021, he really didn’t know what he would have to experience in the end.
When Russia launched a full-scale war of aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, Rangel was in Ukraine. He had to flee the war and managed to save one Brazilian woman with him.
The escape journey took no less than 30 hours. Through many twists and turns, the two finally got close to the Polish border, where they had to spend one more night apart on the Ukrainian side. They eventually met again in Krakow, Poland, where they were able to fly to safety. Rangel traveled to his home country and the woman to Portugal.
– People left their cars and panicked. We escaped by car and had to walk for eight hours. Thank God that I got out of there then and now I’m here, Rangel recalls his escape.
“Thank God”
However, in the fall of 2023, Rangel returned to Ukraine in the ranks of Kolos Kovalivka.
However, the second visit lasted less than a year. The Brazilian striker played his last competitive match for the team in May.
According to Rangel, the situation in the country had remained the same, and he could hardly move outside. He could hear the sounds of war in his apartment. That’s when he decided he wasn’t going to stay.
– Nothing has changed when I compare these years in Ukraine. It wasn’t easy being there. Ukraine is short on money, but fortunately they have received help from other countries. I could hear the sounds of missiles and rockets hitting my home. That’s why I canceled my contract and finally came back here to Finland.
– I went outside to some extent in Ukraine, but at the same time I thought that it shouldn’t really be done. Times are difficult and people are panicking, Rangel says.
Two visits to a country at war have made the player rethink life now. Horrible experiences have changed him as a person and changed his values.
– Yes, those experiences have changed me. At times there I thought I was going to die. Since then, I have learned to value my life more. Everything can change in one moment and lose everything. Thank God that I am here now, he states.
Only the Finnish championship is valid
In August, the Brazilian made a contract with the Kuopio club for the rest of the season, which also includes an option for next season. In 2019, the season ended with a historic championship. Rangel wants to experience that again.
The attacker has now had time to play in KuPS’ shirt in two matches since his return. In the latter, he also managed to score, when the team beat VPS on their home field with a score of 3–1 in the opening match of the Championship series.
In total, Rangel has now played for KuPS in 85 matches during his career. In these, the attacker has scored a handsome 31 goals.
KuPS will face FC Inter in the final match of the Finnish Cup on Saturday, September 21, at the Tammela stadium in Tampere. It still has four matches left in the Football League. The people from Kuopio are currently at the top of the league, but the reigning champion HJK is lurking just three points away.
– I try to help the team and do everything I can to win the championship and the Finnish Cup. I want to score as many goals as possible in a short time. KuPS deserves to win the championship. It’s a great club, says Rangel.
On Saturday, KuPS will play in the final match of the Finnish Cup against Inter in Tampere. The match starts at 18:00.