You have more followers on Instagram than any player of the Finnish men’s national football team.
– Wow! I didn’t know that, Neide Oliveira is surprised by the fact told by the reporter.
More than Robert Taylor, who plays in Miami with Lionel Messi.
– Oh my gosh! I did not know.
There have been other surprises or culture shocks along the journey of the Brazilian futsal player.
We found out how on earth 249,000 Instagram followers Miss Oliveira33, ended up in Finland and Imatra from Sao Paulo – to star at a small Finnish club with ambitious visions, but which had only 90 fans last season.
“And now I’m here, in Finland!”
The beginning of Oliveira’s story is typical for Brazilians. At first he played football in the streets. From the age of six to the age of 13, Oliveira played futsal in a boys’ team. Only after that she played for the first time in the girls’ team.
– When I finished school, I got a scholarship to university. I studied and played in university for four years, at the same time I played like a professional in another futsal team.
Oliveira enjoyed playing in his home country, where the position of futsal and football is so huge that it is pointless to try to emphasize it more here. However, he also dreams of new challenges.
– I knew how important women’s futsal was in Brazil, but I wondered what futsal and soccer were like elsewhere, and how I could play abroad myself, says Oliveira.
The first opportunity came from Argentina, where Oliveira got to celebrate the futsal Super Copa victory with Racing Avellaneda.
The real world tour was just at the beginning: Maldives, Lebanon, Macedonia. Although Oliveira played football in Macedonia. Then Portugal and Spain.
When Oliveira returned to Brazil, he started producing material for Instagram and TikTok: training videos, pranks, educational material and the like.
– When I played and trained in Brazil, I thought about what I could do besides that. What could I do differently? What could I do off the field? And now I’m here, in Finland!
High-quality social media content made an impression
River Vuoksi from Imatra started its operations only three years ago. With the chairman of the club Vitali Vanhasella has great passion and honorable plans to develop the activities of his club, the region and even the whole of Finland, and he does not hide it.
– After founding the club, our goal has been to constantly and carefully think about how we develop and climb the league ladder. Our intention is not for the club’s representative teams to only play recreational futsal.
River Vuoksi’s women’s team plays in the Futsal-Ykköne, i.e. at the second highest league level, but aims to move up to the league level.
At the highest levels of Finnish futsal, the teams have mainly come from the capital region, Varsinais-Finland, the west coast, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland and the Oulu-Kemi-Tornio axis.
– When we talk about Imatra and South Karelia, it has been a “grey area” for futsal in Finland, chairman Vanhanen admits.
– Because of that, our goals have been even more challenging. How can we get our operations developed in a fast schedule? Through this, the idea has arisen that we want to map out help from top futsal countries.
Vitali Vanhanen decided to contact Neide Oliveira via Instagram.
– When you start watching futsal content on social media, it’s hard not to come across his videos. He makes such quality content and has created a large following for himself. They also impressed us.
Oliveira says that his interest was piqued when Vanhanen contacted him and told him about River Vuös and Finnish futsal.
– I told you that this is interesting, but I have to think and research what I can do and what it’s like in Finland. We talked more and he convinced me. Now I am here. This is a big challenge, says Oliveira.
What role does the “guru” take?
The big challenge comes from the fact that Oliveira’s role is not really limited to hitting the power in the Futsal First. River Vuoksi was looking for someone who is not just a player, but someone who can help extensively in the development of operations.
Seura and Oliveira share the same passion.
– She wants to spread the good news and her love for women’s futsal and to grow the sport. He thinks it’s the best thing in the world. It is our luck that he wanted to come here to our small town, Vitali Vanhanen enthuses.
The same passion can be found in the background of the social media produced by Oliveira.
– I started producing material properly a year ago. Now I do it every day. I’ve been thinking about what I can do more for women’s futsal and soccer.
– In Brazil, we have a lot of this kind of content. I want to try to make an impression, so that otherwise more women and girls are exposed to the beautiful sport.
River Vuoksi has appointed Oliveira as technical coach. In addition, the Brazilian has already taught physical education classes for school children. He directs private training sessions for the players. There are plans for a skills school group and even national camps, and we hope to cooperate with the Balloliitto.
Vanhanen says that the Finnish futsal community is close-knit and communication is easy. He wants Oliveira’s role not to be limited to River Vuosi, but he can help the whole sport to take steps forward, for example in terms of Oliveira’s area of expertise, technical playing skills.
– We do not see the situation as a competition between sports. We are very open and willing to cooperate with football clubs.
Oliveira also has his own dreams in the sport.
– I would hope that people would be open to this sport, because it is so beautiful and dynamic. We have great talent, but we don’t have the right conditions yet. I want to help girls, women and futsal.
River Vuoksi calls Oliveira a “futsal guru” on social media. He himself thinks of himself as a player, but also a teacher.
– I would say it is 50–50. When I also started coaching, I realized that the most important thing is to be open to learning and understanding more.
One thing that repeats itself in both Vanhanen’s and Oliveira’s speeches is personal skill. Exactly the one that can be seen in the video material produced by Oliveira.
– It is really important that Finns understand more about futsal. It is important for development. We need a bit of a new mentality in the game. If you want to change things and understand the game better, you have to think a little differently, Oliveira reflects.
Culture shocks and a new way of thinking
Finnish futsal and soccer have relied heavily on the collective. If you don’t count the size of Imatra or the Finnish weather, one of the culture shocks experienced by Oliveira can be found in this sub-region.
– Sports culture is big in Brazil. I understand that futsal is new here, but there are no futsal players here. There are soccer players who play futsal. The mentality is completely different. In Brazil we play in the streets and kids play futsal all the time.
Oliveira and River Vuoksi want to emphatically develop the players’ skills in, for example, one-on-one situations.
– We have tried to create our game philosophy internally, which we want to follow. It may differ from the playing style of many other Finnish teams. We want the players to be technically strong and strong in their individual skills. We want them not to be afraid to play boldly in one-on-one situations, Vanhanen lists.
Vitali Vanhanen believes that just such things could be the club’s contribution to the direction of both South Karelia and the entire Finnish futsal and the Football Association.
– We hope that the skills of many players would develop with their help to the level that it would be visible in the national team as well. In order for Finland to be able to compete evenly against the world’s top in the future, also with other skills than just team play.
– Women’s futsal and soccer need development work in our region and we want to be one of its providers.
12.5 million people live in Sao Paulo, 22 million in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo. Imatra has approximately 25,000 inhabitants.
In South Karelia, Oliveira’s arrival has been taken into account, because now the social media content he produces shows Imatra.
– The fact that Neide has come here also brings attention to Finnish futsal worldwide, says Vanhanen.
– We already received praise from the city. When Neide is filming training content on different channels, Imatra can be seen in the background. It can only be a good thing for the small town and the region. We have to take advantage of it sensibly.
– I am very grateful because it is so beautiful and different here than in Sao Paulo. I love this, says Oliveira, about his first impressions at Imatra.
However, Oliveira can’t answer that which he prefers, the nature of a small town or the life of a big city. He has already noticed that autumn is coming.
– I have also lived in a small town before, but everything is so different in Imatra. The decision is difficult, because in Brazil we always have summer! Miss Oliveira laughs.