From criminal to celebrating like Cristiano Ronaldo against Messi

He survived shootings and a murder changed his life. He became a professional footballer, shone for Flamengo and stood out in Al Hilal's victory. Michael Richard Delgado de Oliveira, better known by his first name, is 27 years old, and grew up in a favela plagued by drugs and murder. As a boy he believed that only crime was going to allow him to escape hunger and poverty, according to a FIFA article. At the age of 13 he began to frequent drug dens, to consume and sell it. In addition, he drank a lot, rubbed shoulders with gang members, committed robberies and was armed. That boy born in Poxoréu, in Mato Grosso, analyzed using it to take his life.

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Inter Miami lost 4-3 to Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the third preseason friendly match and the second at the international level. On his visit to Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi's team was losing 2-0 with goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Abdullah Al-Hamdan, he put himself on target via Luis Suárez and the third came through Brazilian Michel, whose way of celebrating He attracted attention because he emulated Cristiano Ronaldo. The Goianian has a particular history with a tough childhood and adolescence.

As he later did on the playing fields, he dribbled with fate as sometimes the police shot him in the face of a criminal act. But there was a turning point in his life and that was when the drug dealer with whom he lived in a small apartment was murdered. That marked him and it was a revelation for the 19-year-old young man that he found God as a way out and this consolidated him in soccer, a sport that until then he practiced without discipline.

Although his striker skills exploded once he focused on the sport. He formed Monte Cristo E. C. and then played for Goiânia E. C., Goianesia and then went to Goiás, where he gained relevance in Brazilian football after his 101 games, 17 goals and 15 assists that he provided. His good performance put him on the radar of Flamengo, who had just won their second Copa Libertadores in 2019, in the final that beat River Plate 2-1. He joined the Rio team in 2020 and was there until 2022, a period in which he scored 22 goals in 103 games.

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His arrival in Saudi Arabia

Faced with a growing Saudi league and with the aim of hiring South Americans with projection to enhance local football, he was bought by Al Hilal in 2022. He arrived at one of the strongest teams in the Arab country based in the capital, Riyadh. “My representative told me: ‘This opportunity has arisen. You fancy?'. I replied: 'If it is good for Flamengo, it is good for me and it is good for Al Hilal, we can reach an agreement. I don't want to bother anyone, or leave anyone angry.' But the three parties agreed, and I am very happy here,” he said in said article.