He may have been well and truly rugged up as Tuesday’s winter storm blasted it’s way through Glory’s training session at McGillivray Oval, but there was no disguising the broad smile on the face of new recruit Sidnei Sciola Moraes
He may have been well and truly rugged up as Tuesday’s winter storm blasted it’s way through Glory’s training session at McGillivray Oval, but there was no disguising the broad smile on the face of new recruit Sidnei Sciola Moraes.
The Brazilian attacker was delighted to have put pen to paper on a one-year deal with the club and he could hardly be more excited about the season to come.
“I’m delighted to have signed for Perth Glory,” he said, “as I see that this club has a lot of potential and everyone is really excited about the direction that it’s moving in.
“The club has great ambitions and they match my own ambitions.
“I really like the way Alistair (Edwards) coaches and the way he gives me the freedom to play the way I like to play.
“I really want to do well for the club and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Originally from Santana de Parnaiba, a municipality in the state of Sao Paulo, Sidnei has spent most of his football career in Europe, representing the likes of Portuguese sides Boavista and Rio Ave and more recently, Enosis Neon Paralimni and Alki Larnaca in the improving Cypriot League.
The 26-year-old is therefore well-qualified to compare and contrast the football played in Europe and Australia and he believes that the style of the game here will suit his strengths.
“I feel that the football here is more like Portuguese football than Cypriot football,” he said.
“I played in Portugal for three years and it’s very similar here because it’s really fast and tactical.
“In Cyprus, the style of football is a bit more like it is in Brazil, a lot slower, mainly due to the hot weather.
“It was very dry with no wind and that slowed the game down there.
“I prefer the faster style and I really think it suits my game a lot better.”
Sidnei has managed to find the net in both of Glory’s pre-season friendlies to date and despite his limited English, he also feels that he has made a similarly seamless transition into his new life off the field.
With a little help from a certain Scottish colleague.
“I haven’t had a chance to see much of the city yet,” he said, “but the small part I have seen, like the beaches and the parks, are beautiful and it’s a really well organised place.
“People have been really warm towards me and have treated me so well.
“The club is also extremely well organised and I’m delighted to be a part of it.
“I’m very keen to improve my English so that I can communicate better, but fortunately the language of football is a universal one, so I can communicate well on the field already.
“I get on well with everyone at the club and Steven McGarry in particular.
“He’s really helping me a lot and he’s really funny, always making jokes.”
And that bonding process with the rest of his new team-mates is something the versatile forward feels will accelerate during the club’s forthcoming tour of South Africa.
“I’ve been to the airport in Johannesburg before,” he said, “but only to change ‘planes, so I’m excited about seeing some of the country in the next two weeks.
“I don’t know much about the football there, but it’s a great opportunity for me to get to know the boys and the coach and really become a part of the team.”
Sidnei Sciola Moraes Factfile
Born: 2.11.86 (Age 26)
Place of Birth: Santana de Parnaiba, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Height: 1.76m
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Former Clubs: Esporte Clube Noroeste (Brazil), Bandeirante (Brazil), Boavista (Portugal), Rio Ave (Portugal), Enosis Neon Paralimni (Cyprus), Alki Larnaca (Cyprus)
Gareth Morgan
