Bruno Suzuki was born near the Amazon forest in Brazil before moving to Japan with his family at the age of six.
He now holds Japanese citizenship too but has always been a fan of Jogo Bonito, even when Brazil play against Japan.
From Ronaldo in his childhood days to Neymar and Philippe Coutinho now, Bruno’s favorite footballers have always been Brazilian.
The Japanese, who is currently playing in Malaysia, is still eagerly waiting to go back to Brazil one day.
Bangladesh will also be in Bruno’s memory for a long time as he scored his first ever quadruple during his current club Terengganu FC’s opening game in the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup against I-League champion Chennai City Tuesday at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.
Bangladesh will remember two footballers for their individual skills for many years – one is Haitian forward Sony Norde and the other is English midfielder Lee Andrew Tuck.https://t.co/2r5Wl4u3nD#FOOTBALL #BANGLADESH #BFF #BANGLADESHFOOTBALL #TUCK #LEE #ANDREW #LEETUCK #CLUBCUP
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) October 18, 2019
Before facing one of the tournament favorites Sree Gokulam Kerala FC Thursday, Bruno gave a freewheeling interview to journalists where he shared a bit of his football journey that kicked off soon after his family moved to Japan.
“I started football when I was seven years old and began playing professional football in Japan at the age of 19. I signed a four-year contract with Niigata but they sent me to Singapore on loan because I was still holding a Brazilian passport and it was difficult to play at young age with too many Brazilians and foreigners playing in Japan. I could choose a Japanese passport also and I did it because it offered me more playing opportunity in local league,” said Bruno to the media.
Bruno however, moved to Singapore after his contract ended with the parent club.
He moved back to J2 league again after spending three years in Singapore at three different clubs.
He started his new journey in Malaysia, signing for Negeri Sembilan in 2017 and scoring 11 goals in his debut season.
Bruno Suzuki netted a brilliant quadruple as Malaysian outfit Terengganu handed I-League champion Chennai City a thrashing 5-3 loss in their opening Group B match of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup at MA Aziz Stadium in the port city Tuesday.https://t.co/khaKdZa9OY#BFF
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) October 22, 2019
During the same year, English midfielder Lee Andrew Tuck joined the same club after shining for a year with Abahani Limited in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Sembilan’s rival, Terengganu signed him the following year and it has been a rollercoaster ride at the new club who run two sides simultaneously with the main team competing in the Super League and the second side participating in the Premier League.
Bruno is representing the first team in the ongoing tournament and after being reunited with Tuck, the former admitted to enjoy the partnership and it was clearly evident in the port city Tuesday.
Sitting at the hotel lobby, Bruno pointed out a tattoo on his neck where it is written “believe”, which he scribed this year and since then, his finishing has gotten even better.
“I did this for my self-belief. I put this so that I can play more football, score more. I believe in myself,” said Bruno.
The third edition of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup is all set to kick off in Chittagong Saturday with eight participating clubs from five different countries.https://t.co/8BVowmyJTd#FOOTBALL #BANGLADESHFOOTBALL #BANGLADESH #BFF #SHEIKHKAMAL #SHEIKH #KAMAL #CLUBCUP
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) October 18, 2019
The discussion turned back to Brazil once again.
Bruno explained why his family moved to Japan.
“My father is a Brazilian and mother is a Japanese. My mother’s family was going back to Japan from Brazil but we stayed in Brazil (Belem, Castanha). My parents planned to visit Japan for three years but later we never returned to Brazil because they found the new place (near Osaka) more comfortable,” said the 29-year old striker.
“I think I would be a better footballer if I had grown up in Brazil because when I was small I just watched everyone playing football. My life would have been totally different.
“Even though I was a kid, I still remember life in Brazil. More party, more fun. In Japan, it’s more work, work, work. My father often visits Brazil but last time I went to Brazil, I was 14. I want to go back to Brazil one day,” he concluded.
