'Didn't kick a ball until 17 and wanted to quit after a year' - Roma new boy Wesley reveals unique journey to Flamengo stardom and €30m transfer to Serie A side

Wesley's rise to the top of football is anything but ordinary. The 21-year-old right-back, who didn’t even kick a ball until he was 17, has gone from nearly quitting the sport to sealing a €30 million (£26m/$35m) move to Serie A giants Roma. His journey, however, took a dramatic turn after being noticed by Flamengo, where he quickly proved he belonged on the big stage. Roma's latest signing sheds light on his tough beginnings, stating that his initial days were filled with self-doubt.

Wesley has signed a five-year deal with the Giallorossi and will wear the No.43 jersey. The young defender stated in his first interview with the club that he hopes to emulate national icon Cafu, who played for Roma in the same position. Despite his preference to play in a four-man defence, the former Flamengo sensation can comfortably slot in a right-wing back role, providing tactical flexibility to new head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. With his €30m move, he becomes the most expensive non-EU signing in club history.

Speaking in his first interview as a Roma player, Wesley said: "I kicked my first real footy in 2017, when I started trying seriously in the youth teams. During that period, I started going on trials and failed four or five times, at Figueirense and Tubarão. I finally passed the trial with Figueirense, but the club wasn't in good financial shape. So I was informed that if I found a better option, I should notify the club, and they would let me go.

"As soon as I started playing for Tubarão, Covid hit. At that moment, I thought about stopping playing and starting working. It seemed like a sign of destiny: I wasn't supposed to play football. So I started working with my mom and sister in a restaurant where my mom was a chef. I worked there as a parking attendant and by then I had little faith in football. I had just started and everything had gone wrong because of Covid.

"[My sister] kept sending me messages on Instagram. They were motivational texts; she wanted to push me to get back into football. So at the end of 2020, I decided to return to playing after a year off, during which I hadn't trained at all. Tubarão contacted me asking if I would be willing to play five games with them. I accepted, since I wasn't doing anything. But I wasn't playing much.

“I recorded a video and my agent sent it to all his friends. From that moment on, they started contacting me for trials, then Flamengo called, again in 2021, and that changed everything.”

The Brazilian international will be hoping to make his unofficial debut for the Serie A giants in their upcoming friendly, scheduled for July 31 against French fourth-tier side Cannes.